PLAY was halted for over an hour in the Championship clash between Widnes Vikings and Doncaster following a high challenge on Jake Maizen, who was stretchered off with his head in a brace.
Referee Cameron Worsley ordered both teams off the pitch after a near 20-minute delay for treatment to the fullback following what initially appeared to be an innocuous, though high, challenge.
Concern grew for the Italian international, who is now in stable condition, as the match remained suspended for over an hour amid increasing uncertainty over whether the game would be abandoned
The Widnes man remained down after a collision from Edene Gebbie while carrying the ball away from the Vikings goal line, which was immediately penalised as high.
A stretcher was brought onto the field and, having been down for over a quarter of an hour, Maizen was carried off, but play did not resume.
Worsley later followed the stretcher down the tunnel, before returning to call both sides into the dressing room as the stadium announcer informed the crowd that play had been suspended pending a medical assessment of Maizen’s injury.
A later announcement at 4:02pm confirmed the player was stable, but play would remain suspended due to the medical necessity of the doctor’s continued presence with the player.
When the game did resume at 4:35pm, Gebbie was shown a red card for the challenge.