AFL and NRL stars are no strangers to suffering injuries in such high speed, contact-heavy sports.
Head knocks are commonplace as are broken bones and dislocations, along with much milder issues such as rolled ankles and sprained joints.
But there were a couple of particularly gruesome injuries suffered across the NRL and AFL fixtures this weekend.
The Geelong Cats of the AFL suffered through a brutal outing against GWS where they saw three stars struck down with significant injuries.
The trio of stars, Jeremy Cameron, Tanner Bruhn and Jack Henry, all required overnight stays in a Sydney hospital.
In the NRL, Dayne Jennings required around 35 stitches when he suffered a nasty gash to his right leg.
Warning: Graphic image below
Dayne Jennings suffered a gruesome leg injury in the Rabbitohs win over Newcastle
Jeremy Cameron was forced off against GWS with an AC joint injury that required surgery
Jennings’ gash ran from the outside of his thigh down the outside of his knee
Jennings’ injury was the only slight blot on what was a glorious day for the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
The Bunnies were celebrating Jai Arrow’s birthday with the ‘world’s biggest birthday party’ as they pulled off an upset win over the Knights.
The celebration came two months after Arrow received a devastating motor neurone disease diagnosis.
However, Jennings seemed to pay the price for all of the joy around the ground.
As everyone celebrated the win, the South Sydney star required 35 stitches to his right thigh to deal with an open wound.
Jennings was attempting to make a tackle when he landed on top of Newcastle’s Dom Young.
Footage shows the studs of Young’s left boot collide with Jennings thigh causing a long gash down his leg.
A gruesome image surfaced after the match showed the extent of the damage with the cut extending from the outside of his thigh down past his knee.
Jennings was clearly in discomfort and had to be attended to on field by the team’s physios.
Geelong’s match of attrition
Tanner Bruhn took to Instagram posting a picture of himself and fellow Geelong Cats injured star Jeremy Cameron
In the AFL, the Geelong Cats saw a number of their stars suffer match-ending injuries as they lost to the GWS Giants.
Among those injured was reigning Coleman Medallist Jeremy Cameron who suffered a nasty knock after a collision with GWS midfielder Clayton Oliver.
Cameron was seen holding his shoulder in immense pain and required immediate attention.
After being helped back to his feet, it became clear Cameron had a significant problem with his arm dangling by his side.
As he was being wheeled out of the stadium, Cameron could be seen holding a sick bag and using the pain relieving green whistle.
The Cats have since confirmed that Cameron will need surgery to repair an AC joint injury.
Tanner Bruhn took to social media shortly after the game posting a picture of himself in a hospital bed and Cameron with his arm in a sling.
The pair were in good spirits as Bruhn joked, ‘the boys will be okay’ with two love-heart emojis.
Since their stays in Sydney hospitals, Bruhn and Henry have been cleared of any major injury and will be monitored by their club with no timetable given for their returns just yet.
Cameron however will be sidelined for around four to six weeks as he begins rehab after his shoulder surgery.
