The Broncos have revealed that winger Deine Mariner required “limb-saving surgery” after what first appeared to be a nasty cork turned into a medical emergency in the early hours of Sunday morning in Sydney.
The club’s chief medical officer, Matt Hislop, released a lengthy explanation on Monday afternoon detailing the extraordinary series of events.
Mariner left the field during the first half of Saturday night’s loss to the Roosters, only to get strapped up and return.
Things quickly deteriorated over the next few hours, with Mariner rushed to hospital where doctors came to the rescue.
“I wanted to give a shout out of thanks for the care that the Broncos and Deine in particular got from the wonderful staff at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in the early hours of Sunday morning,” Dr Hislop said.
“It is very important to put out a timeline of how quickly this (thankfully rare) injury can progress and Deine has provided his consent for his situation to be shared.
“Deine sustained a nasty cork to his right quad late in the first half of the Roosters game and was assessed, strapped and padded before showing he could run. He kept the leg mobile and remained available, returning to the field with 15 minutes to go in the second half.
“By the time we were in the hotel just before midnight his quad was swollen, but he was clinically OK, neuro-vascularly intact and able 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. He was in significant pain, and the thigh was very firm.
“We performed an ultrasound in the hope of draining a haematoma, 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.
“Paramedics were able to provide much-needed pain relief and Deine was transferred to the RPA ED department where doctors were able to measure the pressure inside the muscle, which was quite elevated.
“A decision was made to perform limb-saving surgery and Deine was taken to theatre in the early hours of Sunday morning. The length of recovery will be determined as the swelling in the muscle resolves.
“Both Deine and I would like to thank all of the paramedics, nurses, ED doctors and trauma surgeons for their exceptional care.”
Broncos coach Michael Maguire in his post game press conference applauded Mariner for his bravery and selfless decision to return to the field.
Mariner had not been taken to hospital by the time Maguire fronted reporters.
“Deine probably shouldn’t have gone back out, but that’s what they’re doing for each other,” Maguire said, proud of how his team fought back from 30-0 down to get within six points before losing 38-24.
“I could talk about many other players, but that’s what the competition is demanding of you at the moment. Deine, straight away he jumped up and out he went. So they’re competing really hard for each other. We just needed to be smarter.”
The Broncos are already missing several stars to injury, with Ben Hunt, Payne Haas and others sidelined, while strike centre Kotoni Staggs accepted a two-match ban for a grade 2 dangerous contact charge out of Saturday’s game.
