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NRL legend Wally Lewis reveals how he wants the football world to sack him when he dies as he opens up about his father’s harrowing battle with dementia.
- Rugby league great Wally Lewis doesn’t want dementia to be a taboo subject
- It comes as his father, Jim Lewis, is battling the disease at age 90.
- Lewis, 63, wants to wear his Queensland Origin jersey when he dies
- He stressed that while conversations about death are always difficult, they must be kept
NRL great Wally Lewis has revealed how he wants to be remembered by football fans after he dies: buried in the Queensland shirt he helped make famous.
Lewis isn’t near death, but he is putting plans into motion after watching his father Jim battle dementia.
‘The King’ is preparing for a similar personal diagnosis, having suffered several blows to the head during his rugby league career.
Tellingly, of rugby league’s list of 13 Immortals, only three are still alive. At 63, Lewis is the oldest, ahead of Mal Meninga (62) and Andrew Johns (48).
NRL great Wally Lewis has revealed how he wants to be remembered by football fans after he dies
Rugby league great Wally Lewis (pictured playing for the Kangaroos) also doesn’t want dementia to be a taboo subject for Australians.
Lewis has already spoken to his family and confirmed that he wants to wear his Queensland home state jersey (pictured in 1990) when he dies.
People like Norm Provan and Johnny Raper have passed away in recent years, both suffering from dementia.
That’s precisely why Lewis doesn’t want the subject to be taboo, with an estimated 500,000 people living with the disease as of July 2022, according to Dementia Australia.
The all-time great said that he and his brothers noticed their father repeating himself a few years ago.
‘We’d drive by and he’d say ‘how are Jacqui and the kids?’ And I’d say ‘they’re good, dad,'” Lewis said. news.com.au.
‘He was like ‘do you want to watch TV, do you want a cup of tea?’ Then he’d say ‘how are Jacqui and the kids?’
I wondered 150 times.
Lewis is considered one of the greatest rugby league players of all time, with ‘The King’ a dominating force at Queensland’s State of Origin stadium.
Of the list of 13 rugby league immortals, only three are still alive. At 63, Lewis is the oldest, ahead of Mal Meninga (62) and Andrew Johns (photo left).
Lewis said that although conversations about death are difficult to have, once the date arrives, the wishes of loved ones can be fulfilled by putting everything on the table.
Lewis has already spoken to his family and confirmed that he wants to wear his Queensland home state jersey when he rests.
It comes after he also underwent surgery on his brain after suffering a seizure while reading the news in 2006, and played with epilepsy during his football career.
In the coming years, the Channel Nine identity also wants to see concussion kept to a minimum in the NRL, with illegal head contact banned immediately.
Dont wait. It needs to be done to make sure the game is enjoyable, not just for the people in the stands, but also for those who are providing entertainment with the jerseys on the field,” he said.
Lewis added that his former teammates feel privileged to have played the sport at the highest level, but many “wish they could have done it without sustaining severe blows to the head.”