'Heartbreaking' fight spurring on NRL All Stars giant

1 year ago 72

When James Fisher-Harris tucks the shot nether his limb and tears up the tract successful Saturday's NRL All Stars match, the Maori enforcer volition person his sick gramps successful mind.

Fisher-Harris fought disconnected tears arsenic helium spoke to 9News astir his grandfather, who's been diagnosed with dementia.

"Me and my member were conscionable mislaid for words seeing him similar that," Fisher-Harris said.

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"He was similar the big, pugnacious man, you know? Just a spot fragile now."

Fisher-Harris has doubly been named successful the Dally M squad of the year, and was important to the Panthers claiming back-to-back NRL titles implicit the past 2 seasons.

He's besides among the toughest men successful the game.

But helium admitted successful the 9News interrogation to being a gentle elephantine disconnected the field.

"Try to prime retired the positives," Fisher-Harris said of his grandfather's dementia battle.

"Just trying not to get emotional.

"But, yeah, it was beauteous heartbreaking.

"Just can't instrumentality things for granted. Tomorrow's ne'er promised, truthful conscionable trying to unrecorded arsenic overmuch as we tin and spell springiness it my all."

Indigenous speedster Josh Addo-Carr is among a big of high-profile players who've withdrawn from the All Stars game, acceptable to beryllium played astatine New Zealand's Roturua International Stadium.

Maori representatives Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Joseph Manu, Daejarn Asi, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Starford To'a person besides pulled out.

But Fisher-Harris is locked successful — and says his grandfather, who's inactive alert of who his grandson is, volition beryllium watching the crippled with pride.

"I tin conscionable perceive him telling maine what to bash and each this," Fisher-Harris said with a laugh.

"I deliberation he'll conscionable beryllium blessed seeing the past sanction connected the backmost of our shirts."

The Maori defeated the Indigenous 16-12 astatine Sydney's CommBank Stadium successful past year's All Stars clash.

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