The game was in his team's keeping, five goals up with six minutes to play, but his attack on the footy was no less fierce than in the opening minute.

 

With his head down, he picked up the footy.

 

Then disaster struck.

 

Tutungi's head rammed into the stomach of a St Joseph's player, causing him to immediately flop backwards.

He did not move again.

 

The 27-year-old immediately knew something was horribly wrong. He yelled out: "I can't move, I can't feel anything."

 

Stunned teammates called for a stretcher and medical assistance, including St Joseph's club doctor Joe Virgona, who was quickly on the scene. 

 

Pretty soon, his fiancee, Bridget, who is pregnant with the couple's first child, and his parents, Chris and Carol, were also by his side, along with other club officials.

 

"All you could see was his eyes darting backwards and forwards as he recognised his fiancee and his mum and his dad, who were kneeling and standing around him ... that was something I'll never forget," South Barwon football manager Bill McCann said.

 

Tutungi was taken by ambulance to Geelong Hospital and then airlifted to the Austin Hospital where he had surgery to stabilise his spine and was placed in an induced coma.

 

His family released a statement on Sunday, confirming he had suffered severe damage to his spinal cord and damage to his fourth and fifth vertebrae.

 

He was brought out of his induced coma on Monday afternoon and remains in the spinal unit at the Austin Hospital.

 

"The real damage is to the spinal cord and its functions, which control his body movements," a family statement said.

News of the incident quickly spread through Geelong and then around the country. 

 

Geelong players, who had formed a healthy respect for Tutungi during his time on the club's VFL list, were quick to express their concern and support via social media.

 

Tutungi was viewed by the Cats as "one of their own" for his deeds at VFL level and news of his plight had hit the players and coaches hard.

 

"Sending best wishes to Casey Tutungi from everyone at the Cats," captain Joel Selwood tweeted on Saturday.

 

At South Barwon, players remained in their changerooms longer than usual on Saturday night. 

 

Emotional and shocked, they just wanted to know how their mate was, at a time when those answers were not yet available.

 

"Everyone knew it was severe," Garvey reflected of the feelings in the Swans' rooms.

 

"But we didn't know the extent at that stage. It was a numb feeling not knowing."

 

South Barwon players returned to the club on Sunday morning to be briefed on Tutungi's condition. 

 

Training was cancelled on Tuesday night, but the players found solace together in a group gathering. Last night, they returned to the track for the first time this week for a light one-hour session before tomorrow's GFL Grand Final replay against Bell Park. 

 

"I don't think too many guys know how to cope with it at this stage," Garvey said.

 

"We're just hoping for some good news. We've got together a few times as a group and all the concern at the moment is for Casey.

 

"At the moment, footy is the furthest thing from our minds.

 

"It's purely his health that we're worried about and that's the only thing on our minds.

 

"We haven't looked at this weekend's game one bit. All the concern at the moment is around Casey's health and his family and making sure we support them in any way we can. We haven't thought about the game."

 

Garvey said it would be up to individuals as to whether they played tomorrow, but the club itself would take the field.

"Casey is the coach of our football club. The last thing he would want us to do is not play this weekend," he said.

 

Key personnel at Tutungi's current club South Barwon, former club Geelong and first club Lorne have done a power of work behind the scenes in support of a distressed community.

 

The three entities who are dear in Tutungi's heart have bonded together to offer counselling and support services for those doing it tough, including players and staff at St Joseph's affected during Saturday's clash. And despite the apparent stress on the shoulders of those close to the popular figure, many of the volunteers continue to deliver a common line: "It's not about us, it's about Casey."

Lorne coach Brock Shiels said professional counselling services had been made available and he urged players, support staff and members to approach Terry Murvin from the Victorian Council of Churches Emergencies Ministry.

Mark Gellie, Geelong's VFL Chaplain and interim South Barwon chaplain, also pledged his full support.

"We all know Casey is not only physically strong but has incredible mental toughness and is someone who we all know can overcome hurdles and challenges he will face in the future," Gellie said.

Players from Lorne, which has a bye in the Colac District league tomorrow, will attend South Barwon's clash with Bell Park in a show of support.

Peter Spring has been the medium between the family and the media since news broke of Tutungi's injuries.

"We've been friends of Chris and Carol (Tutungi) since we moved to Lorne 10 years ago," Spring said.

"Chris and I work together on a number of community projects and when I heard the news on Saturday night I spoke to Chris and I said, 'Whatever you need done, I'll deal with it'.

"There's a strong sense of community in Lorne, and with our new councillor Clive Goldsworthy, Mark Trickey and the chairman of the Committee for Lorne, Ian Stewart, we have put in place a structure to ensure that we can assist the family in caring for Casey."

Goldsworthy said the framework was put in place to allow the group to deal with the family's "day-to-day Lorne issues", including managing Chris and Carol's business, Lorne Bush House Cottages & Eco Retreats.

"The town is incredibly moved by the situation and I know the local footy team is struggling to come to terms with the issue. It is a small community and it has affected a lot of people," he said.

"The town is in shock ... People are putting their hands up left, right and centre to help."

Goldsworthy and the group had steered a network, in which members of the community registered their details to receive up-to-date details on Tutungi's progress.

"That's had a huge kick-up of people and there's a Facebook page, Best Wishes Casey Tutungi, and that has had (more than 4000) likes," Goldsworthy said.

Life-long resident and Lorne football operations manager Mark Trickey said the town was in distress.

"We've all known him since he was born - that's why in a small community it hits them hard," he said.

"We've all followed him throughout his fantastic career and we have been proud of him and the standard he has set for himself and what he has achieved. He's an incredible kid."

Trickey admitted the club, his friends and former teammates were "doing it tough". 

"Some of the boys came down from Melbourne, and they normally don't make it to training, but they came because felt lonely and lost," he said.

"Our club's doing it tough and although he's been at South Barwon for a couple of years, he grew up in Lorne and he'll always be a Dolphin."

Tutungi remains at the Austin Hospital in a stable condition. The family said it would take "considerable time" before doctors knew the full extent of the injury.

They must wait until the swelling and inflammation subsides. That's when questions about his ability to walk again may be answered.

"We thank you for your heartfelt compassion," his family said in a statement.

"We greatly appreciate it."

 

 

To register your details with the support network, contact 0437 917 472 or send an email message to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.