Keith Titmuss had always dreamed of becoming a professional NRL player, but he never made it to his first match after collapsing during his first training session.
The Manly Sea Eagles player, 20, had just completed his first pre-season training session at the end of 2020 when he suffered cramps and seizures.
The young striker from south-west Sydney was rushed to hospital from the club’s Narrabean base but later died of a heart attack.
An inquest at the NSW Coroners Court was told Mr Titmuss likely died due to heat exhaustion, a rare and ‘under-reported’ medical condition.
Titmuss’ mother, Lafo Titmuss, told the court Wednesday that her son was more involved than ever in his training and excited to achieve his goals.
‘Keith loved Manly. He loved his brothers in arms, both on and off the field. He loved and respected the training staff,” Ms. Titmuss said.
‘After signing the contract he had an extra bounce in his step. He finally realized his promise to become an NRL player was about to happen. 2020 was going to be his year.”
Lafo Titmuss, mother of Keith Titmuss, spoke about the love her son had for the Manly Sea Eagles club and his teammates
The shirt made by the Titmuss family in honor of the Sea Eagles player who died after training in 2020
Mrs Titmuss described her “cherished” son as the “paragon of virtue” and said he left the prestigious Newington College to elevate the NRL above other codes.
Keith Titmuss lived his life with “absolute completeness,” his mother added.
“We try to honor him every day by living our best lives … just thanking him for leaving an imprint of good memories,” she said outside the courtroom afterward.
Deputy State Coroner-Magistrate Derek Lee, who was emotional after the statement, thanked Mr Titmuss’ family for reminding the court of ‘Keith the son, brother and partner’.
“To share your memories together… I’m very grateful for that because it reminds us more of Keith the footballer – the son, the brother, the partner,” he said.
The court was told the training session lasted about two hours on November 23, 2020, on what a doctor described as a ‘mild’ day of 24 degrees Celsius in northern Sydney.
The NRL squad then entered Manly’s ‘tinshed dojo’ for an intense 10-minute workout, after which Mr Titmuss’ condition quickly deteriorated to full-body seizures.
Paramedics, who attended what they described as a ‘chaotic’ and ‘extremely challenging’ scene, said the dojo was ‘hot and humid’ and made them sweat.
In evidence they defended that they did not use ice to cool Mr Titmuss before transporting him to an ambulance, claiming the ‘sole focus’ was to control his seizures.
NSW Ambulance paramedic Grant told the court it was crucial under procedure that they protect Mr Titmuss’ airways, despite his temperature being 41.9 degrees Celsius.
Keith Titmuss’ mother gave a moving speech at the inquest in honor of her son
The Titmuss family remembered a loving young man who was dedicated to his education
The week-long inquest heard evidence from a range of experts about how Mr Titmuss suffered heat exhaustion on such a mild day.
Testifying Thursday, Dr. Simon Quilty gave more weight than others to coronary stenosis, or thickening of the arteries, diagnosed after Titmuss’ death.
‘There is a 20-year-old who is very fit and healthy and died on a relatively mild day from heat stroke. There has to be a predisposition somewhere,” Dr Quilty told the court.
When asked if the Manly Sea Eagles could have made a shorter training session for Titmuss, Dr. Quilty said it was “unfortunate” that his coronary condition was unknown at the time.
‘I understand it was 24 degrees Celsius. Football teams have been doing this kind of training since I was a kid. It was a classic kind of session,” Dr. Quilty said.
The court was also told that Mr Titmuss had gained around 4.6kg in the off-season and had scored poorly compared to his teammates on aerobic fitness tests.
The Titmuss family arrives at the inquest wearing shirts in honor of the fallen Manly player
Aaron Coutts, professor of sports and exercise sciences at the University of Technology Sydney, said the results were a “red flag” when it came to his ability to cope with the heat.
“The data showed that Keith had the lowest aerobic fitness score tested among the Manly Sea Eagles at the time, much lower than commonly reported scores,” he said.
He later added that: ‘He (Mr Titmuss) was at greater risk of not tolerating the fitness sessions and as a result increased his risk (of heat-related illness)’.
Asked if he had any blame, he said: ‘It was a very complicated situation and it is impossible to predict the heat stress of exertion… just the risk factors.’
The inquest was also attended by representatives from NSW Ambulance and the Manly Sea Eagles and will resume for oral submissions later this year.