Sea Eagles’ former head of physiotherapy breaks down over 20-year-old NRL player’s sudden death at training: ‘He was loved by the boys’
- Male physio broke down after describing the 2020 incident
- Keith Titmuss probably died of heatstroke during training
- Physio said rising star Titmuss, 20, was ‘loved by the boys’
The former Manly Sea Eagles head of physiotherapy has broken down in tears after describing how youngster Keith Titmuss collapsed in training before dying in hospital.
The 20-year-old forward lost consciousness during pre-season training at the team’s Narrabeen headquarters on Sydney’s Northern Beaches on November 23, 2020.
A coronial inquiry found that several experts had concluded that Titmuss was suffering from heat stroke when he suffered a seizure.
Former Manly head of physiotherapy James Rahme told the inquest he attended the outdoor training and noted Titmuss ‘kept up’ with the team.
The team then moved to an indoor gym for the second part of training and Mr. Rahme returned to his office.
Keith Titmuss collapsed during training on November 23, 2020 and died in hospital hours later
Former Manly head of physiotherapy James Rahme broke down in tears during the inquest
Less than an hour later, Rahme told the inquest he received a frantic phone call.
“I remember feeling the urgency that things weren’t right,” he said.
One of the coaching staff told him “something serious is going on, you better get here,” but did not give Titmuss’ name or details of his collapse.
When he entered the indoor gym, the physical therapist noticed Titmuss “moving around” in a jerky manner that “resembled a seizure.”
“He moved like a backward crawl, a commando crawl backwards, and it seemed involuntary,” Mr Rahme told the inquest.
The coaching staff spoke to Titmuss as he grabbed “so he wouldn’t hurt himself” and to provide comfort to the ailing player before four paramedics arrived on the scene.
The inquest previously found the 20-year-old’s temperature was almost 42 degrees Celsius, which was the highest temperature ever seen by a paramedic.
Titmuss was rushed to hospital, where he suffered a fatal cardiac arrest.
Mr Rahme expressed his condolences to the young player’s family (photo)
Mr. Rahme remembered Titmuss as “gentle” and “kind.” He broke down in tears as he offered his condolences to the player’s family, who were in the courtroom.
“He was loved by the boys,” the physical therapist told Titmuss’ family.
“I still believe a lot of guys are affected by what happened.”
Titmuss’ mother, father and sister nodded sadly.
Mr Rahme said he hoped the inquest would provide some guidance on how heatstroke could be treated in the future so that no one else lost their life.
The inquest continues on Thursday before State Coroner Derek Lee.