Corey Harawira-Naera gives update after horrifying on-field collapse

Canberra Raiders backrower Corey Harawira-Naera has given NRL fans an update on his condition after the 28-year-old was taken to hospital late in the Raiders' win over South Sydney on Saturday night. The NRL world was holding their collective breath after the backrower collapsed behind the play a short time after taking what appeared to be a normal hit-up with the ball.

Play was stopped with 14 minutes left to play in the second half after Harawira-Naera collapsed on the field, with medicos quickly rushing to his aid. Players from both the Raiders and Rabbitohs were praised in the aftermath after forming a circle around him to give him some privacy as he was being attended to and eventually taken from the ground on the medical cart.

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He spent the night in hospital in Sydney but was discharged early on Sunday morning, posting a video thanking fans for their well-wishes. Harawira-Naera also thanked Rabbitohs rivals for their actions.

In the video, he said he is 'not in the clear yet', and is awaiting further scans to determined exactly what the cause of his alarming collapse truly was. In the short-term however, he said he is in good spirits and will begin working towards getting back on the field when it is safe to do so.

“I’m back with the family members now,” he said. “Got discharged from hospital at about 3.30am this morning.

“I firstly wanted to thank the boys from both teams, our boys at the Raiders and the Rabbitohs. Our medical staff as well as the Rabbitohs medical staff. The paramedics, the doctors, the coaching staff from both teams, as well as all the footy fans, family, friends.

“I’ve been pretty fortunate to receive a lot of messages about what happened last night. I’m doing a lot better now. Love to you all for thinking of me. I’m back on the mend, not in the clear yet, but we’ll get some more scans and sort it all out.

“Health comes first, but I’m obviously hoping to get back on the field as soon as possible. Love to all, and I’m very fortunate to have a lot of people concerned about me and thinking about me.”

Raiders hold on for gutsy win after 'scary' Harawira-Naera incident

The Raiders had been leading 24-20 when Harawira-Narea was taken from the field, before holding off a late charge from the Rabbitohs to secure a crucial 33-26 win. The four points were far from the top priority for Raiders coach Ricky Stuart.

He had come down from the coaches box to the sideline when Harawira-Naera was taken to hospital, and praised medical staff for their work when interviewed by Fox Sports after the match.

“It was awful. I just spoke to the doctors then, he said he had a seizure and they’re unsure as regards to why,” Stuart said. "There doesn’t seem to have been any contact to the head.

"So they’re at a bit of loss as to why it’s occurred. He’s off to hospital now. Our prayers and thoughts are with him.

“His family can understand he’s in the best care. The medical people have done a wonderful job now and in hospital he’s in good hands.”

Commentators praised players from both sides for their quick decision to shield Harawira-Naera from cameras as he was being treated. Raiders star Josh Papali'i described it was 'one of the scariest things I’ve seen on a footy field'.

“My heart goes out to Corey, I really hope he’s okay and doing well," he said. “The state he was in, our players and Souths players got around him. (We) just didn’t want the camera on him at the time.”

Meanwhile, fans on social media were also pulling for Harawira-Naera to make a quick recovery. While a full update on his condition is yet to materialise, fans were relieved to hear that he was speaking to doctors soon after leaving the ground.

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