Venomous snake on field of play delays AFLW game in Australia

A venomous snake delayed the start of an AFLW game in Blacktown, Australia by half an hour as players waited for a snake catcher to remove it from the field.

The red-bellied black snake, which the Australian Museum says will only bite under extreme circumstances, was spotted on the field before Greater Western Sydney Giants played Richmond Tigers in the AFWL, the women’s Australian football league.

“It’s pretty interesting,” said the Giants’ head of women’s football Briana Harvey during the delay, according to the AFL.

“There’s a little red-bellied black snake on the ground at the moment, just in one of the far pockets. Obviously for the safety of everyone here we need just to halt the game for the moment.”

Once the snake catcher arrived he picked up the snake by its tail, held it up for the cameras and put it in a container to take safely away from the game.

After the delay, the Giants sunk to their third consecutive loss of the season as Richmond completed a 19-point victory.