Former Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler to face inquiry at inquest into death of Keith Titmuss following seizure in 2020 at pre-season training
- The investigation into the 2020 death of Keith Titmuss continues
- The Sea Eagles young gun suffered a seizure during training
- Former coach Des Hasler will testify on Friday
Former Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler will testify at an inquest into the sudden death of Keith Titmuss after pre-season training in 2020.
An inquest into the 20-year-old’s death will continue on Friday when the two-time premiership-winning NRL coach will offer his version of events.
Hasler, now head coach of the Gold Coast Titans after the Sea Eagles sacked him in 2022, will give his evidence alongside the club’s chief medical officer Nathan Gibbs and general football manager John Bonasera.
Titmuss suffered a seizure on November 23, 2020 after a cardio workout at the club’s training base in Narrabeen, on Sydney’s northern beaches.
He died five hours later in hospital.
Former Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler will testify at an inquest into the sudden death of Keith Titmuss after pre-season training in 2020
Titmuss suffered a seizure on November 23, 2020 after a cardio workout at the club’s training base in Narrabeen, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, and died in hospital five hours later.
The inquest previously found that Titmuss had most likely suffered heat stroke, although an autopsy could not confirm the cause of death.
Paramedics who arrived on the scene noted that Titmuss’ temperature was 41.9 degrees Celsius, while his heart rate was over 140 beats per minute.
But the coaching staff and doctors did not determine that Titmuss was suffering from heatstroke, but instead treated the symptoms of his attack.
Former teammates Moses Suli and Sione Fainu told the court they heard Titmuss screaming after training.
Fainu described the session, one of the first held after the off-season break, as a ‘nine out of 10’ for intensity.
Current Manly player Ben Trbojevic recalled players encouraging each other to get through the session.
Trbojevic was paired with Titmuss for part of the training and said he encouraged his teammate to keep going.
“It was tough, we were all tired,” he previously told the court.
“I looked at Titmuss and he looked like he’d had a hard session, but that’s what we all looked like.”
The inquest, which started on Monday, will last two weeks.