Kear left to reflect on ‘horrific’ injury for Batley’s Campbell

FORMER England coach John Kear admits the injury suffered by Batley Bulldogs full-back Jonny Campbell is one of the worst he has witnessed during his long career in the sport.
Batley Bulldogs coach John KearBatley Bulldogs coach John Kear
Batley Bulldogs coach John Kear

All eyes were on Mount Pleasant on Sunday after Batley captain Keegan Hirst publicly revealed, for the first time, he is gay on the morning of the game.

However, while the prop received a warm reception from fans from both sides – and plenty of national media profile – as he faced former club Dewsbury Rams, the Championship Shield tie was overshadowed by the serious injury to his team-mate.

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Full-back Campbell, who is attracting interest from at least one full-time club for 2016, required lengthy treatment on the field in the second half of the 28-22 loss before being taken to hospital.

Batley coach Kear, 60, was still shaken by the incident yesterday and said: “It was an horrific injury. I think it had an effect on everybody at the ground.

“It was so bad, the Dewsbury players shielded him from the crowd when he was being treated, because they didn’t want fans to see it.

“He’s got a very serious leg break and a badly dislocated ankle. He has had the ankle put back in, is going to have to have the leg pinned and then he’ll have a scan to see what ligament damage there is.

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“I’ve been in the game a long time and seen a lot of injuries but the only one I can compare it to is when Kevin Ward broke his leg playing for St Helens against Wigan (in 1993).

“After a match, I normally watch it again when I get home, but I couldn’t on Sunday; it has deflated everybody.

“It was great to see Keegan get the response he did but that was all overshadowed by what happened to Jonny.”