Balmain Tigers and Great Britain icon Garry Schofield reveals devastating brain damage diagnosis

Balmain Tigers and Great Britain icon Garry Schofield has revealed he has “horrendous” brain damage which will lead to dementia, a diagnosis he has been hiding for a year.

Former Balmain and Western Suburbs Magpies star Garry Schofield has revealed he has “horrendous” brain damage which will lead to dementia.

Englishman Schofield, 59, claimed he suffers from “headaches, migraines, forgetfulness, anxiety and lack of concentration.”

Schofield was a champion during a three-year stint with Balmain between 1985 and 1987 before returning to play with Wests in 1989.

He was inducted into Wests Tigers’ hall of Fame in 2021 and was the NSWRL’s equal top try scorer in 1986.

In a column in England’s League Express, Schofield wrote: “I was diagnosed with brain damage in March 2023 and have kept it a closely guarded secret until now.

“The symptoms, which I will share with you, are horrendous.

Garry Schofield playing for Balmain in 1987. Picture: Wayne Jones

“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.

“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.”

He wrote: “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.

“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.

Schofield played 46 Tests for Great Britain. Picture: Gregg Porteous

“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.”