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Broncos star Andrew McCullough drawing inspiration from young fan battling cancer
January 8, 2018
BRONCOS star Andrew McCullough is drawing strength from a young fan in the fight of his life as he sets his sights on returning from an ACL injury in time to play Round 1 of the 2018 NRL season.
McCullough’s value to the Broncos became immediately evident when the durable hooker’s ACL snapped under a sickening collision involving his former Brisbane teammate Adam Blair in Round 21, his side’s valiant push towards a grand final ended by Melbourne in the preliminary final in convincing fashion.
Battling the mental demons that come with the most serious injury of his nine years in the NRL to date, McCullough began documenting his emotional state in a diary and leaning on his fiancee Carlie Harrison – who will become his wife this Friday – like never before.
But it was the introduction to a young man by the name of Hayden Wickstein that completely changed McCullough’s perspective on the difficult time he was going through.
As McCullough was coming to terms with being unable to play footy, 14-year-old Hayden was in and out of hospital so often last year receiving treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) that he went 39 weeks without being able to attend school, that simple luxury most kids complain about a major milestone he triumphantly reached in November.
McCullough has visited Hayden five times in total over the past six months and raised the young fighter’s spirits with each visit but told foxsports.com.au that he drew just as much strength from Hayden to cope with his own battle.
“He’d been doing it tough for three or four months in hospital and here I was sooking about getting an ACL injury and now I’m back training and nearly playing football with my mates again,” McCullough said.
“I saw some kids that are doing it pretty tough compared to me. I’ve got a bloody knee injury and I’m back running, these kids are in hospital all the time.
“Little things like that make you realise how self-centred you can be sometimes when you get injured and are worried about a leg injury.
“It was a reality check and keeps your ego in check as well. You realise that footy’s not everything.
“As you grow up and get a bit older with these injuries you look back and realise that there’s more out there, you’ve got support around you and life goes on.”
Due to the nature of how McCullough suffered his ACL injury he says he is free of any of the mental scarring that can accompany most athletes who suffer knee injuries in seemingly innocuous fashion.
Winner of the Broncos’ Player of the Year award despite missing the last month of the season, the 27-year-old will have a better idea in the next fortnight whether his goal of being fit for Round 1 is in fact achievable.
He suffered some calf and knee soreness when he resumed running three months ago but McCullough insists he would have no hesitation lining up for the season opener against the Dragons without a trial game under his belt.
“I’d be confident going in without one. It doesn’t matter anyway, the speed of the game’s different,” McCullough said of missing trial games.
“Trials aren’t exactly the same so I’ve got to throw myself in the deep end sooner or later so either or it’s not going to matter, I’m just going to go out and play as well as I can.
“I think (Round 1) is realistic for myself. I know in my own body and if I can nail January that leaves me another month where I can do some other stuff.
“Physically I’m feeling good. Obviously with an injury you’ve got to take the good with it and I’ve been able to rest my body and get myself ready for 2018.”
Source: Fox Sports
