The Gold Coast United striker was relaxing in a local park with his family when he began to feel an itch that turned into an agonising pain in his foot before the 29-year-old was taken to hospital.

Analysis of his symptoms and the affected area revealed a redback bite wound and he was immediately treated with antivenom and painkillers to ease the notorious suffering redbacks cause.

Describing the pain as ‘excruciating’, Macallister’s response was monitored before he was released from hospital in the evening with doctors satisfied he had suffered no complications.

Despite the dramatic turn of events, Macallister is still hopeful of being passed fit to face United’s foes at Suncorp Stadium, but admits he is 50/50 at best.

“I was heading home after being in the park with my kids and my foot started itching, then throbbing and it just went from bad to worse so quickly,” he said.

“When I got home I noticed two red marks on my foot and from there everything escalated – I started sweating and feeling sick. It was the most acute pain I’ve ever felt in my life so I took off to hospital.

“Eventually it was diagnosed as a redback spider bite and I spent about six hours in hospital in absolute agony. Once the anti-venom and painkillers were given to me it calmed down dramatically, but it’s still quite sore today and I’d have to say I’m touch and go to play on Friday.”

Macallister attended training this morning but was restricted to some light warm-up work and stretching.

He joked about the new superpowers he might have inherited from the bite and added: “I’m keeping any urges to walk vertically up walls at bay for the moment.

“If anything develops superpower-wise then I’m going to keep it quiet and use them in the game tomorrow.”