Reece Conca’s milestone game ended in gruesome fashion

RICHMOND and Sydney are battling for top spot, but a sickening injury claimed a much loved player. Warning: Graphic

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 28: Reece Conca of the Tigers leaves the field injured as Daniel Rioli of the Tigers looks on during the round 15 AFL match between the Richmond Tigers and the Sydney Swans at Etihad Stadium on June 28, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

WARNING: Graphic

Richmond have underscored their status as AFL premiership favourites, downing Sydney by 26 points in a spiteful and scintillating top-two showdown at Etihad Stadium.

The game however was marred by a gruesome injury to a Richmond favourite in midfielder Reece Conca.

Conca was drafted by Richmond with the sixth pack all the way back in 2010 and on Thursday night he took the field for his 100th game.

His milestone has been a long time in the works after dealing with ongoing injuries that kept him to 15 games over three seasons.

The injury struck only 15 minutes into the opening term when Conca collected the ball just outside his teams 50m arc.

Lance Franklin quickly latched onto him and as he spun him around, Conca’s left ankle became trapped underneath.

As the umpire came in to signal a free-kick, Conca’s screams of agony could be heard over the microphone as the game was brought to a standstill.

Graphic warning.

Our thoughts are with Reece Conca after this ankle injury.#AFLTigersSwans pic.twitter.com/uZtYQ2NqpK

— AFL.com.au (@AFLcomau) June 28, 2018

The camera angle initially showed Conca’s ankle sitting at the wrong angle before the broadcaster panned out.

As he was loaded onto the stretcher and taken from the field every Richmond player made their way over to show their support.

In a touching act Sydney’s Gary Rohan, who broke his leg back in 2012, made his way over to Conca to give him his best.

The sickening injury seemed to unite and fire Richmond up as they rattled off the next four goals to end the first quarter.

Those screams. Just awful. Thoughts with Reece Conca.

— Neroli Meadows (@Neroli_M_FOX) June 28, 2018

Conca’s broken his ankle heck #AFLTigersSwans

— Rudi (@RudiEdsall) June 28, 2018

Yuck. Horrible for Conca

— Adam Curley (@AdamCurleyMedia) June 28, 2018

Reece Conca has gone through a lot to get to 100 games. This is just horrible. 😢#AFLTigersSwans #gotiges

— Al Paton (@al_superfooty) June 28, 2018

Conca break shocking #AFL360 #afltigers

— Nicholas Kossatch (@NickKossatch) June 28, 2018

Every Richmond player gets around Reece Conca after a really unfortunate injury.

Our thoughts are with him. 💛🖤#AFLTigersSwans pic.twitter.com/pJO02i5i4c

— AFL (@AFL) June 28, 2018

A Thursday night clash billed as a potential grand-final preview, the Tigers came out firing early and withstood a Lance Franklin-inspired Sydney comeback to run out 14.9 (93) to 11.1 (67) winners in front of a near-capacity crowd.

The win puts the reigning premiers a game clear atop the ladder with just two of their remaining eight opponents — Collingwood and Geelong — in the top eight and five of those games hosted at their MCG fortress.

The Tigers led at every break but looked vulnerable during the final quarter before goals to Kane Lambert and Shane Edwards put the victory beyond doubt.

Jack Riewoldt was best-afield with three goals and 16 marks while Lambert (three goals, 27 disposals) carried Richmond’s midfield on a quiet night for Dustin Martin and Trent Cotchin, who was hobbled after copping a hit to the knee.

“Their pressure’s enormous,” Sydney coach John Longmire said of the Tigers. “They’re really hungry for the contest and you sense that.”

Sydney superstar Franklin is one of several players certain to face match review scrutiny.

Clearly aggravated, he struck Alex Rance in the throat while pinned in a tackle by the Richmond fullback in an incident likely to result in his suspension.

Tigers backman Nick Vlastuin is a virtual certainty to join him on the sidelines after inexplicably elbowing Luke Parker flush in the face later in the third term.

The Rance-Franklin duel had been hotly anticipated and the pair were at the heart of the action when the game was on the line.

Franklin was gifted a simple shot on goal on the three-quarter time siren when Rance gave away a blocking free kick, then encroached on the Swans forward’s set shot.

‘Buddy’ then outmarked Rance out of the opening bounce of the final term and kicked truly to cut the deficit to four points but it proved to be the final punch the Swans landed.

— with AAP

Originally published as Reece Conca’s milestone game ended in gruesome fashion