Dragons star Tyson Frizell wearing protection for a busted testicle
St George Illawarra star Tyson Frizell has taken to wearing special protection into games to protect the busted testicle he said was like the usual south-of-the-border pain — but times 10 …
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St George Illawarra star Tyson Frizell has taken to wearing a jockstrap and cup into games as part of protecting a busted testicle that still carries “six or seven stitches”.
Already regarded among rugby league’s toughest players, 27-year-old Frizell upped the ante on Sunday when he returned to action against Newcastle only three weeks after surgery on a lacerated testicle.
Initially, the NSW Origin star was expected to miss up to six weeks.
Instead, and with said injury still stitched, the Dragons back-rower is back in half the time thanks to that same protective gear worn by UFC fighters, Major League baseballers and Test cricketers.
“But you wear a mouthguard when your teeth get punched in,” Frizell shrugged. “So when you get knocked in the balls, you wear a cup.”
It was in the season opener, attempting a tackle on North Queensland fullback Jordan Kahu, when Frizell copped a blow so devastating south of the equator, he would require surgery within hours and need over a week before even walking normally again.
“I guess every bloke knows what it’s like to get hit there,” Frizell said of the pain. “So it’s like that, but times 10.
“And it doesn’t go away, either.
“At the time, I was assuming the pain would go away. But when I got into the sheds and all the adrenaline had gone, that’s when it really hit me. The pain just wasn’t going away.
“Even after surgery, there’s pain medication I could’ve taken but that plays up with my guts so it’s been pretty much ice.
“Icing it up, letting the wounds heal and waiting for the swelling to go down. Because to be honest, it does get pretty big … it’s really been a waiting game.”
Despite wearing a cup against Newcastle, Frizell played a starring role off the bench — scoring one of the Dragons two tries with a shock one-on-one steal against Knights halfback Mitchell Pearce.
Quizzed on the new protective gear, he continued: “It’s weird, takes some getting used to.
“And I’ll be wearing this for a while because there’s a nice wound there that needs to heal.
“There’s about six or seven stitches and it’s between four and six weeks before the injury is fully healed.
“But with protection, that limits the risk of being injured again. I’m more protected than the rest of the blokes out there.”
Frizell added that he felt no pressure to return early, despite the Dragons missing fellow Blue Jack de Belin and star English international Gareth Widdop.
“I just needed a few questions answered before I took the field,” he said. “Just wanted to know that if I do go out and play, hopefully I don’t have any further injuries down the track.
“So once I got the all clear from my doctor and the specialists, then it was just getting myself comfortable mentally with playing.
“I’ve had injuries in the past where you can just tough it out. But this one is different.
“So once I got the all clear I was ready to go.”
Originally published as Dragons star Tyson Frizell wearing protection for a busted testicle
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