Greta’s Ben Duffield still in hospital after Ovens and King Football League game

A country footballer has been woken from an induced coma after he collapsed following a game on Sunday with a fundraiser to support his recovery underway.

A footballer who collapsed after a country football game has been woken from an induced coma.

Greta’s Ben Duffield was flown to Melbourne on Sunday afternoon after he “collapsed on the changeroom floor” following his side’s Ovens and King Football League reserves first semi-final against Milawa.

Ambulances, and later a helicopter, were called to North Wangaratta Reserve Oval just after 2pm.

The club’s trainer, who is a nurse and an off-duty paramedic, and was in attendance at the game performed CPR on Duffield.

He was placed in an induced coma in hospital.

A fundraiser to support the father-of-two and his family was started on Monday night revealing a positive update on Duffield’s condition.

“We have since heard he has thankfully woken however, his road to recovery is still unknown,” organiser Beau Dew wrote.

“Close friends have come together to support Ben, Katie, Ivy (and) Flo during this stressful period.

“Any support you can offer to help take the financial stress away for Katie and Ben while he recovers would be greatly appreciated – no matter how big or small the donation.

“Sending all our love, prayers, support well wishes to the best bloke going around, and his beautiful girls.

“We love you.”

Greta president Gary Hogan said Duffield had been placed in an induced coma after a “solid bump into the ribs”.

“I’ve been speaking to some of the family this morning but no one has really given me an update from more than what we know at the moment,” Hogan said.

“It was a solid bump into the ribs basically and we believe he received a fractured sternum from that.

Ben Duffield (left) collapsed after Greta's reserves semi-final on Sunday. He was playing alongside his brother Sam.

“He ran off the ground under his own mobility, he wasn’t carried off the ground or anything like that.

“Our trainer assessed him and she thought he was in a bit of discomfort and we were assessing whether to get an ambulance to him or take him to hospital.

“He was in a fair bit of discomfort so he was taken into the club rooms and he just collapsed onto the floor just before the seniors game started.

“I was initially unaware it had happened either. I was manning the interchange bench, writing down the players coming on and off and I was unaware at the start until I went into the rooms after the game to check on it.

“They were working on him then, at that stage it was the first I became aware of it.”

The seniors semi-final game, between Bonnie Doon and Greta, had started before league officials demanded it be stopped as the injured player’s condition deteriorated.

“Ambulances were called, the situation itself elevated with the need to get an ambulance helicopter,” Ovens and King League manager Cam Green said.

“This happened in the reserves game while the seniors game was going, this player was getting care in the rooms.

“The helicopter has been called with eight minutes and 35 seconds plus time on remaining in the second quarter of the first semi final in the senior game.

“The game was paused and then the chopper landed and since then obviously he still received elevated medical treatment from paramedics.

“The game was called just after 4.30pm today.”

Ben Duffield with his partner Katie and their two children Ivy and Flo. Photo: Supplied.

Hogan thanked the club’s trainer and other clubs for their support of Duffield throughout the incident.

“We’re very fortunate to have those people around the club and at the game.

“It was touch and go for quite a while and it was pretty distressing to see actually.

“(Our trainer) was pretty distraught about it the whole time.

“We lost that game by one point. Scores were level with less than a minute to go and they got a point with 45 seconds to go to hold on.

“We’re still concerned about Ben and wish him a speedy recovery and we hope in time this becomes a story about how we lost a semi final by a point rather than something much worse.”

Duffield was playing in his fourth game of the season for Greta on Sunday and played alongside his brother Ben.

He is also a former player at Seaford and Karingal in the Mornington Peninsula competition.

At the time of writing, over $29,500 had been raised for Duffield and his family.

You can donate here.

UPDATE ON OVENS AND KING SEASON

League officials met on Monday night to decide the fate for the rest of the season.

The Bonnie Doon versus Greta first semi-final will be played at North Wangaratta on Saturday at 1pm.

It means all remaining finals will be held a week later than originally scheduled.

The Ovens and King grand final will be held on September 17 at Wangaratta’s W.J. Findlay Oval.

The preliminary final will be held seven days earlier at Tarrawingee.