AFL great Tony Modra is showing signs of improvement after suffering serious injuries in a freak accident near his South Australian property, with close friend and former teammate Mark Ricciuto saying he is now “out of the worst”.
Modra, 57, sustained significant facial injuries when a fallen tree branch smashed through the windscreen of a truck he was driving near his cattle property last Thursday. He was initially in a critical condition.
Speaking on Triple M, Ricciuto said the former Adelaide and Fremantle forward had undergone multiple facial surgeries and remained in considerable pain but was recovering.
“He’s improving a lot,” Ricciuto said.
“He did not sound like the old Tony Modra, he sounded like a bloke who didn’t want to move his head — and basically couldn’t half move his head.
“He sounded completely different at this stage because of all that.
“But he still had Mods’ sense of humour which was awesome to hear, he was trying to have a laugh in super-tough times.
“He did sound like he was in enormous pain and he is, because he’s had so many operations, but fingers-crossed he’s had his last one there for a little while.”
Ricciuto, who captained Modra during their time together at the Adelaide Crows and remains a close friend, said the AFL icon was now focused on healing and processing the traumatic experience.
“He’s out of the worst the woods can be,” Ricciuto said.
“Now he’s just living with the pain and waiting to get better and dealing with all the emotional stuff that you deal with, I guess, of having an accident and remembering parts of it.
“He said he wants to chop the tree down … we were having a few laughs, that’s typical Modra chat.
“It was just good to have a little bit of a giggle as much as he could.”
Modra is regarded as one of the greatest forwards of his era, kicking 588 goals in 165 AFL games for Adelaide and Fremantle between 1992 and 2001.
News of his accident prompted an outpouring of support from the community, with fans and former teammates rallying behind the South Australian sporting great as he continues his recovery.
Image: AFL Photos
