Mihocek recovering after surgery on neck fracture

Melbourne forward Brody Mihocek is up and walking after undergoing surgery on a neck fracture suffered in his side’s King’s Birthday victory over Collingwood on Monday.

Playing against his old side for the first time, the former Pie hit the MCG turf at an awkward angle on the back of a Billy Frampton tackle in the second quarter.

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The forward successfully underwent surgery overnight, with the club providing a brief update on Tuesday morning.

“You never want to see an incident in our game, like what we saw with Brody on Monday,” Melbourne football boss Alan Richardson said.

“Brody is in the very best of care and was able to undergo surgery last night, which, thankfully, went as planned.

“Our primary focus right now is supporting Brody, his partner Polly and their family through his recovery, while ensuring his return to full health.”

Mihocek slipped before being wrapped up by his 2023 premiership teammate, with the 33-year-old’s head and neck left vulnerable in the incident.

Play was stopped for 10 minutes as medicos delicately dealt with the veteran forward, before he was stretchered off the MCG to a wave of applause from both sets of supporter groups.

The much-loved Mihocek was also given well wishes by both his current and former teammates as he was driven off the ground in a heart-warming show of care in the 12th Big Freeze clash.

Monday’s game was only Mihocek’s second since a hamstring injury he sustained in round 8 against Sydney.

A five-time leading goal-kicker at the Magpies, he’d started 2026 in typical fashion with 13 goals from eight games before the setback, while he kicked three majors on return in a loss to GWS in round 12.

The club said its primary focus was on caring for Mihocek and his family, with a timeline for his return unclear at this stage.

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