Footy cult hero reveals he is set to undergo surgery after suffering freak accident at home

Essendon legend Gary Moorcroft has revealed that he is set to undergo surgery after he fell while carrying out some renovations at home and painfully fractured his cheekbone.

The 49-year-old, who hung up his boots back in 2003, took to social media to publish a picture of his head scans, which showed a large crack below his left eye socket.

The footy star had fallen through some flooring at his home and landed face-first on a timber joist.

'Well it's definitely been an eventful few days!' he wrote, adding a picture of him lying in bed with a black eye.

'Had a fall doing some renovations at home.

'Fell through the flooring insulation and went cheekbone first into the timber joist.

'Unfortunately, I came off second best. Three fractures and a depressed cheekbone.

'Surgery booked to have three plates and screws put in.

'Thank you to Belinda and my two perfect kids and their partners for looking after me.'

Moorcroft is renowned for winning the AFL's Mark of the Year back in 2001, taking an outstanding flying speccy during the Bomber's Round 14 victory against the Western Bulldogs.

The catch is regarded by many as one of the best grabs the game has ever seen, with Moorcroft rising high above Doggies forward Brad Johnson to pluck the footy out of the air.

He'd go on to make 95 appearances for the Bombers, returning 102 goals, before he was delisted by the club in 2002.

Moorcroft would go on to play three matches for Melbourne the following season, but his year was cut short, after sustaining a horror knee injury.

After nine years playing in footy's top-flight, he'd go on to play local footy for the likes of Bendigo Bombers and Silvan FC in the Yarra Valley Mountain Football League.

He would continue playing well into his 40s, notably joining up with South Morang for the 2023 season.