Add Category
Sharks forward Andrew Fifita will undergo surgery tomorrow after he was placed in an induced coma due to a fractured larynx.
Fifita was taken to Royal Brisbane Hospital last night after he complained of trouble breathing following the Sharks' loss to the Knights in Redcliffe.
He was subsequently placed in an induced coma to assist with breathing, made more difficult due to severe swelling of the larynx.
Speaking on Nine's 100% Footy, friend and former Sharks teammate Paul Gallen revealed Fifita will undergo surgery tomorrow in Queensland.
"He will have surgery tomorrow," Gallen said.
"I'm not exactly sure what's going to happen in surgery, I've heard some sort of plate gets put in. But he will have surgery tomorrow."
It's not immediately clear when Fifita suffered the injury, however, the NRL is assessing whether an innocuous second-half hit-up with Knights forward David Klemmer caused the injury.
Sydney Morning Herald reporter Michael Chammas revealed there were fears for Fifita's life as his condition deteriorated shortly after full-time.
"There were fears for his life yesterday which is why he was rushed straight to hospital and placed in an induced coma," Chammas told Nine's 100% Footy.
"Obviously a really scary situation…In the sheds after the game, the panic in his voice, and people told me he thought he was going to die, Andrew Fifita. That's how scared he was given it felt like he was going to suffocate."
While no player has yet been charged over Fifita's injury, in releasing the judiciary charges earlier today, the NRL noted that due to the match being held at a "non-standard venue", all available angles of incidents are not available to the match review committee in the normal timeframe.
That being the case, the judiciary chairman has allowed an extension until 10am Tuesday for the match review process to be completed.
It was only when Fifita was seen in the care of paramedics on the sideline after full-time that it became apparent he was seriously injured.
"The Sharks can inform that Andrew has suffered a laryngeal fracture and is currently in an induced coma," A Sharks club statement released tonight read.
"Andrew is in a stable condition, with a surgical correction scheduled to take place tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon.
"He is receiving the best possible care and all going well, it is expected he will recover in hospital for an extended period."
The 32-year-old made his first grade debut for Wests Tigers in 2010, before joining the Sharks in 2012. He scored the match-winning try in Cronulla's drought-breaking 2016 grand final victory, and has also represented New South Wales, Australia and Tonga.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!