Half-time game puts NRL fans in hospital

The NRL Panthers' halftime entertainment game was called "Big Ball Bash" — and last night it resulted in one fan suffering a suspected broken ankle and another fan dislocating his shoulder.

The game started with two teams of fans racing from either end of the field to a giant inflatable ball, which they had to push over the opposition goal line to win.

Footage shows two men on opposing teams sprint at the ball from opposite directions, their bodies flying into each other in a horrendous clash as the ball popped up in the air.

The injured fans were then taken by ambulance to hospital from Sportingbet Stadium, the Penrith Panthers' home ground in western Sydney, NewsCorp reports.

Panthers chief executive Warren Wilson said all participants in the halftime entertainment had signed waiver forms to prevent them suing the club in the event of injury.