In the Busselton District Court on Thursday, a jury found Mr Blackford deliberately lifted his knee in to the face of Mr Murphy during the game which left him with four serious facial fractures.

Mr Blackford will be allowed out on bail tonight and will return to the court tomorrow for sentencing.

A few members of the public started crying in the courthouse after the verdict was handed down.

Outside the court Mr Blackford's team-mate Jason Mead said he felt Mr Blackford was sure to be "shattered and disappointed" by the verdict. 

“He’s a strong guy and he will take it on the chin,” he said.

THURSDAY 2:30pm: UPDATE: The jury have re-entered the courtroom and requested to review evidence from the first umpire who gave evidence, Aaron Andrews.

Following this the judge read out some of the testimony of Mr Andrews who described how the ball had gone to ground and was being contested.

"The umpire saw a player being taken high and he blew the whistle to indicate a free kick.

"The players had started to get up off the ground and he saw Blackford strike Murphy in the face with his knee.

"He couldn't recall where Mr Blackford's hands were."

The jury will retire again to deliberate on a verdict.

THURSDAY 11.30am: The jury has retired to deliberate and consider a verdict after the prosecution and defence teams issued their closing statements this morning.

Collie footballer Matt Blackford was charged with grievous bodily harm after kneeing the face of an opponent during a South West Football League match in 2013.

A large number of Mr Blackford's Collie Eagles team-mates were in court today to hear the verdict, which is expected to be handed down this afternoon.

Prosecutor Linda Keane told the jury in her closing statement that the state was not suggesting Matthew Blackford acted like a thug, rather he had an out of character brain snap, but that did not make his actions okay.

“No player should have to risk being the subject of the deliberate act of another when on the field,” she said.

“There were nine witnesses that say the injury was the result of Matthew Blackford deliberately raising his knee into Mr Murphy’s face.

“None of the HBL players said anything critical of Matthew Blackford as a person and in the three umpires we have completely unbiased and objective witnesses.

"Why were so many of the players in shock if it was just an accident? Matt apologised to the umpires for putting them in the position he did. You would think he would be annoyed at getting a red card if it really was an accident.

 "It has been suggested he wouldn't do anything to jeopardise his chance to play finals so close to the end of the season. But, that is the nature of brain snaps."

Defence lawyer David Walls said the umpires described a look of shock on Matthew Blackford’s face which showed he was surprised by the accident.

He went onto suggest there were a number of inconsistencies in the case and a conviction would be ludicrous.

“All the witnesses say Mr Murphy was kneed in the face and we have never disputed that,” he said.

“What is important to consider is the lead-up to that event.

“If you as the jury find you have doubts in the testimony you have heard it is your duty to return a verdict of not guilty.”

He also told the jury to ignore the red card because "it never made it to the tribunal to give him a chance to plead his case".

"We wonder why we live in a society where we tell no-one to apologise because lawyers will use it against you."

Before the jury retired to make a decision on the case the judge addressed them stating:  "From time to time in Australian Rules Football there will be breaches of the games rules but, not every breach gives arise to a criminal act."

Mr Blackford was arrested and charged with grievous bodily harm following the game in September 2013.

The contact left Harvey Brunswick Leschenault Lions midfielder Aaron Murphy with four serious facial fractures.

If convicted Mr Blackford could face up to 10 years jail.

WEDNESDAY: Collie footballer Matt Blackford took to the stand this afternoon to give his version of the 2013 incident which saw him charged with grievous bodily harm. 

Mr Blackford said after a free kick was awarded to Mr Murphy for a high tackle, a "scuffle between the two had ensued. 

He said the two were pushing and shoving before Mr Murphy “threw a swing” with his left arm at him.

Mr Blackford said he was off balance and fell backwards, while Mr Murphy fell forward with Mr Murphy’s head hitting his knee on the way down.

During cross–examination, Prosecutor Linda Keane questioned whether Mr Blackford had driven his knee into the face of Mr Murphy, to which Mr Blackford replied “no”.

With prosecution claims Mr Blackford had previous run-ins with Mr Murphy during the game, Mr Blackford said he had only noticed Mr Murphy after he picked up a young Collie player who had just been in a contest with Mr Murphy.

“There was a contest and I went to pick up Travis [Cleggett, 17 at the time] to move onto the next contest,” Mr Blackford said.

Ms Keane asked whether Mr Blackford had said “You’re a f***ing filthy c***, pull your head in” to Mr Murphy moments before the incident.

"No, that's not the sort of language I use," Mr Blackford said. 

The prosecution asked why Mr Blackford had apologised to the umpires after the game if the incident was “an accident”.

Mr Blackford said he apologised to the umpires for Mr Murphy’s head hitting his knee, and for having to bring the umpires to the tribunal because a red card warranted an immediate tribunal hearing.

He also denied helping to write witness statements for the defence witnesses which the prosecution claimed read "nearly word-for-word" to Mr Blackford's account of the incident. 

The prosecution asked about Mr Blackford’s past experience in training for mixed martial arts and it was revealed he had once been involved in an amateur MMA fight.

Ms Keane said the movement of a forceful blow from the knee to the head was consistent with an MMA movement – a statement that Mr Blackford denied. 

However, Mr Blackford said he had only trained in MMA because of an injury which had kept him from playing football.

Under re-examination from defence lawyer David Walls, Mr Blackford said his one fight had left him in intensive care for a week with a broken jaw. 

He said he had a plate inserted into his jaw as a result of the injuries and tried MMA once again but no longer enjoyed it. 

During the morning session, surgeon Paul Sillifant told the court a heavy, blunt force caused the injury and an operation had been necessary to put Mr Murphy’s cheekbone back in place. 

Appearing via video link Mr Sillifant said the fractured bone had been pushed in a long way which caused a large facial deformity.

The field umpires Aaron Andrews and Peter Franklin also appeared yesterday to give their accounts of the incident. 

The jury is expected to hear the closing statements from the defence and prosecution tomorrow. 

TUESDAY: A Collie footballer charged with kneeing the face of an opponent during a South West Football League match has labelled the incident a “terrible and unfortunate accident”.

Collie Eagles Football Club captain Matthew Drew Blackford was arrested and charged with grievous bodily harm following the game in September 2013.

The contact left Harvey Brunswick Leschenault Lions midfielder Aaron Murphy with four serious facial fractures.

In the first day of the Busselton District Court trial, the jury were told that the two teams were playing a physical brand of football when the incident occurred just before half-time.

In her opening statement, Prosecutor Linda Keane said the injury left Mr Murphy with “half his face smashed in.”

“The incident that caused the injury was a deliberate and wilful act,” Ms Keane said.

“The evidence suggests Mr Blackford had his hands on the head of Mr Murphy and may have held or pulled the victim’s face towards his knee.

“His actions were not just outside the rules of the game but also the laws of this country.”

Defence lawyer David Walls said the injury was the result of a scuffle between two players that went wrong.

“Country football is a physical sport and at times people get hurt,” Mr Walls said.

“The players were unbalanced, pulling on each other and the contact was a terrible and unfortunate accident.”

Mr Walls told the jury that football injuries were not uncommon.

Two weeks earlier, Mr Murphy had been struck in the back of the head by a knee and had been taken to hospital for a scan, he said.  

Appearing on the witness stand, Mr Murphy said he could not give a clear recollection of the incident which saw Mr Blackford sent off the ground for the remainder of the match.

“Everything is fuzzy – all I know is I felt a crunch on the right side of my noggin,” he said.

Teammate Matthew Bicknell told the court Mr Murphy had been awarded a free kick and was getting up off the ground when he was struck.

“As he got up, Mr Blackford lifted his knee into his face with his hand on the back of Aaron’s head.”

“It all happened pretty quickly.”

Mr Murphy was taken to Bunbury Regional Hospital and had surgery to repair his injuries five days later.

Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault captain David Newman said Mr Blackford called him on the night of the game and the following day to apologise for his actions and to ask about the welfare of Mr Murphy.

“Mr Blackford rang to apologise and said he had had a brain-snap,” Mr Newman said.

The trial of Mr Blackford is expected to last one week.