Pearcedale coach Justin Hamilton on the mend after health scare

An MPNFL coach who spent 15 days in hospital after collapsing hopes his health battle will inspire his players.

Pearcedale coach Justin Hamilton addresses his players before a game in 2019. Picture: Josie Hayden

He’d been feeling unwell for six months.

But Pearcedale football coach Justin “Boris’’ Hamilton ploughed on.

Until, that is, it all came to a head a few weeks ago when he collapsed the morning after coaching the Dales against Hastings on May 22.

He was rushed to hospital, where he spent 15 days — the first seven bed-bound as doctors feared he could have a heart attack — while all sorts of tests were conducted.

Hamilton was diagnosed with an auto immune disease and faces months of treatment.

“I’ve got to have three or four months of chemo,’’ Hamilton said.

“I don’t have cancer. I need to get my immune system down, give myself a reboot and come back up.

“I’ve got three or four months of chemo to go through, get all that right, and a heap of tablets.

“But I’ve had the first dose already and I’m on the improve already.

“I’ve got some answers. Prior to it I didn’t have answers. Now we’ve got a bit of a roadmap, a game plan so to speak to work through. It makes it easy.”

Hamilton is looking forward to local footy starting up again and continuing to coach his young Dales side, which has shown plenty of promise this season, winning two games and being competitive in all others.

“I’m putting a positive spin on it,” Hamilton said.

“Where our club is heading is no different to a couple of personal battles that I’ve got. Turn that negative into a positive and things can change around pretty quickly.”