A local footy final has been called off during the third quarter after a player suffered horrific broken leg.
De La Salle player Hamish Curtis had his right shin snapped in half during his side’s VAFA Premier B reserves preliminary final against Old Ivanhoe at Trevor Barker Beach Oval in Sandringham on Sunday.
Curtis was trying to lay a tackle on Old Ivanhoe player Jack Harper, whose attempt at a kick was denied by the oncoming Curtis.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today 
The ball spilled out of Harper’s hands when he recieved contact, but his leg was already in the kicking motion.
The Old Ivanhoe player’s foot inadvertently crashed into the shin of Curtis, who immediately collapsed in agony.
Witnesses heard a sickening noise from the accident, and Curtis’s shin could be seen bent near the middle of the tibia and fibula bones.
The incident occurred at 1.24pm, 16 minutes into the third quarter of the preliminary final, with the game well in De La Salle’s keeping at 70-12.
An ambulance didn’t arrive until 1.54pm, exactly 30 minutes after Curtis went down. He did not move at all while waiting in extreme pain.
But it would have taken even longer if not for a quick-thinking De La Salle supporter, who herself was an off-duty paramedic.
With emergency services on the phone to one of the first responders, the off-duty paramedic took the phone and raised the level of urgency by giving a professional description of the seriousness of the situation.
Players from both teams initially huddled up, expecting to go back out to finish the game after a delay, but the match was eventually called off and De La Salle were declared winners when it became clear that it would be impossible to move Curtis for some time yet.
Players from Old Trinity, who were playing De La Salle in the senior game that followed the reserves, began warming up for their match near the ambulance before being told by security to move away.
So excruciating was the pain, witnesses heard Curtis screaming in agony right throughout the 70 minutes he was lying on the ground, at times pleading aloud for the process to “hurry up”.
He was given the maximum level of morphine allowed to be administered, but continued to struggle in pain.
Some family and friends were so distressed they couldn’t bare to look and physically turned away while paramedics treated him.
He was equipped with an ECG to monitor his heart rate during the ordeal.
It took paramedics over an hour just to get Curtis onto a stretcher. Even the most minor movements appeared to cause incredible pain.
It wasn’t until 2.36pm that the medical professionals were able to get the injured player up onto the hydraulic bed that slides into the ambulance.
The ambulance left the ground at 2.41pm.
The senior game that followed was due to start at 2.30pm, but was delayed until 2.50pm.
Curtis had kicked two goals in the match.
In an Instagram post, Old Ivanhoe said: “Unfortunately due to a serious injury suffered by a De La player, play has stopped 15 minutes into the third quarter and will not be resuming.
“We wish Hamish Curtis a speedy recovery from his broken leg.”
De La Salle chose not to comment on their social media accounts during the ordeal.
