Super League star Stevie Ward has been forced to retire at 27, due to severe in game concussions, saying he no longer can put his health at risk playing rugby league.
The Leeds Rhino's forward, who is a two-time grand final winner, is calling for more care to be put into health of players and says we must make differences to the game now to avoid being another generation "of guinea pigs."
Ward says that his decision to retire at such an early age, was due to a number of symptoms he suffers on a day-to-day basis.
RELATED: 'I have had a few knocks': Blues skipper Boyd Cordner rules himself out for series.
"I struggle with migraines, dizziness, motion sickness, sensitivity to light and screens, short-term memory issues, slurred speech, and an inability to exercise or do daily tasks without irritating my symptoms," he said in a statement released to the PA news agency.
"I love the game of rugby league. I am immensely proud to have competed on some of the biggest stages next to childhood heroes and test myself to the absolute limit while feeling the incredible buzz from the Leeds fans after being one myself as a youngster."
Ward witnessed the impact Motor Neurone Disease has had on his friend and former teammate Rob Burrow, and says a more proactive approach is needed.
"With the news about Rob and the current climate of rugby union players, I cannot help but ask the questions that need to be asked," he said.
"I am left motivated to help get our sport to a place where it can ensure the players' long-term safety whilst keeping the beauty and grit of the game."
RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Phil Gould urges Boyd Cordner to consider life after footy.
He is passionate about changing things in the contemporary game, and says that even small changes could make a huge difference.
"The biggest question is what can be done to make things safer for our players now," he said.
"We need to be more proactive and not rely on another generation of players to be guinea pigs for future research that will take years to give us the answers we need now.
"Part of this questioning has to look into the culture and stigma around concussion within the game and how we can use the anecdotal evidence that we are receiving from former union and league players with the science that is already out there to draw connections to the part of the sport we can adapt.
"One of the biggest lessons I have learnt from last year is that enormous consideration needs to be taken when mixing the brutality of the game with the brain's fragility."
In the NRL we are no stranger to this conversation involving our rugby league stars, most recently 28-year-old Roosters and Blues skipper Boyd Cordner.
Cordner was this year at the centre of the concussion chat, having taken enough knocks that he chose to exclude himself from the last two games of the State of Origin series.
There was outrage among the rugby league community when Cordner was allowed to go back on the field during the first State of Origin game in Adelaide, with the NRL launching an investigation into the NSW medical staff's decision.
Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald at the time, NSW team doctor Nathan Gibbs defended the call.
"He went back on and played the rest of the game running and tackling strongly without any problems and felt good after the game doing his post-match press conference with no issues and, checking him today, he is good too. So, no definitive concussion diagnosis," Gibbs said.
"But, certainly in the bigger picture, he is becoming prone to head knocks and HIA assessments more often so this is more of the concern for him."
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from WWOS https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/super-league-stevie-ward-concussion-leeds-rhinos/9a948f51-0535-48b1-8d7b-6c8240ba55ae
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