Hughesy nursing cracked ribs and a punctured lung as radio rivals unite for Legends Game

Radio rivals and colleagues had their athletic skills on full display at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium last night for the Four’N Twenty Legends Game.

It’s now 30 years since the passing of E.J Whitten, one of the true legends of Aussie Rules footy.

After a six-year hiatus, a new wave of legends lined up for the clash between Victoria and the All Stars, which carries legacy of E.J. to help raise awareness and vital funds for prostate cancer research.

The match drew a crowd of over 30,000 and helped raise more than $1 million for the Australian Prostate Centre.

Broadcast live on SEN, the game featured high profile radio names including Brendan ‘Fev’ Fevola and Nick Cody from The Fox’s Fifi, Fev and Nick Breakfast show, Triple M’s Luke Hodge, Nick Riewoldt, Erin Phillips and former Rush Hour Perth host Andrew Embley, along with 774 ABC Melbourne’s Bob Murphy, former 2Day FM brekky host Dave Hughes and K rock’s Zach Tuohy.

Not only did Fev and his Fox brekky colleague Nick Cody line up on each other, Fev – who still plays country footy – was mic’d up for the game and even commentated his own starring moment, as he slotted in a goal from a tight angle outside 50m.

In the lead up to the game, Bob Murphy called upon his previous years of AFL experience with the Western Bulldogs to put in the hard yards at training.

He even got a dose of tough love from his ABC Melbourne Breakfast co-host Sharnelle Vella.

View this post on Instagram

 

But the game ended up being a particularly painful one for Hughesy, who was taken to hospital post-match, where doctors discovered he had five cracked ribs and a punctured lung.

Recounting how he ended up in the ICU, Hughesy spoke live from his hospital bed this morning on the KIIS Network’s Kyle & Jackie O Show this morning, saying he’s ‘happy to be alive’.

Hughesy said he first played off the injury and even managed to get himself to the Legends Game after-party.

But it was his wife Holly who inevitably got him to the hospital after telling him that he ‘might die’.

Hughesy: “Yeah, no. I’m in ICU. I’m actually in ICU. They’re putting things on me. I’ve got a punctured lung as well, so, you know, it’s a bit of fun.”

Jackie: “Babe, I’m so sorry. That’s horrific. That’s awful.”

Kyle: “Hughesy, you seem too brittle to be playing. I know you’re doing it for the right reasons, but aren’t you too brittle to be out there with the young fellas?”

Hughesy: “I would say that now. So, I was the oldest player out there. But they had my name on a on a whiteboard. ‘Target Dave Hughes’. You tell footballers what to do and they just do it because they’re robots. So, it was hectic. But it happened early. Look, there could be a miniseries in it, guys. I think so.”

In the end, the All Stars triumphed, coming from behind to defeat the Big V 3.13.7 (112) to 3.11.11 (104).

And after a solid effort on field, Fev treated himself to a post-match Big Mac.

As you do.

Images: Facebook and Instagram