A YOUNG footballer who collapsed at training remains in a stable condition.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Penshurst footballer Luke Ferguson, 26, was revived at training by teammates and an off-duty nurse after he collapsed on the field.
Penshurst Football Netball Club president Brenden Cottrill told The Standard Ferguson was a little bit late to training on Thursday night and then did his normal warm up.
Mr Cottrill said the young man collapsed on the ground and was initially unresponsive.
He said an off duty nurse and a bystander started performing CPR on Ferguson and the club’s defibrillator was used.
Mr Cottrill said the ambulance was called and it arrived within about 20 minutes.
He said the air ambulance arrived about 10 minutes later and Ferguson was put into an induced coma and flown to Geelong hospital.
On Friday a spokesman for Barwon Health said Ferguson was in a stable condition.
Mr Cottrill said the past 24-hours had been a bit of a shock for everyone at the club and their thoughts were with Ferguson’s family.
He said the club would play on Saturday against Macarthur Hawkesdale at Macarthur.
“Our thoughts are with Luke’s family,” he said.
Penshurst police Senior Constable Shaun McCulloch, who started at the station last Friday, said he was at a rural property when he saw a mica paramedic vehicle.
He followed the vehicle to the Penshurst ground about 7.30pm.
"Ten minutes later the HEMS4 helicopter, two ambulances and the mica vehicle were all in attendance," he said. "It was a phenomenal response."
Ferguson had only been training for five minutes and was jogging with two teammates when he collapsed.
Senior Constable McCulloch said there was no contact or collision before Ferguson collapsed.
"He had stopped breathing, but was revived and then placed in an induced coma before being airlifted to a Geelong hospital," he said.
He said Ferguson was breathing and self-functioning before being placed in the induced coma to assist his recovery. "Club president Brendan Cottrill said they were only into training for five minutes when it all happened,” he said.
"If not for swift CPR and the intervention of the off-duty nurse teammates there would have been a very different outcome.
"If this incident had happened anyone else there would likely have been a different outcome. It was the best outcome, to have that episode with all that support and resources on hand saved Luke’s life.”