- Cronulla teammates fear for the welfare of their missing star
- He played for the Sharks from 1986 to 1992.
Worried teammates are desperately trying to track down former football star Michael Speechley, who was last seen living in his car a few years ago.
Speechley, 60, played for a number of NRL clubs but made his name at the Cronulla Sharks between 1986 and 1992 playing as a five-eighth.
Famed for his tackling technique, ‘The Lawnmover’ is said to have been spotted at a handful of venues in Sydney’s south, including RSL clubs in Brighton and Ramsgate.
Now people like Sharks chairman Steve Mace, former club chief executive Barry Russell and Cronulla alumni committee member and former star player Alan Wilson just want to see if the reclusive Speechley needs a helping hand.
His former teammate Darren Higgins bumped into Speechley four years ago and an awkward conversation ensued.
At that point, Speechley told Higgins he had to go to hospital for treatment for pneumonia and he has not been seen since.
“He just disappeared off the face of the earth,” Higgins said. News Corporation.
“He wasn’t traveling very well at the time. We’re all worried about him. We love Speech, he’s a good guy.”
Worried teammates are desperately trying to locate former football star Michael Speechley (pictured playing for the Sharks in 1987), who cannot be contacted.
Speechley made his name at Cronulla between 1986 and 1992 while playing as a five-eighth. He was also renowned for his tackling technique.
The former Shark’s plight is reminiscent of the plight of former Bulldogs player Sandy Campbell (pictured), who was eking out a living on the Gold Coast in 2022.
News of Speechley’s plight comes after it was confirmed in 2022 that fellow former rugby league star Sandy Campbell was living rough on the Gold Coast as he battled throat cancer.
Campbell was seen living below a Coolangatta surf club on the beach, with all his belongings packed into a shopping trolley.
Among the items was a chemotherapy infusion pump that he needed to treat throat cancer.
He is said to be estranged from his wife and twin daughters.
Campbell’s good friend Darren Smith told News Corp it had been a tragic decline for the former Bulldogs star.
“He has nothing,” she said. “What do I do? I was going to create a GoFundMe page to try to help him.”
“No one can give him shelter and he has no money. It’s very sad.”
Last year, Campbell received another tough piece of news: he was diagnosed with a tumor behind his right ear.
Campbell lives in a self-driving van that was given to him to keep him off the streets.