Queensland rugby league legend Wally Lewis has called on the federal government to allocate more funding to research into dementia and brain injuries after revealing the stark reality of living with a debilitating disorder.
The former Maroons captain, nicknamed ‘The King’, spent three decades honing an elite sporting career that saw him win a record eight Player of the Match awards at State of Origin level, spearheading Queensland’s dominance over New Wales of the South during the 1980s and 1990s.
The 68-year-old announced his shock retirement as a sports presenter last year after revealing he was suffering from the effects of a neurodegenerative disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE.
He detailed the profound effects of his early dementia diagnosis in a moving speech at the National Press Club in Canberra on Tuesday.
“I once had the self-confidence to succeed: to lead my team to victory, to be the captain of my country, to remember my opponents’ strengths and weaknesses, to organize myself and feel in control of my life,” Lewis said.
Rugby league legend Wally Lewis has called on the federal government to allocate more funding to research into dementia and brain injuries after revealing the stark reality of living with a debilitating brain disorder.
Lewis suffers from the effects of a neurodegenerative disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE (pictured is Wally Lewis playing for Queensland in 1990).
“Now, much of that confidence has been taken away from me by the effects of probable CTE dementia.
‘My daily life is no longer blessed by confidence in my daily activities.
“Now, I find it hard to accept that I have been filled with fear and shame by how forgetful I have become.”
CTE is the progressive degenerative disease most commonly found in people who have suffered repeated concussions and traumatic head injuries.
The disease is most commonly associated with athletes who play contact sports such as rugby league and AFL.
Symptoms include memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, aggression, depression, and eventually progressive dementia.
There is no known treatment or cure for this condition.
Lewis said Australia urgently needed to adopt consistent protocols nationally to help prevent, detect and monitor head injuries across all sports and said players needed to be taught at a basic level to understand the risks.
“Players need to understand that just because you can’t always see a brain injury, like a broken arm, you have to take it seriously,” he said.
“Returning to the field with a head injury is not an honor, it is an oversight.”
A landmark report on head injuries and concussions in sports published last year called on the government to develop a national strategy to reduce concussions in contact sports, including implementing binding protocols during games to better protect players from head injuries.
Collingwood premiership defender Nathan Murphy attended the speech, days after announcing his retirement from the AFL due to ongoing concussion issues.
Currently, NRL sporting codes stipulate that a player must wait 11 days to return to the field after suffering a brain injury.
The AFL requires a minimum of 12 days.
Lewis called on the federal government to commit $18 million over three years to a national pilot program to support people with CTE and help raise awareness of the condition.
She said that after her diagnosis she has lived in constant fear and anxiety every day about what her future would be like.
Collingwood premiership defender Nathan Murphy attended the speech, days after announcing his retirement from the AFL due to ongoing concussion issues.
‘Along with the implementation of this program will come an expectation, especially from parents with children who play sports, that sufficient measures are now being taken to protect their children. “It’s our duty to do this and do it right,” Lewis said.
‘I can’t say it enough: it is preventable. We owe it to our children.’
Lewis’ funding plea comes as Cronulla Sharks enforcer Dale Finucane on Tuesday announced his retirement from the NRL, with immediate effect, after receiving medical advice following repeated head knocks throughout his career.
And in August 2022, former North Queensland Cowboys coach Paul Green died suddenly at his home in Brisbane.
Doctors revealed that Green, 49, had advanced brain disease (CTE) at the time of his death.