Wallabies sensation James O'Connor lucky to be alive after losing spleen
By Peter Badel
June 14, 2009
Wallabies star James O'Connor will become one of the richest teenagers in Australian sport when he signs a $1.2 million deal with the Australian Rugby Union in the next fortnight.
But the Queenslander's real reward goes beyond the fat contracts, beyond the elevator ride to rugby's penthouse and the hoopla that has tagged O'Connor as Australia's most gifted attacking commodity since Matt Giteau.
Not so long ago, James David O'Connor was just lucky to be alive.
Last night, the 18-year-old announced his precocious talent to world rugby with his run-on debut against Italy.
It was a moment O'Connor knows he may not have experienced but for some fast thinking when his spleen collapsed and he began bleeding internally.
At 16, O'Connor, his skin turning a tinge of grey in the dormitory of his former school Nudgee College, was a young man fighting for his life.
"He was literally bleeding to death," recalls his father Warren of the incident in 2006.
"It had nothing to do with footy. He was mucking around with his mates, they were shoulder-charging each other, and one of the boys came from the side and James didn't see him coming.
"The force smashed his spleen. Half his blood was laying in his guts."
Paralysed by pain, O'Connor retreated to his bed, hoping a good night's sleep would resolve the problem.
Before he closed his eyes, he summoned the school nurse.
It was the call that saved his life.
"He looked at himself and he'd gone a greyish colour, so he called the nurse. Had he gone to sleep, he wouldn't be alive today," says Warren.
"I will never forget the phone call. I was in a bottleshop looking for some wine for dinner and the nurse at James' school told me to get straight to the hospital.
"James was in enormous pain. I've never seen him in so much pain in my life. He was self-administering morphine, but that was only doing so much.
"His spleen was removed two hours later. It was the biggest scare we've had."
A four-inch scar down the middle of his stomach is a reminder of O'Connor's ordeal.
But nothing, seemingly, would halt the kid's dream. Within six weeks, he was back on the park. Inside a year, the Western Force utility was the youngest debutant in Super 14 history.
"They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger," O'Connor Sr says.
Which is why O'Connor is wearing the Wallabies' No.15 jumper today. Why the barbs about him being too small couldn't break him.
Why he has no fear of 113kg behemoths nearly twice his age.
"He's got an inner strength," says Warren.
"It wasn't so long ago that my wife and I were standing at the GPS games and I'd hear people say this kid has great skill, but he'll never make it to the top because he's too small.
"But he's derived a lot from his environment. John Mitchell (Force coach) has been a good influence and Robbie Deans (Wallabies mentor) has been fantastic for James."
O'Connor is leaning towards staying with the Force, but negotiations took a twist last Friday night when the Force imposed a deadline for O'Connor to sign by Monday.
Warren O'Connor believes now is not the time to be heaping pressure on his son. By pushing too hard, the Force have opened the door for the Brumbies.
O'Connor's manager Anthony Picone has been called in to broker peace to ensure the teenager does not join the exodus from the Perth-based Super 14 province.
There is one certainty: O'Connor is about to become a teenage millionaire.
"James is still weighing it all up and we discussed his future this week," his father said.
"From an emotional point of view, James has been involved in the Force and he probably feels a sense of loyalty there. If they can get the right (fly half) and the right team around him, then I'd say the Force has the advantage because it would be a big move for him to go the Brumbies.
"Our final decision won't be based on money," Warren said.
"I'd love for James to play for the next 10 to 15 years . . . but you never know what can happen."
The Sunday Mail (Qld)
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...-23209,00.html
