Just 59 seconds into his first game in nearly four weeks, Collingwood defender Jeremy Howe came off worse for wear after a “sickening” collision with Hawthorn midfielder Jai Newcombe.
Out on the interchange wing, the two tough nuts contested a loose ball at close to full speed — collecting each other front-on in the process amid a clash of heads.
The veteran Magpie was instantly knocked out, with play halted a dozen seconds later as Newcombe began to compose himself.
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“It’s a car crash — credit to both players. Howe bodylined the ball, and Newcombe put himself in harm’s way,” David King said in the minutes after the collision.
“Incredibly brave, and he just had a head clash. It’s sickening to watch … It’s really difficult to watch if you’re a teammate of Jeremy Howe’s right now too.”
Play was stopped for several minutes to allow Howe adequate medical care, before carrying him off on a stretcher as Newcombe was taken down the race for a Head Injury Assessment (HIA).
“The good news is, that it seems it’s only a concussion for Howe … he was certainly alert, he was moving his arms and talking to those medicos,” Fox Footy reporter Jon Ralph said at quarter time.
“Newcombe’s collision with Howe is surely going to be assessed as a football accident. He chose to tackle, not bump.
“It is very different to Steven May on Francis Evans. It is very different even to Liam Ryan who ran headlong into Trent Rivers last week. He didn’t even seem to protect himself there. I think (Newcombe) does a very good job at wrapping up his opponent, as brutal as his collision was.”
The 35-year-old Howe was taken to hospital at the start of the second quarter as a precaution for a CT scan.
Remarkably, despite spending more than 10 minutes sidelined after the collision, Newcombe was cleared to return to the contest and starred in the first half.
He went into the main break as the second-leading disposal getter on the ground with 16, six clearances and five score assists.
“It’s an amazing first half given that incident,” AFL great Jason Dunstall said.
“It looked a genuine attempt to tackle – he had the arms open.
“He copped a pretty big hit as well but he was able to shake it off.
“We hope that Jeremy Howe is OK and it’s just a minor concussion and nothing more. That would be the best possible result for him.”
Howe will miss at least Collingwood’s Round 23 clash with Adelaide next Saturday night.
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