AFLW star who is also paramedic nurse leaps into action to help rival after ‘really scary’ head clash

When Cats ruck Piper Dunlop hit the turf in the third quarter of Geelong’s AFLW semi-final against Sydney after a nasty head clash, she couldn’t have asked for a better-qualified person to be first on the scene.Instinct kicked in for Swans forward Lexi Hamilton, who is a trained nurse and paramedic, as she raced over to her prone rival and eased her to the ground, before getting Dunlop into the recovery position and holding her head in place until medical staff arrived.Following the clash with Tanya Kennedy, Dunlop tried to play on but stumbled and appeared to lose consciousness as Hamilton rushed over to cushion her fall. Dunlop was eventually stretched from the field and into an ambulance.Cats coach Mick Stinear confirmed Dunlop was awake when she was taken to hospital.“Piper’s in hospital now just getting some further imaging done,” he said. “I think she’s doing OK but we won’t know more until we get the imaging results. She’s in good hands.”Swans coach Colin O’Riordan said the fall was “really scary to witness” but marvelled at Hamilton rolling Dunlop into the recovery position before help arrived.“Instinct kicked in for Lex, even though she was in the heat of the battle,” he said. “Lexi’s first reaction was, ‘How can I help someone?’. It’s credit to her and how she goes about it.“Obviously, [a] qualified nurse, just incredible ... It’s just testament to the person Lexi is in the heat of battle. You can still turn someone on the recovery position and make sure that they’re OK.”In a bruising encounter, the Swans upset Geelong by three points at GMHBA Stadium to set up a preliminary final showdown with back-to-back reigning premiers North Melbourne.Young ruck Maddie Quinn (22 disposals, 18 hit-outs and one goal) and superstar Chloe Molloy (three goals and 15 disposals) were instrumental in the Swans’ narrow 8.2 (50) to 7.5 (47) win.Three-time Cats best and fairest winner Amy McDonald (hamstring) was also ruled out of the contest, while Irishwoman Rachel Kearns was limited by a hip injury and star Georgie Prespakis passed a concussion test after a heavy hit.