Adrian Morgan will play among the cream of Australia’s veteran footballers when he represents Vic Country at the AFL Masters National Carnival in Adelaide from this weekend.
It’s a remarkable achievement given that he survived a near-fatal cardiac arrest at his workplace, Bairnsdale Regional Health Service, just 13 months ago.
And he says there is life after cardiac arrest for anyone if they look after themselves.
Adrian, 57, who plays in the centre and has played more than 700 senior games in a storied footy career across East Gippsland, will represent Vic Country at the carnival, which begins on Sunday (25 September).
He will play in the 50s team for men aged 50 to 55 – one group below his own age.
Teams from every state and territory will play in age groups from 35 to 40 to 60-plus.
Adrian, a Koori Hospital Liaison Officer with BRHS’s Aboriginal Health Unit, had been selected for Vic Country in the 2021 carnival in Perth last October.
He felt chest pains while watching football at home and got his partner to drive him straight to the Emergency Department at BRHS.
“They took me straight in at the ED and as soon as I laid on the bed, bang – a cardiac arrest,” he said.
“I was laying there and the nurse said that I was going into cardiac arrest and they would look after me, and everything went black. That was the last thing I remembered. I died twice on the table.”
Adrian said he was defibrillated twice. “That brought me back to life for a couple of minutes, and then I went out again. They did it a second time, and that kept me alive.”
He was then flown to a Melbourne hospital, where stents were inserted into two blocked arteries.
By Christmas, he was back playing cricket and returned to football this season. Adrian said he’s lost weight since the cardiac arrest. He’s doing more exercise now and eating healthier food.
“I died twice in the ED and I am still running around today. I felt better after (getting the stents). I started eating healthier. I used to eat a bit of junk food, That’s the key. Don’t eat a lot of fatty foods, junk food and cakes, and do some exercise.”
Adrian said he’s not worried about playing in a younger age group at the carnival.
“I play locally against 18- and 19-year-olds, so it’s not going to matter much to me,” he said.
“I have played in my own age group (at past masters carnivals) and I have gone back and filled in for other (younger) teams a few times during the carnival.”
Adrian has an amazing record at the carnival. He and his Vic Country 50s teammates were premiers in Townsville in 2019 and Tasmania in 2015 and he was selected in the All Australian side in the Tasmania carnival in 2015 and the Geelong Carnival in 2017.
Locally, Adrian alternates between playing in the Wellington Warriors in the Victorian Country Masters Football League every second Sunday and for the Paynesville seconds in the East Gippsland Football League on Saturdays – sometimes playing two matches in a weekend when fixtures clash.
“I’m the only player from Traralgon to the border to get selected (for the 50s team),” he said.
BRHS has assisted Adrian to follow his footy dream, Adrian said.
“Work has helped me out. They have sponsored me a little bit and gave me a few days off. They’ve looked after me a bit,” he said.
Adrian also thanked the Gippsland and East Gippsland Aboriginal Co-Operative, Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation and Simsy’s Tyres in Lindenow who also supported him in getting to the carnival.
