WAFL 2021: East Fremantle recruit Jonathon Marsh suffers broken jaw in nightspot incident

East Fremantle gun Jonathon Marsh will go under the knife today after sustaining a broken jaw in an incident at a popular Fremantle nightspot. The former St Kilda and Collingwood utility was punched outside Benny’s Bar and Cafe in Fremantle on Saturday night, just hours after booting five goals in the Sharks’ upset win over Perth at Mineral Resources Park. The West Australian understands Marsh, who was cleared of any wrongdoing by his WAFL club, will not pursue police charges on the attacker. Marsh will have a plate inserted today to repair a break in his jaw after he was struck from behind. In a statement, East Fremantle confirmed the 25-year-old would likely miss four weeks of football, denting the club’s hopes of returning to finals. “We are extremely disappointed with the nature of this event and will continue to investigate it further,” the statement read. East Fremantle football operations manager Brad Dodd said the club’s primary concern “is Jonathon’s well-being and supporting him through his recovery”. “While it’s disappointing for everyone involved to lose a player to injury in this fashion, our primary concern at the moment is Jonathon’s well-being and supporting him through his recovery,” Dodd said. Marsh has kicked 19 goals and is averaging 19 possessions in 11 matches this season after returning to his original WAFL club. He was cut by St Kilda at the end of last year after 11 games in two seasons in what was his second stint in the AFL after starting at Collingwood, where he appeared 15 times across 2015-16. The Sharks will take on West Coast at New Choice Homes Park without Marsh, who kicked seven goals last time the two sides met in round six.