Sound deleted from horrific hockey injury

Kookaburras defender Matthew Dawson is confident he'll be cleared to play in the Commonwealth Games despite suffering a horrific eye injury.

You know you've done a bad injury when the video technician decides to delete the audio to avoid traumatising people even further.

Kookaburras defender Matthew Dawson is thanking his lucky stars after being named for the upcoming Commonwealth Games just three weeks after suffering a horrific eye injury.

Dawson was in danger of losing vision in his left eye after being struck by a hockey stick in a freak training accident.

The 23-year-old was in so much pain, his screams sent shockwaves through the people present.

"It was pretty painful. I've never felt anything like it," Dawson said.

"I got sent the footage of the incident. But the video guy deleted the sound off it.

"Apparently the screams were pretty loud. I was pretty lucky not to burst an eyeball."

Dawson's left eye has only just started to open up again, and he's expected to make a full recovery.

The Kookaburras' first game at the Gold Coast Games is just three weeks away, and Dawson is confident he'll be more than ready by then.

First, he'll need to pass a yet-to-be-defined hockey test to prove his eye is ready for action.

If he passes that, the New South Welshman is set to be the coolest kid at the Commonwealth Games courtesy of the streamlined glasses he must now wear to protect his eye.

"The surgeon told me I have to wear them for the next six months to protect the eye," Dawson said.

"I guess it's different. But a few of the boys at training this morning said they looked pretty good.

"That's always nice to hear some positive reinforcement."

Dawson was named as part of an 18-man squad who will try to lead the Kookaburras to a sixth-straight Commonwealth Games gold.

Eleven players are yet to feature in a Commonwealth Games, but coach Colin Batch says the team has enough experience to take home gold.

The Kookaburras are ranked first in the world, with their nearest challengers being India (sixth), England (seventh), and New Zealand (ninth).


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world