Kye Annand out of hospital with kidney injury as Ocean Grove playing co-coach sheds light on his treatment during Queenscliff match

Ocean Grove’s playing coach was in the same forward line as Kye Annand when he was copping extra attention from Coutas players. He shares his view and gives an update on his condition.

Kye Annand has suffered a lacerated kidneyl. Picture: Alan Barber

Ocean Grove playing co-coach Nick Bourke has described the extra attention injured Grubbers star Kye Annand received from Queenscliff as a “little bit disappointing” but said the club’s focus is on his health.

Annand was in hospital for several days with a lacerated kidney which is believed to have come from a high bump from Coutas player Caleb Whitley, an incident that was ruled as a non reportable offence by the AFL Barwon match review.

The Geelong VFL listed big man is now out of hospital and will spend the next two weeks allowing it to settle before a call on surgery is made.

He ended up playing out the game despite the blow.

It was what followed after the initial bump that drew the ire of Ocean Grove players and supporters, with Bourke seeing multiple incidents where Annand was targeted by his Coutas opponents to the area he was felled.

Bourke, who was playing with Annand in the same forward line in their nailbiting win over Queenscliff, said the extra hits wouldn’t have helped his condition.

Kye Annand has been in hospital with a lacerated kidney. Picture: Alan Barber

“I certainly saw it, I was playing forward with Kye and saw it happen. A little bit disappointing at the time, some may say it is part of footy and things like that and they are well within their right to have that opinion, but I thought Kye handled it really well,” Bourke said.

“He kept getting back up and was a great target for us and he is in really good spirits which is the main thing and we are just all thinking about him at the minute.

“Some were footy plays, some potentially were not but I couldn’t put a number on it.

“I didn’t see the initial one that put him in the pain but from thereon there was some contact to his ribs away from the play and things like that and he handled it really, really well and kept getting back up and finished out the game.

“Footy is not the be all and end all sometimes, we’re just worried about his health. If he can get back and play footy, great, if not we just want him to get back and be able to live a healthy life and get his kidneys back in order, that is our main focus at the minute.”

Bourke, who spent two years on Geelong’s AFL list in 2013-14, said the club won’t issue a complaint to Queenscliff.

“We have moved on pretty quickly and come away with the four points. We’re just all about getting around Kye this week and the playing group,” Bourke said.

“He is a great kid and it has been unbelievable to get him back to our club, carried us through some tough weeks and it will be disappointing to see him on the sidelines, but he brings a lot of energy and no doubt he will keep doing that once he is out of hospital and recovered.”

Originally published as Kye Annand out of hospital with kidney injury as Ocean Grove playing co-coach sheds light on his treatment during Queenscliff match