Hughsey, we have a problem.
What was meant to be a light-hearted AFL Legends Match for Prostate Cancer turned serious for comedian Dave ‘Hughesy’ Hughes, who is now in intensive care at Cabrini Hospital with five broken ribs and a punctured lung.
The incident followed a heavy collision at Marvel Stadium last night, but in typical Hughesy fashion, he kept playing, even managing to kick a goal before heading to the afterparty.
Hughsey after being knocked down.
From comedy to casualty
The collision came early when Hughesy was hit by former West Coast Eagle Andrew Embley.
Despite being on the receiving end of several tackles, Hughesy played on before eventually seeking treatment in the early hours of the morning.
On today’s episode of Triple M’s Mick in the Morning, he admitted he had joked at half-time about having a punctured lung, only to later learn he actually did.
“I’ve got five broken ribs and a punctured lung. At half-time, I was coming off the ground and I was like, ‘I feel like I have a punctured lung’, and I was joking, but no, I do,” he said.
Co-host Nick Riewoldt called the effort “one of the toughest things” he’s seen on a football field, noting Hughesy stayed on until 2am at the afterparty.
Mick Molloy then chimed in, asking Hughsey” “Who got you?”
Hughesy replied: “Andrew Embley. [Luke Hodge] Hodgey kicked it to me, I dropped a chest mark – it was the lights, there’s too many lights at that ground – and Embley came in from the side. It was the first collision, and from that moment I was struggling. [Daniel] Gorringe slammed me in the ruck.
“He’s a really large man. And Robbo after I kicked the goal [hit me], I thought, ‘Am I going to die out here?’”
Moving to intensive care
Speaking later on The Fox’s Fifi, Fev & Nick, Hughesy revealed he was heavily medicated and being moved into intensive care after his wife, Holly, rushed him to hospital at 5am.
He described feeling like a target during the game, recalling how All-Stars coach Shane Crawford jokingly circled his name on the board.
Hughesy kept his trademark humour despite the circumstances, joking on air that he “may never leave hospital.”
He recalled groaning in pain before his wife insisted they head to Cabrini, though he could barely get out of bed. “There’s not a lot of breath in me guys, so I can’t talk too much,” he told listeners.