Melbourne forward and former Collingwood premiership player Brody Mihocek was taken to hospital in an ambulance amid concerns about a potentially serious neck injury after landing head-first into the ground in an awkward tackle during the second quarter of the King’s Birthday clash at the MCG.
Monday afternoon’s game, a classic encounter which the Demons won by eight points, stopped for more than eight minutes as Mihocek was carefully moved onto a stretcher and taken from the field during his first game against his old Magpies side.
The crowd of 88,015 went silent and players from both teams stood in the middle of the ground waiting for signs of movement from Mihocek.
The AFL physician ran out and joined the Melbourne doctors in treating him on the field.
There was a wave of relief as Mihocek could be seen bending his legs as the throng of trainers and doctors huddled over him, later moving his arms as he was carried off in a neck brace.
Mihocek was accidentally driven head first into the ground by his friend and former teammate, Billy Frampton.
Mihocek had accepted a pass on the bounce from debutant Lucas Kentfield hard up against the boundary. The Demon forward ran into the field and with Frampton closing on him with arms out, went low to duck under Frampton who caught him across his body with Mihocek’s head down.
Mihocek’s head might have clipped Frampton’s knee in the tackle before they both went to ground with the top of Mihocek’s head driving into the ground. He was knocked out.
Frampton waved to trainers to stop play.
The umpire awarded a free kick to Frampton, as Mihocek had played on and ducked his head in the tackle, but the Match Review Officer will inevitably look at the incident for a dangerous tackle given the ponential severity of the injury.
Melbourne players went over to Mihocek, then Collingwood players went over to check on their long-term premiership teammate who crossed to Melbourne at the end of last season.
A Melbourne spokesman confirmed Mihocek was taken to hospital in an ambulance for further assessment for a neck injury. There was no further update on his condition.
Earlier, as both teams had waited to run jointly through a single banner honouring Neale Daniher, Jack Crisp ran to hug his close mate. They then stood together arm in arm as players from both teams and umpires formed a ring in the centre circle to pay tribute to the former Melbourne coach after his recent death to Motor Neurone Disease.
Kozzie Pickett was Melbourne’s best player for the first half but he, too, will face scrutiny for two incidents.
Pickett appeared to kick out a leg and trip Braydon Maynard, who had earlier been off with a dislocated shoulder with his arm hanging low before returning to the ground, evidently with his shoulder back in its socket after pain killing injections. But when Maynard stuck out his arms to brace from the fall and landed from the Pickett trip his shoulder popped out again.
The second disclocation ruled Maynard out for the remainder of the match.
Pickett will also be scrutinised for umpire contact – which would result in a fine rather than a suspension – despite earning a free kick in the incident. Pickett appeared to nudge his Collingwood opponent into the path of the reversing umpire, creating the contact.
A similar incident occurred during Sunday night’s Carlton-Essendon game, when Bombers youngster Sullivan Robey drew a free kick for umpire contact. But Robey was fined by the MRO for having been the cause of the contact by his opponent.
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Michael Gleeson is an award-winning senior sports writer specialising in AFL and athletics.Connect via X or email.