North Queensland Cowboys Matt Scott speaks out about stroke

A Queensland rugby league legend has bravely shared horror details of his “career-shattering” stroke, revealing that he initially believed that he was battling a hangover.

Queensland State of Origin star forward Matt Scott’s rugby league career was ended prematurely after he suffered a stroke. He is speaking out to “make more men aware of one of the country’s biggest killers. Picture: Gregg Porteous

A Queensland rugby league legend has bravely shared horror details of his “career-shattering” stroke, revealing that he initially believed that he was battling a hangover.

North Queensland Cowboys and State of Origin legend Matt Scott said on Tuesday that he was speaking out to “make more men aware of one of the country’s biggest killers”.

Aged just 34 at the time of his stroke in 2019, Scott and his mates from the Cowboys headed out on a Saturday night to drown their sorrows after a thumping by the Newcastle Knights.

Less than 12 hours later, he was unable to walk properly.

“I woke up feeling really unwell, I put it down to being hungover,” Scott said.

“I went to the beach to swim it off, but the nausea and fatigue didn’t stop.”

North Queensland Cowboys forward Matt Scott playing against South Sydney Rabbitohs at 1300SMILES Stadium in Townsville in 2019, the final year of an incredible career.

The former Kangaroo and eight-time Origin series winner said that having played the night before he did not think his condition was anything serious.

“But on the bus back to the airport and then on the plane back to Brisbane, I was just getting worse.”

Matt Scott, wife Lauren, sons Hugo and Will and daughter Freya at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in 2020. Picture: Alix Sweeney

Thumper, who won the NRL Grand Final with the Cowboys in 2015, said he never made the connecting flight back to Townsville but was instead rushed to hospital where doctors discovered he had suffered a stroke.

“I had four games left in the season before I was due to retire, it’s certainly not the way I wanted to end my career,” he said.

“It was pretty devastating to watch on from my hospital bed as my team ran out onto the field; My wife Lauren and my sons were able to walk out holding my jersey.”

Five years later, Scott is hoping to improve men’s awareness of the key signs of stroke.

Stroke Foundation data shows that men’s recognition levels of the F.A.S.T. signs lags behind that of women, with almost half of Australian men surveyed unable to name any of the three signs.

F.A.S.T. highlights three common stroke indicators: Facial droop, Arms not working, and Slurred speech.

The T is a reminder that medical treatment for stroke is “time critical”.

Foundation CEO Dr Lisa Murphy said Matt’s story showed that stroke did not discriminate.

“It’s confronting to realise that almost half of the population is unaware of what a stroke looks like, and therefore may not know how critical it is to call an ambulance,” she said.

“We know the faster people access treatment, the more likely they are to prevent death and disability.”

Dr Murphy said strokes could strike “people of all ages, at any age and at any time”.

“Matt was fit, healthy and active and he still had a stroke,” she said.

“If more Australians understand just urgent it is to recognise stroke and get immediate medical treatment, we can change the impact it has on our community and our health system.”

Originally published as North Queensland Cowboys Matt Scott speaks out about stroke