A 19-year-old footballer is on life support after a pub brawl in Melbourne’s north-east on the weekend left him with serious head injuries.
Patrick Cronin was at The Windy Mile pub in Diamond Creek on Saturday night after his first senior game with his older brother, playing for Lower Plenty Football Club.
Victoria Police released a statement this morning saying Mr Cronin had died last night, but later retracted it. He still remains on life support in hospital.
According to reports, Patrick was king-hit around 11pm when he jumped in to drag his friend out of the fight. It is believed up to 30 people were involved in the brawl.
Patrick and his friends walked back to a house, but two hours after the fight, paramedics were called after he collapsed.
He was taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital where he was in a critical condition.
The incident is being investigated by homicide detectives.
“Patrick’s never been in a fight in his life. He’s not that kind of kid,” Lower Plenty Football Club president Grant Barden said.
“He’s tried to drag his friend out of the fight, but then someone’s come up behind him. We heard he was king-hit. That’s all we know.”
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