Rugby League fans remember Rob Burrow at MND awareness match

ITV News

2 days ago

Rugby league fans have been remembering Rob Burrow on the eve of the anniversary of his death from Motor Neurone Disease.
Rob's old team Leeds Rhinos welcomed local rivals Wakefield Trinity to Headingley for the MND Awareness game - made all the more poignant coming just 48 hours before the first anniversary of his passing last year on June 2.
Rhinos players wore a unique kit for the game, with £10 from the sale of every replica shirt donated to the MND Association. They also paid tribute on the pitch before the game highlighting all the work Rob Burrow and his family have done to raise awareness of the disease.
The kit for 2025, which has been approved by the Burrow family, features the iconic image of Rob from the 2011 Grand Final when he scored the greatest Old Trafford try of all time to help the Rhinos to Super League glory.
However, the image is made up of the names of the 196 players that Rob played with for club and country during his illustrious career and is completed by the names of Rob's three children and his wife Lindsey for a total of 200 names.
Leeds Rhinos Head of Media & PR Phil Daly said, 'Rob had so many incredible qualities but one thing that has really stood out over the last year is what a brilliant team mate he was. His former team mates have shared so many wonderful memories of times that Rob was central to, whether that was in the Rhinos squad or on representative duty with Yorkshire, England or Great Britain.
'After his MND diagnosis in December 2019, he became an inspirational team mate once again, this time to everyone in the MND community and put the spotlight on the disease to aid funding and awareness that has changed the future for those impacted by the disease.`'
"We are so proud of Rob and the inspiration he gave us. On the field, he may have been small in stature, but on the field he was a giant and if anything when he got his diagnosis he went to a different level and what people probably don't realise is that he was a very private man, his family were very private but he knew that by opening his doors, and showing what living with MND was about, it would show people what needed to be done for this disease and he's done that and we will continue to do that, that's our promise to Rob and the Burrow family, we will continue to fright the cause for the MND community - until we've got a cure we will keep doing that."
Rob's father, Geoff thanks the club for their unwavering support.
"I cant put into words what the club has done for us, I've always supported Leeds, Rob's always played for Leeds, they've always been a top club but what they have done for Rob is off the scale."
The match ended 22-18 to the Rhinos, putting them in third place in the Super League.