Brisbane have revealed winger Deine Mariner could have lost his leg if he had not undergone emergency surgery in Sydney in the early hours of Sunday morning following the Broncos’ defeat in a thriller against the Sydney Roosters on Saturday.
Mariner suffered a cork in his right quad during the first half at Allianz Stadium but returned to the field for the final 15 minutes of the game when teammate Josiah Karapani came off with an ankle injury.
The 23-year-old later developed an acute case of compartment syndrome and was taken by ambulance to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for an operation.
Broncos chief medical officer Matt Hislop on Monday detailed the frightening post-match episode, which has sidelined the Samoa international indefinitely.
He said Mariner’s quad was swollen by the time the team returned to the Broncos’ Sydney hotel just before midnight, but he was cleared to finish dinner and go to bed.
“I was called to see Deine at 1.30am, and it was obvious that his thigh had deteriorated,” Hislop said in a statement.
“He was in significant pain, and the thigh was very firm. We performed an ultrasound in the hope of draining a hematoma, but the swelling was diffused within the muscle, and there was nothing to drain.
“Thankfully, Deine still had functioning nerves and arteries in his leg, but it was apparent he was developing an acute compartment syndrome and an ambulance was called.”
Hislop said paramedics provided pain relief to the winger, who was transferred to the RPA’s emergency department, where the pressure inside the muscle was found to be elevated.
“A decision was made to perform limb-saving surgery and Deine was taken to theatre in the early hours of Sunday morning,” he said.
Mariner had resumed playing with a quarter of an hour remaining as the Broncos were storming back into the contest, having trailed 30-0. They eventually fell short of a remarkable comeback, losing 38-24.
Speaking after Saturday night’s game and before Mariner’s condition worsened, Brisbane coach Michael Maguire said he probably shouldn’t have returned to the field “but that’s what they’re doing for each other”.
“I could talk about many other players but that’s what the competition is demanding of you at the moment,” Maguire said.
Hislop said on Monday Mariner had been assessed, strapped and padded before demonstrating he could run, and played the final quarter-hour of the match after keeping his leg mobile.
“The length of recovery will be determined as the swelling in the muscle resolves,” he said.
Hislop said it was important to understand how quickly such an injury could progress, noting that they were rare.
“Both Deine and myself would like to thank all of the paramedics, nurses, ED doctors and trauma surgeons for their exceptional care,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dolphins prop Daniel Saifiti has been forced to retire with a shoulder issue his surgeon said was “one of the worst” he’s seen.
The 30-year-old, who played seven Origin games for NSW, had surgery last year but rehabilitation attempts have failed to get him to a point where he can play NRL again.
“The shoulder is just not holding up. We tried our best to do full contact but I would have become a liability,” Saifiti said. “It would have been unfair on me and the team if I had tried to keep going.
“If I risked any more damage it would have affected my quality of life after footy with two young kids, and I want to have more with my beautiful partner. It would have been selfish for me to keep going.”
Saifiti’s last game for the Dolphins was in round eight against Canberra last year, where his last act on a football field was scoring a rampaging try.
He had a shoulder reconstruction early in his career and a clean-out in 2023. The latest injury was the final straw.
“When the surgeon went inside he said it was one of the worst he had seen. I did a fair bit of damage to it scoring that try against the Raiders,” he said.
Saifiti will be paid out the final two years of his contract, which ends in 2027.
with AAP
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Chris Barrett is a senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former South-East Asia correspondent for the Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.