McQuillan has had scans but results won't be known until tomorrow. He was placed in an induced coma for safety reasons for the flight to Melbourne.

A spokesman for the hospital said McQuillan was in a serious but stable condition with a suspected spinal injury.

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THE Ovens & Murray match between Albury and Yarrawonga was called off before half-time this afternoon following a serious neck injury to Tigers player James McQuillan.

McQuillan's head appeared to cannon into Yarrawonga player Marcus Cummins' leg during a contest on the wing early in the second quarter at the Albury Sportsground.

Paramedics were called to the ground and McQuillan was subsequently taken to hospital after being immobilised.

After a lengthy delay, both teams agreed to call the match off; under league rules, the game was called a draw because it was before half-time.

Both teams will keep their percentage, with the Tigers leading 8.3 (51) to Yarrawonga's 5.4 (34) when the injury occurred.

Albury president Gavan Schultz said he was immensely grateful to Yarrawonga for agreeing to abandon the game.

“I really appreciate the way Yarrawonga handled the situation," Schultz said.

“The mood out there was pretty ordinary and in the end it wasn’t really a hard decision."

Ovens & Murray general manager Aaron McGlynn said the only thing that mattered was attending to McQuillan's health.

“Obviously it’s an unprecedented thing but the safety of our players is paramount,” McGlynn said.

The Tigers have said they will wait for news on McQuillan's condition before making further comment.