Blues debutant Paul Vaughan on the hit up that left him on life support
BLUES debutant Paul Vaughan has opened up on the regulation hit up for the Gungahlin Bulls as a youngster that left him on life support for several days.
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THEY say to be an Origin player, you need to be willing to go to the darkest place of all.
Hard-running NSW forward Paul Vaughan is yet to play a minute of State of Origin football.
Yet few, if any, of the 34 players for NSW or Queensland on Wednesday night, could say they have fought back from where Vaughan was forced to go.
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The rookie Blues prop has revealed how as an 18-year-old, nine years ago, he was placed on life-support for several days following a horrifying post-surgery complication.
Vaughan had undergone surgery for a badly broken leg, suffered after a regulation hit-up playing for local Canberra side, the Gunghalin Bulls.
To the shock of his mother Patricia, a nurse, and the medical staff, Vaughan’s lung collapsed, rendering his body to the darkest place of all.
“I was just playing for my local team (Gungahlin Bulls),’’ Vaughan said.
“We were playing on some dodgy field that was organised at the last minute, I was carrying the ball I got tackled awkwardly and it just snapped.
“(After the surgery) I had a fat embolism floating up on my lung and it collapsed my lung.
“I was on life support in the ICU for a couple of days. It was pretty brutal, but I got out of there.
“It’s not common but it does happen. It was (dangerous).’’
Months of rehabilitation followed for Vaughan, including regaining the 10kg he lost while in hospital.
Having started out in the centres as a junior before moving to the backrow, Vaughan has never been out of the front-row ever since the dramatic few days.
Only now can he look back on the frightening period and view it as a blessing.
“That was the first time that I’ve been down to 95 kilos,’’ Vaughan said.
“I was just eating a lot of carbs (to put weight back on).
“That is when I got into the front-row, packed on a little bit of weight on. I guess you could say that (it was a blessing).
“Putting it on, I’ve been around 110-116 kilos, that’s about the best weight for me to be carrying.’’
Vaughan made his debut with the Canberra Raiders in 2013 — four years after emerging from life support.
The salary cap strain on the Raiders squeezed the 27-year-old out to St George Illawarra in 2016 and his game has only developed since.
On Monday night, NSWRL CEO David Trodden announced Vaughan as the 1000th NSW representative.
“It’s pretty cool, I’ve always dreamed of doing this,’’ Vaughan said.
“Obviously a lot of great players have played before me and I’ve got the honour of playing this time which is something I’ll never forget.
“Moving up to Saints was probably the best thing I’ve done in my career.
“It’s excelled my career, my football has come on in leaps and bounds and now I’m playing Origin which is the coolest thing that I’ve been a part of.
“You do look back on your career and where you’ve come from, and now where you are. It’s special.’’
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