East Warrnambool coach back home after horrific on-field clash

The East Warrnambool Football Netball Club coach said he remembers the incident and decided to have a joke at their expense.

"It was early in the first quarter I went down and I remember the trainers coming to my aid and the ambulance being called," Mr Chatfield said. "They were asking me the standard questions and my response was to be cheeky and tell them I was Gary Ablett."

He said he remembers the large amount of blood and the ringing in his ear after the clash.

Mr Chatfield, 35, said his wife Amy, who had been his rock after the incident, was at work when she received a phone call about his accident.

"She was at work and got a phone call so she was a bit rattled by that," he said.

"I remember getting out of a scan at South West Healthcare and I told her 'you don't need to come to Melbourne, but of course she did'."

Mr Chatfield said he had two fractures of the skull and bleeding on the brain, which was being closely monitored by doctors.

"I thought I would have to get surgery but they've just said I'm on light duties at home and off work for a couple of weeks," he said.

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Mr Chatfield said he had been blown away by the response from members of the community, including dozens of people from opposition clubs.

He has joked to a few people that he looks like Uncle Fester from The Addams Family due to the bruising on his face.

Despite the severity of his injury, Mr Chatfield knows how lucky he is to be home with his family.

He said he did everything he could to convince the doctors at the Royal Melbourne Hospital he was ready to head home to see his wife and sons Jyah, 12, Kobi, 10 and Vann, nine months.

Mr Chatfield said he had taken time to reflect on the incident in recent days and said he believed a few knocks to the head in earlier games this year may have contributed to the bleeding on the brain.

"I was knocked out about eight weeks ago in a pre-season match and I've had a couple of other knocks, but you shrug it off," he said.

Mr Chatfield said he now realises he should have sought medical advice before playing again.

"I probably didn't accept that I needed to go and see a doctor and I've paid the price, but I'm lucky to be here," he said.

Mr Chatfield said he was touched that Old Collegians decided not to sing their club song as a mark of respect.

He said he was also extremely grateful that Ben Turner-Dwyer had reached out to his wife to make sure he was OK.

Mr Chatfield said he was not sure whether he would make it to East Warrnambool's game against Dennington on Saturday.

But he has kept in touch with his team's players via the club's Facebook group.

Mr Chatfield said he hoped to one day return to the field as football has been such a big part of his life for 30 years, but he will take on board the advice of doctors about whether this is possible.

"The orders from the doctors are that there won't be any footy for at least six to eight weeks," he said.

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