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Injured Ainley to undergo surgery
By Guy Hand
Monday, June 18, 2001
MELBOURNE, June 18 AAP - Promising Kangaroos player Mark Ainley will undergo surgery tomorrow after fracturing his skull in a VFL game at the weekend.
Ainley, 19, had a delayed reaction to a head knock early in the Murray Kangaroos' match against Box Hill yesterday.
Ainley's head was clipped by another player's boot during an accidental first quarter clash.
After initially showing no ill effects, the young Kangaroo began convulsing and coughing up blood within half an hour of the incident.
The match was stopped for 15 minutes while Ainley was attended to and taken to Box Hill Hospital.
He was transferred to Melbourne's St Vincent's Hospital last night, where he will be operated on tomorrow.
Kangaroos coach Denis Pagan said Ainley was likely to be out for six to eight weeks but medical staff who attended Ainley said he was unlikely to play again this season.
On a weekend in which two Victorian country footballers died in separate on-field incidents, the Kangaroos were today counting their blessings that the popular youngster's injury was not life-threatening.
'He's a very lucky boy and we're just grateful it turned out okay,' Pagan said.
Ainley was on the verge of a senior breakthrough after great form for the Kangaroos' reserve team in recent weeks.
He had 27 possessions in three quarters in a tagger's role against unbeaten Werribee recently, with Pagan indicating Ainley would have been in contention for a senior call-up this weekend against Hawthorn at the MCG.
By Guy Hand
Monday, June 18, 2001
MELBOURNE, June 18 AAP - Promising Kangaroos player Mark Ainley will undergo surgery tomorrow after fracturing his skull in a VFL game at the weekend.
Ainley, 19, had a delayed reaction to a head knock early in the Murray Kangaroos' match against Box Hill yesterday.
Ainley's head was clipped by another player's boot during an accidental first quarter clash.
After initially showing no ill effects, the young Kangaroo began convulsing and coughing up blood within half an hour of the incident.
The match was stopped for 15 minutes while Ainley was attended to and taken to Box Hill Hospital.
He was transferred to Melbourne's St Vincent's Hospital last night, where he will be operated on tomorrow.
Kangaroos coach Denis Pagan said Ainley was likely to be out for six to eight weeks but medical staff who attended Ainley said he was unlikely to play again this season.
On a weekend in which two Victorian country footballers died in separate on-field incidents, the Kangaroos were today counting their blessings that the popular youngster's injury was not life-threatening.
'He's a very lucky boy and we're just grateful it turned out okay,' Pagan said.
Ainley was on the verge of a senior breakthrough after great form for the Kangaroos' reserve team in recent weeks.
He had 27 possessions in three quarters in a tagger's role against unbeaten Werribee recently, with Pagan indicating Ainley would have been in contention for a senior call-up this weekend against Hawthorn at the MCG.
