NRL star set to retire after on-field seizure

Kiwi’s and Canberra Raiders forward Corey Harawira-Naera looks set to retire in what coach Ricky Stuart says is “a tragedy.”

The 28-year-old from Auckland has not played since suffering a seizure on the field in round 13 against the South Sydney Rabbitohs this year. Harawira-Naera suffered what is thought to be a delayed reaction to a head knock and he has described it as an “out-of-body experience”.

Canberra was expected to assess his future in the new year, but coach Stuart told Wide World of Sports officials were not optimistic.

“It is really sad for the kid… it’s a tragedy actually,” Stuart said.

“The medical reports we are getting is that he is very unlikely to play again.

“At 28, that’s tough and he has been good for us.

“But we are supporting him and looking for a pathway for him after football.

“We would like to keep him in the game and in the club.”

Last month, Harawira-Naera revealed he still knew little about the incident nearly six months on.

“I don’t think we will ever get to the bottom of why it happened,” he said.

The match was delayed as fan and television view was obstructed by a wall of players. One of those watching at home was Harawira-Naera’s son Elijah.

“The hardest part was knowing he broke out in tears watching on TV,” Harawira-Naera said of his 6-year-old, who has refused to participate in junior footy games since the incident.

“He doesn’t want to play again and that’s probably because I’m not on the field. I’m not going to push him to play if he doesn’t feel confident playing.

“When he gets a bit older he will understand that these kinds of things happen out of the ordinary sometimes.”

The Raiders were reportedly investigating whether it could get salary cap relief given the uncertainty of Harawira-Naera’s future.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission