They had footage from the previous day of me using the bowser,hopping back behind the wheel and driving off. I tried to remember it,but couldn’t. I had no idea I had been there. It was just a blur.
In the first minute of the clash between the Roosters and Rabbitohs,Hame Sele was knocked out trying to tackle Victor Radley
If you want to know if the NRL is doing the right thing with its which force players to stand down for 11 days after a brain injury,then my story should be a warning for every rugby league player,from the elite level to community players.
I come from Oberon,a small town in the NSW Central West. It felt like everyone there played footy growing up,and there weren’t many kids in the area who didn’t pull on the Oberon Tigers jersey. At our club,you had to wear headgear when you played,but concussion and brain injuries were never really mentioned. Simply,no one knew better.
Group 10 rugby league player and concussion patient David Sellers.Fairfax
I’m 30 years old,and have begun researching the effects of concussion on people in combat sports.
I’m not sure how many times I’ve suffered a concussion during my sporting career,but I estimate it’s between 40 and 50. Most of the symptoms were mild,just noticeable enough to recognise they were there. On top of playing rugby league all my life,I had about 30 fights as an amateur boxer over four or five years.
My last serious concussion prompted me to see a neuroscientist. It was my first game for a new club a couple of years ago. From the kick-off,I charged down in the defensive line and got my head in the wrong spot.
I clattered into a teammate and was knocked out for a few seconds. It was the first tackle of the game. The trainer came on the field and I fought him to keep playing. It sounds stupid but,even after I’d been forced off,I would have gone back on if they had allowed me.
As players,we need saving from ourselves.
But what scared me most was when I got home. For about 24 hours,I had short-term memory loss. I forgot I had a fiancee,and that we were expecting a child. I was sitting on the lounge at home and she was on the other end. It felt like a stranger’s house. I knew who she was,but I sort of didn’t. I didn’t realise we were together. Nothing seemed right. The next day,everything became clear again.
After that,I started researching the effects of concussion and speaking to the right people. If there is something I can do to further understand the signs and effects of concussion,I will. I want to get on top of it.
Paramatta’s Mitchell Moses suffered a serious concussion in the NRL finals last year.Getty Images
People might think it’s crazy,but I still play rugby league. I know my time in the game is coming to an end. All my best memories and good mates have come through footy,and when you’ve done something all of your life,it’s very hard to give it up. You can also earn money by playing in the better bush competitions in NSW,which helps put food on the table.
I’ve often wondered what I would say if my kids asked to play rugby league. I would probably tell them not to play. What do you say when you know the potential impact the game can have on your long-term health?
The NRL’s new protocols are long overdue. I remember watching Parramatta’s Mitchell Moses being concussed in an NRL finals game last year and running out again eight days later. It didn’t sit well with me.
Judgments about a player’s brain health have to be taken completely out of their hands. While we applaud the minimum standards being applied to NRL players,they should also be a cautionary message for every rugby league player in Australia.
Because the last thing you want is the police turning up on your doorstep to ask about an offence you can’t remember.
David Sellers is a Group 10 rugby league player and concussion patient.
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