A Victorian amateur footballer unlawfully killed another man in a drunken Adelaide street fight with one punch, a jury has been told.
Bradley John Nelson was on an end-of-season trip with other members of the Inverleigh football club, from west of Geelong, when he fatally punched Clint Hislop, prosecutor Tim Preston said on Tuesday.
Nelson, 25, has pleaded not guilty in the South Australian Supreme Court to the manslaughter of Mr Hislop, 28, of McLaren Vale, in October 2012 near a backpackers' hostel at Glenelg.
His lawyer Scott Henchliffe told the jury there was no dispute his client had deliberately punched Mr Hislop and that the act was the substantial cause of his death.
But he said the punch was not unlawful as Mr Hislop had been the aggressor and Nelson had acted in self-defence.
Mr Preston said both men, unknown to each other, were drunk and came together when Mr Hislop and a friend ended up at the backpackers' hostel where the footballers were staying.
While the encounter began as friendly banter, it became aggressive particularly on the part of Mr Hislop, who punched two members of the group, the prosecutor said.
After Mr Hislop and his friend were ejected, some members of the group followed them onto the street where there were several skirmishes before Nelson punched Mr Hislop in the face.
He fell and hit his head on the road, causing the brain injury from which he later died of in hospital.
"If two people voluntarily decide to fight one another and continue to be aggressive towards each other, they are equally guilty of unlawful behaviour," Mr Preston said.
The trial is continuing.
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