Harper is in intensive care at Wagga Base Hospital after having a 700 kilogram hay bale fall on him at his Ariah Park farm on Tuesday.

The 19-year-old has been able to save his badly-damaged spleen and otherwise escaped with bruising to the heart and liver.

Harper has been told he will be unable to play football or cricket for 12 months.

He was enjoying a career-best season for South Wagga, having hit 411 runs at an average of 137, along with taking 11 wickets with the ball.

Harper was also one of the region's most promising footballers on the back of his senior best and fairest win at Collingullie-Glenfield Park last year.

"He's very, very lucky," his mother Bec said.

"It really only got his spleen and at least he's still got it. We can't believe he has no broken bones."

The injury will rule Harper out of South Wagga's finals campaigns, where he had established himself as one of the best players in the competition.

South Wagga president and captain Joel Robinson said Harper's well-being was the number one priority.

"We wish him a speedy recovery," Robinson said.

"Hopefully he has a full recovery. Cricket's not an issue at the moment. Speaking from both a club and personal perspective, we hope he makes a speedy recovery."

Harper has been told it could be a long road back to competitive sport.

"He'll take it slow and steady," Bec Harper said.

"It's such a shame because he was going so well and it's the fittest he's ever been but he'll start slowly and take it from there."

Collingullie-Glenfield Park coach Brett Somerville said the entire club's thoughts were with Harper and his family as he fights to get back to full health.

"It's more the fact that I'm gutted for the kid himself. He's a great young kid with a lot of ability and loves all sorts of sports," Somerville said.

"As a team and a footy club when something like this happens, you just hope he can get back to enjoying whatever he wants to do."

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