{"id":426997,"date":"2024-10-16T20:49:05","date_gmt":"2024-10-16T20:49:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=426997"},"modified":"2024-10-16T22:07:35","modified_gmt":"2024-10-16T22:07:35","slug":"former-stars-brave-nrl-bid-14-years-after-near-death-nightmare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=426997","title":{"rendered":"Former star's 'brave' NRL bid 14 years after near death nightmare"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ryan Stig is attempting a stunning return to the NRL<\/a> – 14 years after last playing in the big league.<\/p>\n

A former promising halfback with the Knights<\/a>, Stig had the league world at his feet – until being struck down by the potentially fatal Lyme's disease in 2012.<\/p>\n

Stig, now 34, gave away football for several years before making a comeback last season with the Knights' NSW Cup side.<\/p>\n

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Now with uncertainty surrounding the Newcastle halves for 2025, Stig is making a brave bid to break back into the top grade.<\/p>\n

"A few years ago I was more worried about whether I would live or die – I never dreamed I'd play league again," Stig told Wide World of Sports.<\/p>\n

"I'd put the game in the bin and just wanted to live for my family.<\/p>\n

\"Ryan<\/p>\n

"So to get back onto the field was something very special.<\/p>\n

"I was blind in one eye, my nervous system was shot, as well as my immune system – there may have even been some brain damage."<\/p>\n

Watch the 2024 Pacific Championships on Nine and<\/strong><\/em> 9Now<\/strong><\/em><\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Australian doctors were at a loss for a cure, so Stig took to the internet looking for answers – and ended up in Mexico, then Switzerland and finally Germany.<\/p>\n

"I had hyperthermia treatment in Germany," he said.<\/p>\n

"They knocked me out and heated up my body to 42 degrees and kept me in that stage for eight hours.<\/p>\n

"I felt that radical treatment was the turning point and I have been slowly getting my life back ever since.<\/p>\n

"I was crook all those years and worked so hard on my health – I still eat organic – and kept saying 'I'm gonna get back'.<\/p>\n

"So playing NSW Cup last season was a big step and I feel fit and strong again.<\/p>\n

"I'd like to do an NRL pre-season and see what happens. Yes, I'm 34 but I don't feel it because I have played very little footy the past 14 years.<\/p>\n

"I feel I have a lot to offer the younger guys at the club and all I'm asking for is a crack."<\/p>\n

The Knights have playmakers Jackson Hastings, Jack Cogger, Tyson Gamble, and Phoenix Crossland on their books but none of them were able to cement a starting spot in 2024 amid a disappointing campaign.\ufeff<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ryan Stig is attempting a stunning return to the NRL – 14 years after last playing in the big league. A former promising halfback with […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":426999,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426997"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=426997"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426997\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":427000,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426997\/revisions\/427000"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/426999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=426997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=426997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=426997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}