Adelaide footy player is left in a coma after wild brawl breaks out during grand final
A teenager has been placed in an induced coma after an under-17 football match got out of hand and turned into a full-blown brawl.
During the heated first half of Sunday’s final between Angle Vale and Two Wells at Adelaide’s Hamley Bridge Oval, multiple red and yellow cards were handed out, with a brawl breaking out between players at one point.
Shortly before half-time, 17-year-old Angle Vale player Henry Nau was seen losing consciousness as he tried to leave the field.
Some onlookers suggested Henry may have had a ‘king-hit’, but those reports have not yet been confirmed by the Adelaide Plains Football League.
“At this point we don’t know if it was a hit or an accident. We don’t know for sure,” APFL president Michael Vigor said. 9News.
The match was stopped for almost an hour while paramedics arrived on the scene and Henry was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital, where he remains in a stable condition.
Henry reportedly suffered another head injury earlier in the match.
Family members said his CAT scans showed positive signs of recovery.
Henry Nau (pictured) was placed in an induced coma after receiving an alleged king’s blow during a major under-17 football final on Saturday
During the match between Angle Vale and Two Wells several yellow and red cards were handed out, with players at one point getting into a brawl (pictured is Mr Nau being carried away).
However, the news offered little comfort to Henry’s shocked teammates, who had to watch as their friend was surrounded by tarpaulins and anxious staff after he collapsed.
“He came off and was kind of dazed and then, I’m not sure, he just collapsed,” teammate Jack Pessano said.
“It’s very scary. Knowing that this could happen to one of my best friends who I play football with, it’s very scary.”