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Australian football welcomes return of Bali bomb victim

Burned and barely distinguishable to his coach after the Bali bombings last October, Jason McCartney has overcome amazing odds to be on the verge of an emotional comeback to the Australian Football League.

Almost eight months after surviving the deadly bombings, McCartney was included in the Kangaroos lineup for tomorrow's AFL showdown against Richmond at Melbourne's Dockland's Stadium.

The 29-year-old McCartney plans to wear his regular No. 5 on the back of his Kangaroos jersey, and the numbers 88 and 202 on the front to commemorate both the Australians and the total number of people killed in the Oct. 12 terror attacks on Indonesia's resort island of Bali.

He'll also be wearing special pressurized bandages on both arms and torso and a long-sleeve shirt instead of the typical vest favored by most players of Australian Rules.

McCartney was drinking in a bar during a post-season celebration with a former teammate when a bomb exploded, causing flames and debris to tear through the building.

He ignored burns to 50 percent of his body to help people escape as flames and declined treatment for a while for the sake of other victims he thought needed more urgent attention.

McCartney's condition was so bad when he was flown back to a Melbourne hospital that it shocked Kangaroos coach Dean Laidley.

"I didn't recognize him, it was quite disturbing," Laidley was quoted saying yesterday.

McCartney set himself two goals in his recovery. The first was to go ahead with his wedding as planned and the second to return to the AFL.

He married Nerrisa in December and made the slow and painful return to football with Kangaroos feeder club Port Melbourne in the Victorian Football League, all the time with the encouragement of his new wife as he got himself physically and mentally prepared for the top flight.
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