Sport Confidential: Corey Parker left with first-degree burns after burn off goes wrong

Former Broncos great Corey Parker has revealed the freakish mishap that saw him miss Fox Sports’ NRL grand final coverage. WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES

Corey Parker has spoken of his terrifying brush with a fire that left the Broncos legend nursing first-degree burns.

Parker is thankfully on the mend and will make a full recovery after having his entire face and arm singed by the extreme heat coming from a small fire on his friend’s bush property.

The Fox Sports commentator suffered the injury in the lead up to the NRL decider.

Ever the professional, Parker showed up for work ready to call the NRL grand final with his face looking red and sunburnt, but Fox bosses sent him home to rest and recover.

‘Cozza’ said the incident was a freakish mishap.

“It was a bit of a shock,” Parker said.

“They called it a first-degree burn, the one on my arm was a bit more full on, but thankfully my face is OK.

Corey Parker reveals the burns he suffered at his mate’s farm.

“I was at a mate’s farm and there were some old cane lounges we were burning off.

“One cane lounge went onto the fire, then we threw a second one on the fire and it rolled away.

“I instinctively moved to put it back on the fire but as I grabbed the lounge, it really caught alight and the flames got my arm.

“I then felt this big gust of heat hit my face.

“It felt like opening an open door and being hit by the heat.

“It was a more intense version of that and straight away it was sore.”

Images obtained by Sport Confidential show Parker’s face looking noticeably burnt with patches of skin peeling away.

Corey Parker reveals his burns.

The former Queensland Origin and Test lock said his face has now healed and he has returned to commentary duties for the Pacific Championships.

“It felt like an exaggerated version of sunburn,” he said.

“The pain wasn’t too intense but I went to bed that night with a cold washer on my face.

“When you look at it, it looks painful and sore but it wasn’t too bad.

“I went to Sydney the next day for grand final day. I thought the make-up girls would put some make up on me, but they had a look and said, ‘No, we aren’t touching your face’, so I flew back home again.

“I got some antibiotic cream just in case of infection. Within a few days, my skin had all peeled off, but I’m OK now.”

Originally published as Sport Confidential: Corey Parker left with first-degree burns after burn off goes wrong