Epping footballer Nathan Fitzgerald, a 27-year-old high school teacher, is receiving end-of-life care in hospital after a horror head clash during a suburban Australian rules football game in Lalor, Melbourne, on Saturday. His club, the Epping Football Netball Club, confirmed the devastating turn of events on Sunday, stating that Fitzgerald's condition deteriorated overnight and he is now receiving end-of-life care.
Incident details
Fitzgerald was playing for Epping at a match in Lalor when he suffered multiple hits to his head. According to club president Luke De Vincentis, Fitzgerald clashed heads with another player during a tackle before receiving a second blow to the head, which could have been from a flailing boot or a knee. He then fell to the ground and hit his head on a covered cricket pitch, which runs through the middle of the oval. De Vincentis described the surface as much harder than the rest of the ground.
Club president's tribute
De Vincentis paid tribute to Fitzgerald, calling him a "gentle soul of a man" who was loving and humble. "He had this smile on his face – his teeth would light up a room from a mile away because he always had a smile on his face. And [he] just gave time to everyone," De Vincentis told ABC Radio Melbourne on Monday. He added that the club has lost a teammate and a much-loved person, but more importantly, the Fitzgerald family have lost a son and a brother.
Calls for investigation
De Vincentis called for an investigation into the playing of football on fields that have cricket pitches, noting the increased risk due to the hard surface. "There's always been some risks and concerns involved around the cricket pitches on footy ovals I guess. Unfortunately, because we are just local amateur sports, we have to be able to use these facilities for multiple purposes. But the risk does come that there is quite a hard strip of surface in the middle of a ground where there's a high velocity, high contact sport played on," he said.
League response
According to The Age, a spokesperson for the Northern Football Netball League said umpires inspected the ground before the game. In a statement on Saturday, the league stated that "there is no suggestion that what took place was anything other than a football accident." The incident has renewed focus on head knocks in football amid growing understanding of chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
