Footy star makes incredible decision after shocking battle with killer disease that forced him out of the game for 14 years
- Ryan Stig mmade his first-grade debut with Knights in 2011
- The following year she was diagnosed with Lyme disease
Former Newcastle Knights halfback Ryan Stig is aiming for a remarkable footy comeback, 14 years after his last NRL appearance, after winning his battle with an illness he thought would kill him.
The 34-year-old Stig played thirteen first-year games in 2011 and seemed to be emerging as a smart halfback.
But his career was turned upside down the following year when he was diagnosed with Lyme disease, a potentially fatal condition caused by the bite of a tick that carries harmful bacteria.
Desperate for answers, Stig ended up in Mexico, Switzerland and Germany, where he underwent hyperthermia treatment, which exposed patients to high temperatures in an attempt to kill cancer and infections.
“They knocked me unconscious and heated my body to 42 degrees and kept me in that phase for eight hours,” he recalls.
‘I felt like radical treatment was the turning point and since then I have slowly gotten my life back.
‘I’ve worked so hard on my health and I still eat organic.’
After being given the green light to return by doctors, Stig played in two reserve games for the Knights this year.
Former Newcastle Knights halfback Ryan Stig is aiming for a remarkable footy comeback – 14 years after his last NRL appearance (pictured, in 2011)
Stig, 34, played 13 first-year games with Newcastle in 2011 and appeared to be emerging as a crafty halfback
Sitg’s career was turned upside down after he was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2012, a potentially fatal condition caused by the bite of a tick that carries harmful bacteria (he’s pictured this year)
But the NSW Cup isn’t enough – now Stig wants to play under Adam O’Brien and alongside Kalyn Ponga and Bradman Best.
‘A few years ago I was more concerned about whether I would live or die. “I never dreamed I would play competitively again,” he said. Broad sports world.
‘I threw the game in the bin and just wanted to live for my family. So it was something very special to be back on the field.”
After the likes of Jackson Hastings, Jack Cogger, Tyson Gamble, Will Pryce and Phoenix Crossland all failed to secure a spot in the half this year, Stig senses an opportunity.
“I’d like to do an NRL pre-season and see what happens,” said the former Australian Schoolboys representative.
‘Yes, I am 34, but I don’t feel it because I have played very little football in the last fourteen years.
“I feel like I have a lot to offer the younger guys at the club and all I’m asking for is a crack.”