NRL 2022: How Selwyn Cobbo’s father beat the odds to survive two heart attacks in two hours
Shamus Cobbo was 10,000ft in the air, heart fading and in the fight of his life. He opens up on his massive heart attack which almost ended his life.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
“Please don’t die,” he tells himself. “I can’t leave my wife and kids like this.”
Shamus Cobbo is 10,000ft in the air, heart fading, mind racing, fighting for his life in the rescue helicopter.
He has just had a massive heart attack. Three arteries are almost entirely blocked, the pressure crushing his ailing heart like a boa constrictor.
Stream every game of every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free In Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-days free now.
He is one day shy of his 44th birthday. His son, Selwyn Cobbo, is about to start pre-season with the Broncos, a 19-year-old rated a future NRL superstar and one of Brisbane’s most exciting backline talents of the past 20 years.
As Selwyn played in his first Queensland derby against the Cowboys on Sunday, Shamus was among the 40,000 fans in the Suncorp Stadium stands, having danced with death and somehow lived to tell a remarkable tale.
He knows he could have easily suffered the same fate as cricketing icon Shane Warne, who shocked the world with his tragic death three weeks ago after a heart attack at the age of 52.
“The doctor’s exact words were, ‘You are one of the lucky ones’,” Shamus Cobbo told the Sunday Mail.
“I’ve always wanted to go on a helicopter ride ... but I didn’t think it would happen like this.”
Watching Selwyn Cobbo’s recent rise to NRL stardom, it seemed the Broncos teen didn’t have a care in the world.
Tall, quick, powerful and possessing the work ethic that saw him become the first Indigenous school captain at Murgon High, the alma mater of Broncos legend Steve Renouf, Cobbo’s raw talent is matched by his on-field composure under pressure.
But behind the ice-cool exterior, young Cobbo has been waging a private struggle. The nine-game rookie has been running out in Broncos colours carrying the emotional trauma of his father’s heart attack; the fear of nearly losing his old man before his 20th birthday.
“He is pretty lucky to be alive,” Selwyn said. “It was pretty scary what happened to him.
“It was a big scare for me, too. I’m just glad my dad is OK.”
At a time when he should have been celebrating his son’s first full pre-season with the Broncos, Shamus was instead left to confront his mortality last November.
Getting ready for Christmas — and eagerly awaiting Selwyn’s return to hometown Cherbourg for family festivities — Shamus suffered not one, but two, heart scares in the space of two hours.
On a day that will live in his memory forever, Shamus went to hospital twice, checked himself out once, and, in a head-spinning moment, attempted to exercise in his backyard at home to ease chest pains that intensified with every passing minute.
“It all happened the day before I turned 44,” Shamus said.
“I was sitting down having a beer with my brother. I hadn’t seen him for a while and suddenly I got some pain in my chest, which I haven’t had before.
“I thought, ‘Shit, that’s not normal’, so I drove myself to hospital.
“When I got there, the pains went away. I thought, ‘Maybe it’s just a bit of heartburn or reflux’, so I decided to leave hospital and drive back home.
“I was having another beer at home and then it (the chest pains) came on stronger. I thought, ‘This isn’t right’, so I went out into the backyard and started exercising to try and get rid of the pain. Little did I know that while walking around, I was having a heart attack.”
Within minutes, he was being whisked through emergency at Murgon Hospital.
“As soon as I got there, they raced me in and put some monitors on me,” Shamus said.
“They did some tests. I had an 80 per cent blockage in three arteries. The doctors said, ‘You have just had a heart attack. Not many people survive this’.
“I couldn’t believe how great our medical system is. The doctors and nurses were incredible. Before I knew it, I was being airlifted straight out, ready to get cut open.”
During the 260km chopper ride to Brisbane, Shamus’s thoughts drifted to his wife, Kaylene, and children. Just five months earlier, he had witnessed Selwyn make his Broncos debut at age 18. Shamus was too young to die.
“It happened so quick. I didn’t think too many things up there (in the helicopter),” Shamus said. “I didn’t want to leave my wife and my kids. I kept praying the chopper wouldn’t fall out of the sky. My heart wouldn’t have handled that.”
Shamus accepts he has paid the price for some poor life choices. He hopes his star Broncos offspring can learn from his mistakes.
“It has scared the daylights out of me,” he said. “I am only young, really, 44 years of age, but I haven’t looked after myself the best over the years. I was diagnosed with high blood pressure at 27. The doctors said to me, ‘You have to stop smoking or you will go to an early grave’.
“They said it for years and I’ve ended up having a heart attack and triple-bypass surgery.
“I usually smoked 10 to 15 (cigarettes) a day, but it’s all over. I don’t smoke anymore.
“I am lucky to still be here. It really shook Selwyn up. He was doing it pretty tough for a while, but I got the clearance (on Thursday) to go back to work after five months off.
“I start work on Monday after the Broncos-Cowboys game, so I can’t wait.”
Shamus’s rebuilt heart fills with pride when he talks about his son. Their family tree extends to Eddie Gilbert, the Queensland Indigenous pace bowler who famously dismissed Don Bradman for a duck at the Gabba in 1931.
The sporting talent of Gilbert lives on in Broncos winger Selwyn Cobbo, whose surge to the NRL is underpinned by lessons in humility imparted by Shamus.
“It all starts around the dinner table,” Shamus said.
“We often talked to Selwyn and our kids about discipline and respect. They were the two big words in our household. If you aren’t disciplined in life, you don’t go too far. And we would talk to our children about treating people the way you would like to be treated.
“I told Selwyn from a young age don’t think you are better than anyone, otherwise someone bigger, better and stronger will come along and sit you on your arse.
“That’s why I don’t like hearing people compare Selwyn to Greg Inglis (former Queensland Origin captain) or Latrell Mitchell (South Sydney’s NSW Origin star).
“I just want him to play like Selwyn Cobbo.
“In his teenage years, he said he was going to give it a red-hot crack to try and play NRL ... and he is there now.”
Even better, Shamus Cobbo is alive and kicking, vowing to be there for Selwyn’s entire NRL journey.
Cowboys’ bid for Cobbo
Brisbane have made moves to extend Selwyn Cobbo until the end of 2025 amid revelations their Queensland derby rivals, the Cowboys, tried to poach the teenage sensation from the Broncos Academy.
As Cobbo prepares to experience his first Queensland derby in Sunday’s showdown at Suncorp Stadium, News Corp can reveal the Cowboys tried to ambush their arch-rivals by making a play for Brisbane’s version of Latrell Mitchell.
On a rookie deal in 2019, Cobbo, then aged 17, was off-contract at season’s end and attracted offers from five NRL rivals, including the Cowboys and St George Illawarra.
Then North Queensland recruitment chief Clint Zammit rated Cobbo one of the finest raw talents he had seen, and vowed to do “whatever it takes” to lure the Cherbourg whiz-kid to Townsville.
Zammit is one of the code’s best talent spotters, having delivered a number of stars to the Cowboys, headlined by Jason Taumalolo and Queensland Origin fullback Kalyn Ponga.
Despite having the opportunity to chase more lucrative deals at the Cowboys and Dragons, Cobbo stayed loyal to the Broncos and was rewarded 18 months later with his NRL debut last June, ironically against St George Illawarra.
Now Cobbo is ready to haunt the Cowboys by turning derby destroyer at a time when Brisbane chiefs are ramping-up talks on a two-year extension to ensure the Indigenous flyer, off-contract in 2023, remains in Broncos colours.
“Selwyn has had a number of opportunities to leave the Broncos, but he has always been a loyal kid,” said his manager Tas Bartlett of PSM.
“I remember the Cowboys and Dragons went hard for him a few years ago.
“The Cowboys were very keen, they said, ‘Whatever it takes, let’s get him up here’.
“The Knights were also keen on Selwyn but I had to think of the kid’s best interests away from football.
“Moving to Townsville, Sydney or Newcastle would have been a big move for a 17-year-old, and the risk is Selwyn wouldn’t have made it and may have wanted to move back to Cherbourg.
“He was immature in a life sense, and he had been in the Broncos’ system for several years, so he was comfortable in their academy.”
Cobbo was first picked up by ex-Broncos recruitment guru Brian Edwards, who later worked as a talent spotter for the Dragons.
Edwards is the veteran scout who first identified Josh Papalii and Anthony Milford, and he regards Cobbo as one of the most prodigious backline talents to come out of Queensland in the past 20 years.
The Broncos are mindful of a fresh poaching threat following Cobbo’s sizzling start to his nine-game NRL career.
Rival clubs have discussed paying $700,000-a-season for the 100kg utility back, but Brisbane are crunching the numbers. Their decision to release Jamayne Isaako to the Titans on Tuesday was designed to free-up more than $100,000 under the salary cap to help upgrade Cobbo.
Broncos legend Steve Renouf, who hails from Murgon, just 6km from Cobbo’s hometown, has taken on a mentoring role with the 19-year-old, and says his scope for improvement is scary.
“He is a super talent,” said Brisbane’s greatest tryscorer, with 142 from 183 games.
“We both went to Murgon High. He is such a great young kid.
“The exciting thing about Selwyn is that this was his first real pre-season. For him to get into that gym, he will only get bigger, faster and stronger ... look out NRL at what he is going to unload in the years to come.
“At the moment, he is playing on raw talent, and when he starts to sort himself out physically and settles into his position, he will be special.
“I love the Broncos, and I’m sure Selwyn loves the club and wants to stay here.”
Another Queensland rival, expansion newcomers the Dolphins, are eyeing off Cobbo, but his agent says the Broncos are in the box seat to retain the Indigenous All Stars representative
“If the Broncos table the right deal, I’d like to get it (an extension) done sooner rather than later,” Bartlett said.
“His preference is to stay at the Broncos, so the ball is in the Broncos’ court to make sure they table a deal that keeps him in a jersey.
“The pressure is not on Selwyn. If the Broncos value the player correctly based on his projection, I’m sure he will stay.
“Selwyn is shy by nature, but if he keeps playing the way he is, he will be an NRL superstar.
“The first time I saw Selwyn play, I felt he would be a high-level athlete. I believe he will play State of Origin and for Australia.
“He has been plucked from obscurity in Cherbourg. If he was a piece of art, he would be a virtual blank canvas. The bottom corner has some paint on it ... but the rest is ready to be painted.”
Originally published as NRL 2022: How Selwyn Cobbo’s father beat the odds to survive two heart attacks in two hours
Gus’ ‘doctored’ claim ignites NRL conspiracy
The NRL Grand Final’s controversial no try scandal has taken a wild turn despite the game releasing the angle the decision was based on.
Read more
Kangaroos selection shocks: NRL legends’ Test careers appear over
Mal Meninga has dropped a major selection bombshell by overlooking both James Tedesco and Kalyn Ponga for Kangaroos selection, with the list of surprise omissions and debutants not ending there. See the full squad.
Read more