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‘Is he alive?’: Player lands headfirst in sickening rugby league tackle

Footage of a sickening rugby league tackle has gone viral, with the extremely dangerous scenes condemned by shocked footy fans.

Player lands head first after sickening tackle

Footage of a sickening tackle in a local rugby league game has gone viral on social media, leaving footy fans completely stunned.

A video of the tackle emerged online following the game between the Campbelltown City Kangaroos and the Oakdale Wokers last weekend.

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The footage, which you can watch in the video above, shows a Campbelltown player waiting under a high ball, only for an opposition player to come charging at him and tackle him out of mid-air.

As a result of the illegal tackle, the player can be seen falling head first, before landing in a dangerous position on his shoulder and head.

The player who copped the horrific tackle was Creedence Kelly-Donovan, the brother of former NRL playmaker Albert Kelly.

Kelly-Donovan lay on the turf after successfully taking the bomb kick, but was thankfully unharmed from the ugly incident.

The dangerous rugby league tackle went viral. Photo: X.
The dangerous rugby league tackle went viral. Photo: X.

“At the time of the incident I felt shocked,” he told Code Sports.

“I am recovering well. Football is football. It’s a contact sport and moving forward I want to get back out there and play footy.”

Macarthur Rugby League Wrap shared vision of the tackle on X, posting: “From Campbelltown City’s win on the weekend against Oakdale Workers... how many weeks would you give this?

Footy fans were left gobsmacked by the footage, which went viral on social media.

One fan asked: “Is he alive?”

Another commented: “Wow that is one of the worst ‘tackles’ I’ve ever seen that. Season long ban for me.”

The NRL Physio account joked tongue in cheek: “Where’s he supposed to go? He can’t disappear. Accidents happen. It’s not his go. It only looks bad in slow motion.”

It’s unknown whether the tackler was sent off or received a sanction for the incident.

Originally published as ‘Is he alive?’: Player lands headfirst in sickening rugby league tackle

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Original URL: https://www.themercury.com.au/sport/nrl/is-he-alive-player-lands-headfirst-in-sickening-rugby-league-tackle/news-story/db3b0b31125a2c51408f824f85cccd00