Gary_Bakerloo
New member
Refer bolded section…..would scare the daylights out of me at the age of 30:
Liam Fulton puts family first and calls it quits on NRL career
Date July 10, 2014 - 6:27PM
Adrian Proszenko
Most of Liam Fulton's 20-plus concussions were badges of honour.
They were opportunities to show his toughness by climbing to his feet, stumbling back into the defensive line and ensuring his beloved Wests Tigers were never a player short. But the last few head knocks were different.
"I was suffering from headaches from round three onwards but wasn't telling anyone," Fulton said.
"I was focused on wanting to play. I had other injuries with my foot and back, and the last thing I wanted to do was tell them I couldn't train because of a headache."
There were other symptoms, too. After repeated concussions in what would prove to be the final year of an illustrious career, other worrying signs emerged. **The veteran front-rower's short-term memory was shot. Stories he told would be retold again and again. When a teammate asked whether he had played against North Queensland earlier this year, Fulton didn't know.\
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"I was waking up confused, not knowing what day it is," he said.\
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"It gave me a real headache just having to concentrate on something. Sometimes I would wonder – did I eat breakfast this morning? Just the littlest things. Earlier on, my days were going quickly and I wondered what I had even done that day.**
**"I remember telling the doctor about being in the moment – I'm there, but the lights aren't on. Not taking things in. It's good to get it off my chest and finish off."**
The finish Fulton refers to is his retirement announcement on Thursday. Aside from a short stint in the Super League, Fulton played all of his top-flight games for the Tigers, including the 2005 grand final triumph. The local junior had shown courage in getting up from all the tough knocks but his decision not to risk another is the bravest act of all. With his 30th birthday in sight, Fulton decided his priority was to be fit for his wife and 10-month-old child rather than the club he bled for.
"Everything I'm going through now is reversible," he said.
"My short-term memory will be cleared up, the headaches. Ultimately, if I came back and I wasn't 100 per cent and got a head knock, I am at high risk of causing long-term, permanent damage.
"My wife [Stacey] is pretty happy I ended up retiring because she was sick of seeing me get knocked out. She was pretty worried.
"She said the decision was up to me but if I got another knock I'd be missing out on a lot of things, like my daughter.
"If I got brain damage from it, from playing on selfishly, that would be disappointing. That's not the right thing to do."
The popular back-rower said the NRL's new concussion protocols, and his club's adherence to them, may have saved him from himself.
"[In the past] you get a little knock, you're half knocked out and if you can just stumble into the line, you wait until a try is scored or a scrum so you've got a moment to regather yourself," he said.
"That's happened plenty of times. That's not just me, that's widespread around the game.
"The NRL have taken big steps with the concussion rule, and good on them. Same with all of our Tigers staff, they have put the players' welfare in front of results. That's a really big step for a professional team when you all want to win."
Fulton won't be lost to the game. The joint-venture club will offer him opportunities in a number of roles, from marketing to junior development, as part of a two-year off-field contract.
"I was choking up a bit telling the boys, you get a bit emotional because you see these guys every day," he said of the end of his playing career. "Not being able to play with them again, it's not the best thing to tell them but I got it off my chest and feel a bit relieved."
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Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/liam-fulton-puts-family-first-and-calls-it-quits-on-nrl-career-20140710-zt3be.html#ixzz376QG5ho9
Liam Fulton puts family first and calls it quits on NRL career
Date July 10, 2014 - 6:27PM
Adrian Proszenko
Most of Liam Fulton's 20-plus concussions were badges of honour.
They were opportunities to show his toughness by climbing to his feet, stumbling back into the defensive line and ensuring his beloved Wests Tigers were never a player short. But the last few head knocks were different.
"I was suffering from headaches from round three onwards but wasn't telling anyone," Fulton said.
"I was focused on wanting to play. I had other injuries with my foot and back, and the last thing I wanted to do was tell them I couldn't train because of a headache."
There were other symptoms, too. After repeated concussions in what would prove to be the final year of an illustrious career, other worrying signs emerged. **The veteran front-rower's short-term memory was shot. Stories he told would be retold again and again. When a teammate asked whether he had played against North Queensland earlier this year, Fulton didn't know.\
\
"I was waking up confused, not knowing what day it is," he said.\
\
"It gave me a real headache just having to concentrate on something. Sometimes I would wonder – did I eat breakfast this morning? Just the littlest things. Earlier on, my days were going quickly and I wondered what I had even done that day.**
**"I remember telling the doctor about being in the moment – I'm there, but the lights aren't on. Not taking things in. It's good to get it off my chest and finish off."**
The finish Fulton refers to is his retirement announcement on Thursday. Aside from a short stint in the Super League, Fulton played all of his top-flight games for the Tigers, including the 2005 grand final triumph. The local junior had shown courage in getting up from all the tough knocks but his decision not to risk another is the bravest act of all. With his 30th birthday in sight, Fulton decided his priority was to be fit for his wife and 10-month-old child rather than the club he bled for.
"Everything I'm going through now is reversible," he said.
"My short-term memory will be cleared up, the headaches. Ultimately, if I came back and I wasn't 100 per cent and got a head knock, I am at high risk of causing long-term, permanent damage.
"My wife [Stacey] is pretty happy I ended up retiring because she was sick of seeing me get knocked out. She was pretty worried.
"She said the decision was up to me but if I got another knock I'd be missing out on a lot of things, like my daughter.
"If I got brain damage from it, from playing on selfishly, that would be disappointing. That's not the right thing to do."
The popular back-rower said the NRL's new concussion protocols, and his club's adherence to them, may have saved him from himself.
"[In the past] you get a little knock, you're half knocked out and if you can just stumble into the line, you wait until a try is scored or a scrum so you've got a moment to regather yourself," he said.
"That's happened plenty of times. That's not just me, that's widespread around the game.
"The NRL have taken big steps with the concussion rule, and good on them. Same with all of our Tigers staff, they have put the players' welfare in front of results. That's a really big step for a professional team when you all want to win."
Fulton won't be lost to the game. The joint-venture club will offer him opportunities in a number of roles, from marketing to junior development, as part of a two-year off-field contract.
"I was choking up a bit telling the boys, you get a bit emotional because you see these guys every day," he said of the end of his playing career. "Not being able to play with them again, it's not the best thing to tell them but I got it off my chest and feel a bit relieved."
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Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/liam-fulton-puts-family-first-and-calls-it-quits-on-nrl-career-20140710-zt3be.html#ixzz376QG5ho9
