Footy, fate and the phone call that has lifted Karl Oloapu’s spirits

Bulldogs prodigy Karl Oloapu will meet with specialists in Sydney next week ahead of potential spinal surgery. DAVID RICCIO reveals why the rising star has the best person in his corner.

Matt Adamson sat on the end of the phone line to Bulldogs rising star Karl Oloapu last Tuesday.

Silence would’ve suffice given the enormity of the shock news that Oloapu, 18, is facing delicate spinal surgery.

A meeting with specialists in Sydney over the next few days will dictate whether an operation will be required.

Awkward. Emotional. Stuck for the right words?

No, Adamson - Oloapu’s dedicated manager - knew exactly what to say, including a story of hope he shared with the young pup about the impact of golfing legend, Greg Norman.

“There’s plenty of footballers who have undergone major surgery for the neck or spine,’’ Adamson said.

“I was one of them. I was told I would never walk again.’’

Few have the authority to comprehend the torment of uncertainty that young Oloapu is facing today better than Adamson, 51.

Karl Oloapu may be required to undergo spinal surgery. Picture: NRL Photos

The former NRL, Australian and NSW State of Origin forward spent four months in traction at Baulkham Hills when he was 18.

A talented cricketer before he was a footballer, the tall Taree junior opened the batting with Test legend Adam Gilchrist in the NSW under-17s.

Adamson had arrived in Sydney for cricket and ended up being offered a trial with Parramatta, where his brother Phil was already playing.

The clear talent was just about to begin his trajectory to first grade - much like Oloapu - when without warning, Adamson felt excruciating pain in his lower back while playing for the Eels lower grades in 1990.

“A disc in my back was putting pressure on my spine,”Adamson said.

“I had no one in Sydney with me. Mum and dad lived in Taree, I was alone, so I know what Karl is going through, living away from his family.

“I spent four months in hospital. They put me in traction for the disc to go back into place.

“And I recovered.’’

Adamson went on to score 132-points in 175 NRL appearances for the Eels, Panthers and Raiders, on top of a three-year stint with Leeds, before retiring in 2005.

Matt Adamson undergoes a medical ahead of a Super League tri-series game against Queensland in 1997.

“I said to Karl’s brother Joe the other day, we’ve just got to stay strong for him and be confident, because there have been other blokes, who have been able to get through the same thing,’’ Adamson said.

Adamson’s acute understanding of Oloapu’s apprehension doesn’t end there.

In November, 2016, Adamson underwent his 32nd operation post-football career, and the most delicate of all.

“I was walking around the backyard of my house in Queensland and I collapsed,” Adamson said.

“I collapsed walking down to feed the chooks. My Mrs (wife, Bec) thought I was being a dickhead. The next minute being taken down to Brisbane to see a surgeon.

“It was the same thing again, it was in the same lower back area.

“My vertebrae was piercing into my spinal cord.”

Scared and gripped by uncertainty that he may never push his beautiful daughters on a swing or mow the lawns, Adamson took to Instagram to share his emotions.

“I posted that this is the most challenging thing I’ve confronted in my life,’’ Adamson recalled.

“When you’ve got three healthy young daughters and you’re told you may never walk again, that’s frightening.’’

Greg Norman battled back issues for much of his career. Picture: AFP

Adamson woke from surgery six hours later with a message he will never forget.

“Greg Norman, who I had never met in my life. I loved him growing up. I admired him, I respected him... he sent me a message on Instagram,”Adamson said.

“He wrote: ‘Good luck and speedy recovery. I have had 13 surgeries and as you know, rehab, rehab, rehab and you will be back playing with your three girls before you know it. Be strong and believe mate.’

Adamson adds now: “It’s one of the most amazing things to have happened in my life.

“I start my day every day with a walk and swim at Peregian Beach. I look around and think, ‘How good is this.’

Down the phone line, this is the story Adamson told Oloapu last Tuesday.

“I’m trying to use these positives for Karl,’’ he said.

“I’m an optimist in life and I look at this as building resilience.

“When I was 18 and needed surgery, Mum was on the back of every phone call I ever made to support me and stay positive, just like I’m doing now for Karl.’’

Originally published as Footy, fate and the phone call that has lifted Karl Oloapu’s spirits