00:01A favourite teacher, a fearless teammate, Nathan Fitzgerald brought a glow to those
00:08around him but tonight his light is dimming.
00:12The 27 year old is receiving end of life care in hospital after a critical head injury.
00:18There's shock and confusion that it just doesn't feel real.
00:21The 27 year old suffered two knocks to the head in quick succession before suffering
00:27a third as he fell onto a covered cricket pitch at Leylaw Reserve during a suburban game
00:33in the city's north.
00:34I was just heartbroken.
00:36Wendy Smith suffered her own tragedy when her son Antonio died after an on-field collision.
00:43She's since pushed for greater awareness about brain injuries including compulsory education
00:49for all involved.
00:51There's an inconsistency between elite sports and grass roots footy.
00:56The ground is the responsibility of Whittlesea Council and like most shared ovals the cricket
01:02pitch has a synthetic cover with a shock absorbing pad over a concrete base.
01:08The ABC can reveal it was only purchased last year.
01:11This was just its second season.
01:14The fact that you have a concrete slab in the middle of your playing arena immediately
01:19raises red flags.
01:20Player advocate turned concussion campaigner Peter Jess is calling for annual ground safety
01:27reviews.
01:28There is no differentiation between the elite, sub-elite and the community-based football.
01:33All of the safety systems must be in parallel.
01:37Recent media attention has focused on concussions and the long-term impacts of contact in sport.
01:43But medical experts say this is very different.
01:46An acute yet catastrophic brain injury.
01:49I think there's a very high chance of the fact he fell on something as hard as a cricket
01:54pitch has a lot to do with that.
01:55A lot of ways it's like falling off a bike and hitting your head on the asphalt.
02:00A devastating tragedy felt far beyond footy.
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