GWS Giants midfielder Harry Perryman inspired teammates by playing on with a punctured lung

GWS Giants star Harry Perryman has become an inspiration for teammates heading to Perth, after attempting to play on with a punctured lung which left him unable to breathe.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — MARCH 24: Patrick Ambrose of the Bombers challenges Harry Perryman of the Giants during the round one AFL match between the Greater Western Sydney Giants and the Essendon Bombers at GIANTS Stadium on March 24, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/AFL Photos/Getty Images)

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Harry Perryman’s brave attempt to soldier on with a punctured lung has formed the blueprint for how the GWS Giants will try and crash tackle West Coast’s party in Perth.

Perryman couldn’t breathe in the dressing sheds at halftime of the Giants round one win over Essendon, but still refused to be stretchered to the ambulance — insisting on walking out of the stadium.

That was after the 20-year-old had been absolutely poleaxed by bomber Patrick Ambrose in a contest — puncturing his lung — only to get up, and then cop another crunching hit when he chased down another kick.

The effort embodied coach Leon Cameron’s pre-season challenge to players to forge a reputation as the AFL’s toughest team.

Perryman’s fearlessness was used by Cameron in his halftime address last Sunday, and forms the basis of his instructions on how the Giants can shut down the Eagles and 60,000 rabid fans in Perth, who are out to celebrate the unfurling of West Coast’s premiership flag on Saturday night.

Patrick Ambrose collects Harry Perryman last week. Pic: Getty Images

The kid from Collingullie in country NSW, will watch the epic challenge from his couch, and modestly tried to play down his heroics and the impact it’s had on the Giants group.

“I just went for the footy like you usually do and I just thought I was winded pretty bad. I thought I’d keep playing and it kept getting worse then it was pretty hard to suck the deep breaths in,” Perryman told The Daily Telegraph.

“Then I went chasing the footy trying to get a kick and got hit again. That’s when I knew I was in strife after that one.

“Lucky the halftime siren went so I got to get off.

“It was just getting worse and worse (the breathing) as time went on. I was getting a fair bit of sharp pain around the ribs and back so that’s when the doctors came in and had a fair bit of morphine which was pretty handy.

“Yeah we’ve put a pretty big focus on (toughness), but I reckon if it was any of the 21 other blokes they would have done the same thing.”

Even though paramedics ordered him onto a stretcher bed the moment he arrived at the ambulance, Perryman refused to be wheeled out of the sheds.

Harry Perryman hopes to be back sooner rather than later. Picture. Phil Hillyard

“Yeah that is true. I didn’t want to look like I was carrying on too much because I didn’t know what I’d actually done,” he said.

“I didn’t want the boys hanging a bit of shit on me if I hadn’t done anything bad.”

Eight hours later, Perryman was released from hospital.

Cameron has ordered his team to confront the reality of the “hostile environment” they’re walking into in Perth and implored his players to “want that challenge.”

Teammate Jacob Hopper said Perryman’s effort-on-effort bravery had set a benchmark that coach Cameron had been calling for.

“Obviously the contest itself was huge and then if you watch on his follow-up after he’d just really hurt himself, it was just as good an effort,” said Jacob Hopper.

“It’s something we’ve tried to build into our brand and we want to be known as the toughest group in the league.

“For Pez to do that in round one, it just showed everyone the buy-in (that’s required). “