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A pitch invader who pleaded guilty to interrupting an AFL game at Adelaide Oval in March has told reporters outside court that he is a "legend".
Julian Saginario, 22, was fined $1,080 in the Adelaide Magistrates Court for running onto the field during a match between the Adelaide Crows and Geelong Cats.
Saginario, who was banned from the venue for life, was spared a conviction on the grounds that his behaviour was "out of character".
"The commentator called you an idiot, are you?" a reporter asked outside court.
"I'm a legend," Saginario responded.
The court heard he had consumed "too many drinks" and had been "egged on by mates" before jumping the fence, grabbing a security guard's hat, and running onto the ground.
Adelaide players Matt Crouch and Ben Keays confronted the man before security took him off the ground.
"I shouldn't have done it, it's out of character for me, because I don't normally do anything like that," Saginario told Magistrate Justin Wickens.
The maximum penalty for pitch invasion offences is a $5,000 fine.
"You say it's out of character for you, and you shouldn't have done it — and you're absolutely right," Magistrate Wickens said.
"It causes a disturbance to what's going on on the field, and indeed, it requires security staff and police to be diverted from their roles to grab you and remove you from queue of play, all because you've had too much to drink and were causing a spectacle."
Magistrate Wickens opted not to record a conviction on the grounds that Saginario had no prior offending and had told the court his behaviour was out of character.
"A conviction in this matter, some would say would have a deleterious effect on your ability to gain further employment down the track because it makes you look like a troublemaker."
He handed Saginario a fine of $1,200, which was reduced to $1,080 for his early guilty plea.
Saginario will also be required to pay court fees, prosecution fees and the victims of crime levy at a total further cost of about $1,000.
Geelong coach Chris Scott and his Adelaide counterpart Matthew Nicks blasted Saginario's "dangerous" behaviour, citing safety concerns for players after the incident.
Scott recalled the infamous incident in 1982 when Australian cricketer Terry Alderman dislocated a shoulder when tackling a pitch invader during an Ashes Test at the WACA ground in Perth.