An Australian rugby league player has died after collapsing following a tackle

Twenty-eight-year-old father-of-two Grant Cook was playing for the Murwillumbah Mustangs in a regional New South Wales game against Casino on Sunday when he sustained the injury.

"Police have been informed that the man collapsed shortly after being tackled during the match," police said in a statement.

Attempts were made at the scene to revive the unconscious player before he was airlifted to Gold Coast University Hospital in a critical condition and passed away overnight.

Country Rugby League said players from both teams would be offered counselling after the sudden death, which comes just over a year after a Queensland player died from a head injury sustained in a match in Brisbane.

On her Facebook page, Cook's wife Colleen said she had been left with "a huge hole in my heart".

"You died doing something you loved so passionately, and I guess that's how I have to look at it," she wrote, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

"You finally got to wear that number 6 jersey before the season was out too. I always did say I would love you forever and a day. And you know I will."

Australian rugby league officials have tried to take a firm line with head injuries in recent years, insisting players be sidelined if concussed, as sports around the world grapple with the growing problem.

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