Campbelltown’s Dion Kirk is expected to be discharged from the Royal Adelaide Hospital on Tuesday after breaking his leg during the NPL grand final
CAMPBELLTOWN City playmaker Dion Kirk had to wait almost 48 hours to get his hands on a trophy that he played a major hand in winning after he was rushed to the Royal Adelaide Hospital during the NPL grand final.
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CAMPBELLTOWN City playmaker Dion Kirk had to wait almost 48 hours to get his hands on a trophy that he played a major hand in winning after he was rushed to the Royal Adelaide Hospital during the NPL grand final.
The 24-year-old suffered from a horrendous broken right leg during the second half of Campbelltown’s 1-0 win over Adelaide City when he collided with Black and Whites gloveman Ryan Veitch.
“It’s the only injury I have ever had, I even got booked for the challenge even though I have got the stud marks on my legs,’’ said an upbeat Kirk from his hospital bed.
“My tibia and fibula bones are broken, a clean break, I’ve got a rod in the tibia and they’ve put screws in my ankle and one in the knee.
“I remember it, it was one of the split decisions to go for a ball with the goalkeeper, I went for the ball with an eye for goal and unfortunately came out worst.
“I went back into the changerooms and then straight to hospital, I was in shock and I heard (the break) I knew it was bad.”
Kirk says he is expecting to return to action between four to six months according to medical predictions.
He is expected to be discharged from hospital on Tuesday, winning his second championship with Campbelltown after he was part of the 2013 grand final winning side.
He played all 25 league matches for Campbelltown this season, scoring 12 goals in the club’s first historic double winning season.
“The boys have been sending me text messages and they have been really supportive,’’ Kirk said.
“It was really disappointing not to celebrate with the boys this time, I was there when they won it in 2013.
“I then moved to Melbourne and won it (the championship trophy) with South Melbourne, Bentleigh Greens, I’ve won it every year except for last year … that’s grand finals, premierships and the Melbourne’s Docherty Cup.
“But I’m still hungry for more.”
Kirk now isn’t sure if he’ll be part of Campbelltown’s travelling party as a fan when the club aims for a bigger prize when it meets Canberra away in the quarter-final of the Australian NPL series on September 15.
“I’d like to be there for that,’’ he said.
“But my partner booked a Melbourne trip at the start of the season for my birthday and we’re meant to leave when the game is on in Canberra.”
Campbelltown coach Joe Mullen was the man delivering the trophy to Kirk after the Red Devils boss also brought the silverware to one of the club’s 1964 founders Joe Natale — a Football Federation SA Hall of Fame inductee — who is currently ill.