Comet suffers horrific leg injury

BEN Collins was in the country for less than 36 hours when he suffered a horrific leg injury during Southside Comets’ FNQ Football Premier League clash with Edge Hill United on Sunday night.

Collins suffered a clean break of his fibula and tibia in the accident, which occurred with about 10 minutes left in the rescheduled game.

The game was stopped for more than 40 minutes when referees called an early end to the game with scores locked at 1-1.

It was the second major stoppage on the dramatic night, after Southside teammate Casey Agnew allegedly copped an elbow to the back of the head in a battle for a header.

The game was stopped for half an hour while an ambulance attended Tiger Park, but he was released from hospital late Sunday night.

There is no suggestion the contact was illegal or intentional.

Collins had just returned from a European holiday when he suited up for the Comets, as the sixth-placed team chased a vital win against the competition frontrunners.

With the game locked at 1-1, every possession counted.

The long-term Southside player rushed full-speed into a contest with Edge Hill United’s Jesse Casson for possession, but came off second best.

“I feel so badly for Jesse, it was just one of those things where two blokes are wanting the football badly and it goes wrong,” Southside coach Dion Readman said.

The Cairns Post understands Casson and Collins spoke after the incident.

For Collins’ dad, Chris, who is also a Comets coach, it was an awful return to the game after the family enjoyed a break.

Collins was yet to have surgery at time of writing, but was expected to have a long absence from the game as he recovers.

In the other catch-up game, Marlin Coast romped to a 5-1 win against Innisfail Cutters at Pennell Field.