AFL star Luke Nankervis has gone viral on social media after footage emerged of him in hospital with an utterly bizarre injury.
The Adelaide Crows midfielder, 22, who has 36 disposals in three games so far this season, is set to come up against the Richmond Tigers at the MCG on Sunday.
Watch the video of Nankervis’ lockjaw via the player below
But his preparations have suffered something of a blow after a video was posted by teammate Josh Rachele earlier this week showing him grappling with severe lockjaw.
The caption of the clip said: “Pov: your friend gets locked jaw at 12am #emergency #hospital #helpme.”
Nankervis was visibly grappling with the issue in the footage as he tried to free his jaw while sitting in a chair.
But when he realised he was being filmed, the young footy star did manage to see the funny side as he smiled and cracked a laugh at the unusual situation.
And fans on social media certainly saw the amusing side of Nankervis’ misfortune.
One person said: “The pasta was a little too al dente.”
While another added: “Did his jaw get stuck like that after watching Brayden Cook kick the winning goal on Friday night?”
A third replied: “Bro really did that hardcore brushing his teeth?”
And a fourth reacted: “Better hope there’s no flies around.”
The Crows head into their clash with the Tigers having won four and lost four of their eight games in 2026.
They are on a run of three victories in their last four, and clinched a dramatic 76-75 triumph over rivals Port Adelaide last Friday.
Crows captain Jordan Dawson is poised to return on Sunday after returning to training following two games out due to the death of his oldest brother.
Coach Matthew Nicks said: “He’s an energy for our group.
“Our group love having him around; he’s been here all week and I know he’s really keen to play.
“We’ll train today and make sure that everything runs smoothly, but we expect him to play this weekend.”
The game against the Tigers will be Adelaide’s second and final fixture at the MCG this season — after they beat Collingwood in Round 1.
