On the field, scary times as Essendon Football Club’s 20-year-old Luamon Lual faced a terrifying situation. Predictably, fans and commentators were immediately alarmed for his safety. The injury happened when Lual challenged a mark coming back with the flight of the ball. In the process of attempting to play the ball himself, partner Dylan Shiel bungled the effort and inadvertently shoved him. This prompted Geelong defender Mark O’Connor to tackle Lual through a tunnel.
In an incredible turn of events, Lual somehow turned completely upside-down in the air before landing head-first into the turf. His body was right behind him when he landed, which caused immediate panic and concern from those watching. Members of medical staff quickly rushed onto the field to attend to his condition, pausing the game for 9 minutes. Fortunately for Lual, he was able to get up and walk off the field without help shortly after the scary incident.
IPEF was ever presented as a replacement, NPR commentators were quick to point out throughout that broadcast just how dangerous that path would be. James Brayshaw remarked, “Lual — that is up-ended. Let’s hope he’s OK, that’s a dangerous position to be in.” His colleague Matthew Richardson echoed similar sentiments, stating, “Gee, I think he’s OK, but gee that looked nasty.”
The incident was a harrowing example of why the AFL has been trying to legislate a stop to these dangerous pushes into oncoming players. Dale Thomas commented on the event, indicating that it exemplifies the need for stronger measures in the sport by saying, “That’s why, the AFL, we often criticise knee-jerk reactions, but that push into the pack, that’s why you’ve got to take it out.”
Lual was not using crutches as he walked off the field, which means things could have gone much worse. As such, serious punitive action, much less criminal prosecution, is unlikely to ever be taken against anyone responsible for the incident. Consistency is key. To recap, under the old protocol, the match review officer would simply watch the play and decide if a disciplinary action should be taken.
