Memory slips forced former Newcastle enforcer Marc Glanville to seek help
MARC Glanville, universally regarded as a tough and menacing footballer, had no choice but to listen to the concern of his closest confidant.
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MARC Glanville, universally regarded as a tough and menacing footballer, had no choice but to listen to the concern of his closest confidant.
A few years ago, Glanville’s wife Sharon convinced the premiership-winning Knights forward to seek help for his minor memory lapses.
After “seven to eight” concussions, during a career at the Knights which spanned 188 first grade games over 10 seasons, the persuasion of Sharon led Glanville to the Sports Concussion Clinic in the Hunter.
The 52-year-old, who played in the Knights’ 1997 premiership side, became a patient of Professor Chris Levi and neuropsychologist Dr Andrew Gardner.
He’s now one of the 85 past players whose concussion data will be taken to the US next week.
“My wife pushed me into it - she reckons I was forgetting stuff,’’ Glanville said.
“And the other thing too is, my Dad, who played rugby league as well, he’s now got dementia - so I was concerned about that, as well.
“I went and saw Andrew a couple of years ago and now I get tested every year, just so they can see how I’m progressing.
“There are some things I do forget and I think, ‘oh’...it’s a bit of a worry.
“I had about seven or eight concussions and they all varied.
“I had some really bad ones where I was knocked out and blacked out for a minute or two, to ones where I got whacked and felt stars.
“And then other ones, I was playing a game and I couldn’t remember halftime and then you went back out there and played.
“That was the worse thing, you just went back out there and played.’’
Granville was the MC for a benefit lunch held in Newcastle on Friday aimed at ensuring Australia’s only Sports Concussion Clinic remained open free-of-charge.
Wanting to raise awareness and declare that there is help for athletes, Glanville said every rugby league player - past and present - should visit the clinic.
“I’m passionate about telling people about this - because it’s a free service,’’ Glanville said.
“Anyone that has played sport and that has had a concussion can go and see them, at no cost at all.
“We’re now starting to get a number of the NRL sides in Sydney coming up and seeing Andrew and Chris.
“They’re getting to where they can, but by raising funds, we can give them the extra support to put staff on at that the clinic.’’
Gardner has been invited to the US to share and compare his collated data from retired rugby league players, which both he and Professor Levi, have obtained over the past five-years.
Glanville said he welcomed the outcome of the study-trip, while also confirming that when he passes, he will donate his brain to the clinic.
Originally published as Memory slips forced former Newcastle enforcer Marc Glanville to seek help
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