George McNees joins Australian skipper Tim Paine for the Boxing Day Test coin toss
He may be only four years old, but Tasmanian boy George McNees was in the thick of the action to help kick off the Boxing Day Test.
Cricket
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A BRAVE Tasmanian boy battling brain cancer stepped onto the world’s largest cricket stadium to play a part in the Boxing Day Test just days after undergoing chemotherapy.
George McNees, 4, of Howrah, captured the hearts of spectators across the nation when he took to the MCG pitch with Australian captain Tim Paine for the coin toss on Thursday.
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Despite New Zealand winning the toss, it was a day worth celebrating for the four-year-old, who continues to fight an aggressive tumour first identified when he was just 11 months old.
“I don’t think he actually understood how significant the day was,” mum Sarah McNees told the Mercury.
“He had met Tim a couple of times in Hobart beforehand, so when he said ‘let’s go toss the coin’, George just held his hand and off they went.
“George only had chemo on Monday, so we were so pleased he was well enough to be a part of the day.
“I must admit it brought a little tear to my eye. We’ve been told we don’t have a lifetime with George, we only have time, so to watch him do something so special is something I’ll hold on to forever.”
Paine organised the event for George after a discussion with his dad, Darren McNees, who works for Cricket Tasmania.
The skipper went above and beyond to make it a memorable occasion, also arranging for Mr McNees, Ms McNees and older sister Arabella, 6, to be part of the action.
Ms McNees described the experience as a “lifetime memory that no one could ever take away”.
“We cannot thank Tim and Cricket Australia enough,” she said.
“Tim knew George was a huge cricket fan because he’d seen him around at Bellerive with Darren and he made him feel like a member of the team.
“We all got to watch the warm-up, join in the team huddle and listen to what they discussed just before the start of the match. The atmosphere at the MCG was quite extraordinary.”
George did not require treatment for about 18 months but a scan earlier this year showed his tumour had grown rapidly, despite the many rounds of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and stem cell treatments he has gone through in the past three years.
The family recently relocated to Melbourne for the third time so George could take part in a new 12-month trial at the Royal Children’s Hospital
“For us, it’s all about hope. The hope that we can spend more time with him,” Mrs McNees said.
“We’re really grateful for what we have now and try not to look too far forward.”
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