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Rugby league world sends outpouring of support over 'horrendous' news about Garry Schofield

Schofield has gone public with the grim reality of his devastating news.

andrew reid
·5-min read

The rugby league world is rallying behind Garry Schofield after devastating news the former Great Britain international has been diagnosed with brain damage and will eventually develop dementia. Schofield won 46 caps for Great Britain but is better known to Aussie fans after playing for the Balmain Tigers and Western Suburbs Magpies during the 1980s.

Schofield was inducted into the Wests Tigers' hall of Fame in 2021 and was the NSWRL’s equal top try scorer in 1986. The Leeds Rhinos loanee played for the Tigers between 1985 and 1987 and then with the Magpies in 1989, with the bulk of his career appearances coming at Leeds, where he featured in more than 250 matches.

Great Britain legend Garry Schofield (R) has revealed awful details of his brain damage diagnosis. Pic: Getty
Great Britain legend Garry Schofield (R) has revealed awful details of his brain damage diagnosis. Pic: Getty

At the time of Schofield's retirement in 1999, he was Britain's equal most-capped player along with Mick Sullivan and claimed the 1990 Golden Boot Award as the world's best player off the back of his incredible displays in Test wins against the Kangaroos and the Kiwis. Schofield also played for Hull FC and Huddersfield Giants and is also a member of the British Rugby League Hall of Fame.

Since his retirement, Schofield has remained in rugby league in a variety of media roles but the 59-year-old says he will have to "walk away" from the game after the "horrendous" diagnosis he received in 2023 that had been kept a secret up until now. Writing in a UK rugby league column, Schofield revealed he found out about his brain damage after eye surgery in 2019 that led to "headaches, migraines, forgetfulness, anxiety and lack of concentration".

“I was diagnosed with brain damage in March 2023 and have kept it a closely guarded secret until now," he wrote in a column in England’s League Express. “The symptoms, which I will share with you, are horrendous. I’ve been told I will end up with dementia, so the time has come for me to walk away from the game and concentrate on my health.

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“I can trace my problems back to December 2019 when I had an operation to fix a detached retina in my left eye. But it wasn’t successful... At times, it felt like my head was going to explode and my eye was going to pop out, so in September 2022 I approached the consultant to ask them to remove the eye because I couldn’t go on living like this. I’d already had 56 hospital visits.

Pictured left to right is Garry Schofield and Mal Meninga.
Garry Schofield and Mal Meninga pose with the trophy before a Test match between Great Britain and the Kangaroos. Pic: Getty

“The plastic surgeon agreed the eye was knackered – his words! Removal was the only answer to stop the retina continually detaching and to sort out the pressure. Life with only one eye is difficult, but I’ve adjusted pretty well, I think. Subsequent health problems have included headaches, migraines, forgetfulness, anxiety and lack of concentration, all of which led to my brain-damage diagnosis in March ‘23.

"Those symptoms are now part of my day-to-day life. My partner, Alison, is now my carer. I used to think a migraine was just a strong headache. Now I know what they’re really like, and they are horrendous. When one comes on, it’s the end of the day for me. I have to go to bed and be in complete darkness. They are intolerable. You don’t realise how bad they are until you get them.”

Schofield's awful news has sparked an outpouring of messages from around the rugby league world, with former club Leeds Rhinos among those to send him their support. "Sad news about Leeds Rugby League Hall of Fame member Garry Schofield OBE this morning. Our thoughts are with Garry at this tough time," the club said.