0
Julian Huxley shows faith, footy and fighting spirit
- Iain Payten
- From: The Daily Telegraph
- March 29, 2010 12:00AM
Return ... Julian Huxley. Source: The Daily Telegraph
IT MIGHT be, in future, a case study for the power of optimism. It's mid-2008 and the scene is the first meeting between Julian Huxley, his doctor, Brumbies CEO Andrew Fagan and coach Andy Friend.
The news is Huxley has a brain tumour and it will be relayed soon to the media by a shaky Fagan with Brumbies staff in tears.
Huxley pipes up: "Wouldn't it special if I get to run back out on to Canberra Stadium again?"
Fagan was almost speechless. "I said: 'Ah mate, how about we get that thing out of your head first'," the Brumbies boss recalls.
So sure enough, post-surgery, there's Huxley on the phone to his boss: "How about it?". "I said: 'Wait until after your treatment, then we'll talk'," Fagan said. "After the treatment, Hux is there again: 'What about me coming back?' "
The resilience paid off, and last Friday Huxley defied the odds by making a return to football.
The whole process showed the depth of Huxley's spirit, but also spoke plenty about the Brumbies' character as well.
Last weekend could well have been a sad and painful one for the ACT club, with the one year anniversary of Shawn Mackay's tragic accident arriving today. But instead it was a feel-good weekend and the Brumbies deserved it.
In an age when modern sporting outfits can be often all about business, the Brumbies are a team that pride themselves on still being as much a family as a franchise.
Perhaps it is the isolation, the history of being NSW and Queensland "rejects" or a culture brewed by months of living in each other's pockets. Whatever it is, the spirit and club bond down in Canberra is unique, and it is a strength.
Fagan describes as "something you can't touch - we know we have it and we're conscious when it slips a bit. It is at the core of our whole club".
Most clubs would claim to have a tight spirit, no doubt. But few would have theirs tested like the Brumbies over the last year.
It is a support network that kept the club upright during the traumatic days and weeks after Mackay's death. A bond that saw unscripted team dinners, catch-ups, phone calls and an unspoken roster that saw Mackay's heartbroken flatmate Matt Toomua not spend a minute alone.
That network saw the Brumbies not only stay upright but almost make their way to the finals.
It is seen not only in the welcome Huxley got to return to Brumbies training despite no assurances of playing, but also that he was paid a full wage that could have been spent elsewhere. It is seen in Friend's promise that if Huxley got a clearance, he wanted him in the team. Friend proved he wasn't just paying lip-service.
It's seen when the Brumbies manager Gary Quinliven, one of the guys in tears over Huxley, missed his first trip to South Africa in February with illness. The team rang him at 4am after beating the Stormers to lead their victory song. They did from Perth as well.
"Guys who come in from elsewhere say they notice that environment here. Julian has relied on it for two years, and we all relied on it to get through the Shawn Mackay tragedy," Fagan said.
"It's a special place. Hard to describe."
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...-1225846560780
Reply With Quote
