SKIPPER IN NASTY CRASH
Demon captain in gutter crash
GLENORCHY has stormed to an expected comfortable TSL win against North Hobart, but the victory under lights at KGV was soured by a nasty incident involving Demons skipper Hugh Williams.
The Pies chalked up their third consecutive win to retain top spot on the ladder with an 18.20 (128) to 5.5 (35) result, which consigned North to a 0-4 start to the year.
However the contest, which was effectively over at halftime after the hosts piled on the last five goals of the second quarter to take a 56point lead, was overshadowed by the sickening incident involving North’s courageous captain.
Williams speared headfirst into the gutter behind the goals at the bottom end of the ground after attempting to avoid crashing into a teammate as they scrambled to touch a shot on goal from Glenorchy’s Callen Daly late in the second term.
Field umpire Joel Harris immediately called for assistance from the sidelines, with play halted for more than five minutes before the halftime siren sounded.
Williams, who was unable to protect himself from the impact, was conscious but motionless for close to 20 minutes before being taken from the field on a stretcher to an ambulance and transported to the Royal Hobart Hospital.
The club released a statement a short time later saying Williams was lucid and conscious and had full movement in his legs, with some stitches required in his forehead from a nasty gash.
The question that will now be posed is why there was no protective padding on the fence at that end of the ground as there is at the clubrooms’ end.
“That hurts me, to be honest,” Demons coach Richard Robinson said.
“Unfortunately in life we react to accidents instead of maybe looking ahead, Hugh is not only our captain but one of my good mates so I’m probably a bit emotional about the whole thing.”
Pies coach Paul Kennedy said he would look into the matter to prevent it happening again.
“I think it is a council and club thing, we will have that conversation, it is important no one plays the blame game here,” he said.
“I’m really happy he is OK because it did drag on, we will certainly have that chat to avoid it again.”