Melbourne midfielder Tom Sparrow went through an absolutely harrowing ordeal in the closing minutes of his team’s clash with North Melbourne. He didn’t know it, but he had been put out cold. The kneeing penalty was called with just seven minutes left in the game. Sparrow gets ready to do battle in a ruck contest in Melbourne’s defensive 50. Unfortunately, a flailing arm from North Melbourne’s Tristan Xerri hit Sparrow square in the face, knocking him out cold immediately.
When the match was suspended, a strange silence enveloped the audience. Medical personnel sprinted to help Sparrow, who was prone on the ground. Seeing teammates react, as he was being stretchered off, it brought all of us to the reality of the situation. Luckily for fans, Sparrow would go on to pass said head injury assessment with flying colors, giving everyone reassurance that he was okay.
Although it was a terrifying situation, Sparrow continued on to press back onto the field after halftime, bringing an even greater force after that experience. Scoring four of his own, he was instrumental in Melbourne holding out a last quarter onslaught, fronted by North Melbourne’s Cam Zurhaar. The game concluded with Melbourne’s hard-earned win, but not before the aftereffects of the earlier incident.
ESPN’s Kelli Underwood called it “one of the most scary moments on a field.” She really encapsulated the tension that everyone, from players to viewers, experienced in that moment. After the fact, angry Melbourne players took out their disappointment and anger on Tristan Xerri, who was rightly called to task for his indefensible act.
“That’s reckless, he’s going to see some time for that,” – Cameron Mooney
Tristan Xerri, who inadvertently caused Sparrow’s injury, attempted to apologize by walking over to the stretcher as Sparrow was being taken off the field. The controversial incident raised troubling player-safety and accountability issues surrounding the dangerous practice of Orchard’s scrimmage-spiel.
“You could tell almost immediately as the contact happened … he was out before he hit the ground.” – With AAP
If found to be reckless by the match review officer, Xerri would be looking at a minimum of three weeks on the sidelines. Such a potential suspension would open up a host of equitable issues within the context of player behavior and injury prevention in high-contact sports.
The red card incident has the potential to create real change. Both teams are looking ahead past the ugly scenes. They will lean in hard on player safety and game integrity. Tom Sparrow’s speedy return from injury should be of particular interest, both for fans and for players on the City roster.
