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GEELONG Amateur footballer Jarrod Westwood missed his ill baby daughter’s fundraiser yesterday as he had surgery on his fractured jaw, sustained in his season debut against Anglesea on Saturday — which was also his 100th match for the club.
Ammos football manager Gavan Clark yesterday confirmed the club would seek an investigation into an incident in the third quarter of the BFL match, which left Westwood’s jaw fractured in two places and teeth dislodged, if the umpire-requested match review is inconclusive.
Clark said the timing could not have been any worse and the club owed an investigation to Westwood and his wife Clare, who suffered the tragic loss of their unborn twin daughter earlier this year.
Surviving twin Quinnie, who was delivered by emergency caesarean section at 34 weeks, has ongoing health problems.
Ammos had long-planned a fundraiser for the Quinnie Westwood Future Fund to be held yesterday.
More than 250 people, predominantly from Ammos and Westwood’s former club South Barwon, still attended the function at Queens Park, despite his unexpected absence.
“We’ve had a discussion and yes we will ask for an investigation,” Clark said.
“We will let the process work itself out from there.
“It was a very, very sad affair.”
Westwood, who was returning to the football field after a “traumatic” few months, had booted two goals and was in fine touch in his milestone match against Anglesea before he was transported from the ground in an ambulance late in the third term.
“We were thrilled to have him back, especially after all of the trauma he’d been through,” Clark said.
“It was a very sad way to end his day.”
No report was made at the time but umpires have requested the match review panel look at the footage.
Ammos viewed the tape yesterday but think a report is unlikely.
“We don’t want to pre-empt the match review panel but we had a look at the footage and the incident is not on the footage,” Clark said.
“Some people saw it, but not many.
“We certainly owe it to the Westwoods to have the incident looked into.”
Ammos have until Thursday to lodge the investigation paperwork.
Originally published as Ammos seek probe into jaw break
