Ex-Bomber airlifted to hospital following neck injury

Former AFL player Jason Winderlich is recovering in hospital after suffering a neck fracture in a freak accident during a local football match on Saturday.

The ex-Bomber was playing for Thorpdale against Toora in the Mid Gippsland Football Netball League when Winderlich went down following a collision with a Toora player in the second quarter. The game was abandoned.

After announcing his retirement in 2014, Winderlich played on in 2015 for just one more game before he retiring for good.Credit: Joe Armao

Thorpdale president Jason Carpinteri said the team’s thoughts were with Winderlich and his family as he recovers.

“We’re all pretty flat,” Carpinteri said.

“We all go out to play with our mates. It’s not what you want to happen. We’re all just concerned for him.”

Loading

Winderlich spent his junior playing days at Thorpdale and totalled 129 AFL games for Essendon across his 13-year AFL career. He returned to Thorpdale last year as a playing coach.

Mid Gippsland Football Netball League president Gary Matthews said the game was called off after 30 minutes as the AFL rules stipulate that if the game cannot resume within that time frame it must be abandoned.

“The ambulance was there within about 40 minutes of the incident and the game was abandoned by then. The air ambulance came about an hour later,” Matthews said.

Thorpdale president Keith Pickering said while the abandoned game had dashed the club’s finals hopes, their main priority was Winderlich’s health.

“He’s just the bloke that just thrives through success. He comes from the club originally, and he’s come along to help the club get up the ladder, and we’ve got up,” he said.

Thorpdale needed the four points from this clash to get through to the finals, but left with just two.

Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.

Loading