Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison is on the campaign trail ahead of national elections this Saturday, and like all politicians the conservative coalition leader is keen to impress.
But not like this.
Morrison has been filmed accidently tackling an eight-year-old kid during a soccer match on a campaign visit in Devonport, Tasmania, on Wednesday.
The prime minister was participating in a training game at the Devonport Strikers Football Club when he lost his balance and collided with young striker Luca Fauvette in what appeared to be a rugby tackle.
Luca was unfazed and quickly brushed himself off before resuming the game.
Watch for yourself below:
“A bit of a rugby tackle,” Morrison pleaded as he helped the child up.
Morrison revealed he had spoken to Luca and his mum Ali to check if he was still in “good form” on a Facebook post Wednesday night.
“A shout out to young Luca for being such a good sport,” he wrote.
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“You may have seen we had a bit of a collision at club training tonight at the Devonport Strikers Football Club in Tasmania.
“I spoke to Luca and his mum Ali tonight to check in on him and he was in good form.
“Great to be able to have a good chat to him about his love of football and to hear he’s had three hat-tricks in his budding career already.”
Liberal Party Leader Morrison is currently in a neck-and-neck race with the left-wing Labour Party opposition led by Anthony Albanese as the 2022 election campaign enters its final days.
While the on-pitch collision could cause Morrison some embarrassment, he could take strength from the fact Commonwealth Realm colleague Boris Johnson once did the same to a child during a rugby match, and went on just years later to become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Johnson’s clash came during a visit to Japan where he enjoyed a game of touch Rugby with local children. Getting carried away, perhaps, he barelled into a 10-year-old boy who he smashed into the ground.
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