Australian sailors charged in brawl

Two Australian sailors will stand trial on assault charges after an argument over the relative merits of Australian versus American football turned into a sidewalk brawl.

Philip Graeme Ferres, 27, and Kolis Barba, 25, pleaded not guilty to felony charges in the beating of a man they met at a bar Nov. 22. They had been on a six-day shore leave.

Barba is a professional Australian rules football player.

Jeffrey Wilkinson, 28, testified at a pretrial hearing Thursday that he joined the sailors at a party in a nearby apartment after meeting them at Moose McGillycuddy’s. He said he jumped from a second-floor balcony and onto the roof of a car below to get away after they became involved in a heated discussion about politics and football about 5 a.m.

Wilkinson said that the defendants chased him and that he was hit in the side of the face. He said he suffered a broken nose and a broken rib, and needed 30 stitches in his face.

Defense attorney Matthew J. O’Connor told Superior Court Judge Charles G. Rogers that the sailors thought Wilkinson was leaving to get a gun.