**Corey Brown: Code switcher beats brain scare to dream of a Wests Tigers debut**
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Corey Brown goes to bed every night dreaming about making his debut for the Wests Tigers. But there was a time when it appeared he might not wake up at all.
''Back when I was 16 I had viral encephalitis, which gives you swelling of the brain,'' Brown explained.
''It affects about one in 200 people. Basically, I was in a coma for three weeks and they said to my mother, 'If he wakes up, he won't remember a thing and will need help for the rest of his life'.
''So it was quite scary for my mother and, of course, I was asleep for three weeks. It was scary for my family and even myself when I came to. The next five years following that incident were very tough for me.''
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At that point, you could write your own odds about Brown becoming a professional athlete. Of not only playing rugby for Northern Suburbs but topping the competition's try-scoring list in 2012 to earn himself a contract with the Western Force. Of making his Force debut against the touring British and Irish Lions in front of a capacity crowd, which included his mother and grandparents, the people most responsible for helping him get back on track. Of being rated by sprint trainer Roger Fabri, with whom he works, as one of the fastest men in either code. Or of switching codes to sign a two-year deal with the Tigers, where he will push for a spot in the centres.
But before all of that, the now 24-year-old had to defy doctors just to be able to live an independent life. All because, as they explained it, he probably breathed in just as a carrier of the disease coughed nearby.
''It affects everything to do with the brain, which makes it a long road to recovery,'' Brown said. ''I found it hard to concentrate and build the techniques to learn new things. That was a a struggle for me. It wasn't until I was about 21 or 22 that I believe I got back all of my fine motor skills, my confidence.''
Among the physical challenges was putting on the weight required to play the rugby codes. But with the support of his family and the staff at Kinross Wolaroi School in his home town of Orange, he never gave up his dream of making the grade.
''I put it down to my mum and my grandparents, who never stopped helping me out when I was in trouble,'' he said.
''Even through the hardest times, when I was struggling and had no hopes of playing high grades, mum got me back on track.
''There have been cases where people have stopped doing what they were doing and needed help their entire lives. I bounced back. I always knew what I wanted to do as a person and it was a matter of finding the best way to deal with it after this illness I had.''
One of the most prolific try-scorers in the Sydney club rugby in recent years, Brown is more than just a good finisher. He can also kick goals, like the one he struck after the buzzer - from the sideline and 35 metres out - to clinch Norths a memorable win against Warringah at North Sydney Oval earlier this year. With regular Tigers kicker Benji Marshall switching codes, Brown could be a back-up option to another new signing, Pat Richards.
But first, he will need to make the grade. ''I'm the new kid there coming across from rugby but I've got the goal of starting in round one,'' said Brown, whose sister was an Australian rugby representative before a knee injury cut short her playing career.
''Hopefully, I'll be there for round one. I want to push not only myself but people around me. That's how you grow as a person.''
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Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/corey-brown-code-switcher-beats-brain-scare-to-dream-of-a-wests-tigers-debut-20131109-2x8lq.html#ixzz2k8tVolhZ
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Is it just me or did this come out of nowhere? I've never heard of him…
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Corey Brown goes to bed every night dreaming about making his debut for the Wests Tigers. But there was a time when it appeared he might not wake up at all.
''Back when I was 16 I had viral encephalitis, which gives you swelling of the brain,'' Brown explained.
''It affects about one in 200 people. Basically, I was in a coma for three weeks and they said to my mother, 'If he wakes up, he won't remember a thing and will need help for the rest of his life'.
''So it was quite scary for my mother and, of course, I was asleep for three weeks. It was scary for my family and even myself when I came to. The next five years following that incident were very tough for me.''
Advertisement
At that point, you could write your own odds about Brown becoming a professional athlete. Of not only playing rugby for Northern Suburbs but topping the competition's try-scoring list in 2012 to earn himself a contract with the Western Force. Of making his Force debut against the touring British and Irish Lions in front of a capacity crowd, which included his mother and grandparents, the people most responsible for helping him get back on track. Of being rated by sprint trainer Roger Fabri, with whom he works, as one of the fastest men in either code. Or of switching codes to sign a two-year deal with the Tigers, where he will push for a spot in the centres.
But before all of that, the now 24-year-old had to defy doctors just to be able to live an independent life. All because, as they explained it, he probably breathed in just as a carrier of the disease coughed nearby.
''It affects everything to do with the brain, which makes it a long road to recovery,'' Brown said. ''I found it hard to concentrate and build the techniques to learn new things. That was a a struggle for me. It wasn't until I was about 21 or 22 that I believe I got back all of my fine motor skills, my confidence.''
Among the physical challenges was putting on the weight required to play the rugby codes. But with the support of his family and the staff at Kinross Wolaroi School in his home town of Orange, he never gave up his dream of making the grade.
''I put it down to my mum and my grandparents, who never stopped helping me out when I was in trouble,'' he said.
''Even through the hardest times, when I was struggling and had no hopes of playing high grades, mum got me back on track.
''There have been cases where people have stopped doing what they were doing and needed help their entire lives. I bounced back. I always knew what I wanted to do as a person and it was a matter of finding the best way to deal with it after this illness I had.''
One of the most prolific try-scorers in the Sydney club rugby in recent years, Brown is more than just a good finisher. He can also kick goals, like the one he struck after the buzzer - from the sideline and 35 metres out - to clinch Norths a memorable win against Warringah at North Sydney Oval earlier this year. With regular Tigers kicker Benji Marshall switching codes, Brown could be a back-up option to another new signing, Pat Richards.
But first, he will need to make the grade. ''I'm the new kid there coming across from rugby but I've got the goal of starting in round one,'' said Brown, whose sister was an Australian rugby representative before a knee injury cut short her playing career.
''Hopefully, I'll be there for round one. I want to push not only myself but people around me. That's how you grow as a person.''
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Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/corey-brown-code-switcher-beats-brain-scare-to-dream-of-a-wests-tigers-debut-20131109-2x8lq.html#ixzz2k8tVolhZ
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Is it just me or did this come out of nowhere? I've never heard of him…
