Players describe moment 'scary skippy' sent them sprinting for safety
"It was possessed. This was one scary skippy."
Those are the words of Belconnen United defender Ellie Raymond who came face to face with the most unlikely of pitch invaders in the Canberra women's premier league last week.
An enormous kangaroo entered Deakin Stadium - an enclosed field - on the stroke of half-time and sent Belconnen and Canberra FC players running for their lives.
The game was stopped for 20 minutes and not even Belconnen coach Antoni Jagarinec, who is 198cm, could move the rogue marsupial along.
The footage went viral of players scattering when the kangaroo jumped the fence and then officials trying to remove it from the field, even rating a mention from World Cup officials on social media.
"It was angry, you couldn't scare it. Just the temperament of the thing, I was trying to identify if it was friendly or scared or aggressive and it was quite aggressive," Raymond said.
"You could see it drooling and hissing. Imagine a possessed kangaroo. It was possessed. This was one scary skippy.
"Ant went up to it and it went on its back legs and Ant was 'Nah stuff that,' and he immediately walked away.
"There were teenage boys running for the hills, this thing was ready to go into battle, you can't make this stuff up.
"I've heard stories about kangaroos and you see stuff online. This one was going down on his hands in slow motion, like right before a cheetah pounces they go on their hands, this guy was ready to go.
"It was fight or flight and I flew."
Jagarinec said he wasn't initially fussed but admits there was only winner when he confronted the fearless invader.
"First I said 'It’s just a bloody kangaroo', but I got up close to him and when it went on its back tail and squared me up eye to eye, I thought I'm out," Jagarinec said.
Belconnen skipper Lauren Keir said she'd never seen anything like it and owned up to being "probably the most scared" person at Deakin.
"I didn't think he was that big but then he went up on his back legs and confronted Ant and I was like, 'Holy crap this thing is huge'," Keir said.
Footage of the incident has since gone viral and Keir said she was shocked to see it played all over the world, but Raymond wasn't so surprised.
"I didn't realise we were being filmed but then I saw the cameras and thought 'Yep, this is going viral for sure, people will eat this up'," Raymond said.
"It's World Cup time, skippy on the field, Socceroos, yep, this will blow up."
Belconnen won the game 2-0 to remain unbeaten through 12 games this season and if they can avoid angry kangaroos they are well on track to win their fourth title in five years.
CANBERRA WOMEN'S PREMIER LEAGUE ROUND 14
Saturday: Tuggeranong United v Canberra FC at Kambah, 3pm.
Saturday: Canberra United Academy v Canberra Olympic at O'Connor Enclosed, 3pm.
Saturday: Belconnen United v Gungahlin United at McKellar Park, 5:15pm.
Sunday: Woden-Weston v Monaro Panthers at Woden Park Enclosed, 2pm.