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RNZ News
3 days ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
NRL live updates: Warriors v Dragons
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak in possession. St George Dragons v One NZ Warriors. Photo: David Neilson/Photosport It's desperation time for the Warriors as they face a potential slide down the NRL ladder with a loss tonight, they face a giant-killing Dragons side in front of another big Mt Smart crowd. Kick-off is at 8pm NZT. Follow all the action with RNZ's live blog: Warriors: 1. Taine Tuaupiki, 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3. Adam Pompey, 4. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 5. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 6. Chanel Harris-Tavita, 7. Tanah Boyd, 8. James Fisher-Harris, 9. Wayde Egan, 10. Jackson Ford, 11. Leka Halasima, 12. Marata Niukore, 13. Erin Clark Interchange: 14. Sam Healey, 15. Eddie Ieremia-Toeava, 16. Demetric Vaimauga, 17. Tanner Stowers-Smith Reserves: 18. Freddy Lussick, 20. Ed Kosi, 21. Tom Ale, 22. Kayliss Fatialofa, 25. Bunty Afoa Dragons: 1. Clint Gutherson, 2. Tyrell Sloan, 3. Hayden Buchanan, 4. Mat Feagai, 5. Corey Allan, 6. Lyhkan King-Tongia, 7. Kyle Flanagan, 8. Emre Guler, 9. Damien Cook, 10. David Klemmer, 11. Luciano Leilua, 12. Hamish Stewart, 13. Jack de Belin Interchange: 14. Jacob Liddle, 15. Michael Molo, 16. Hame Sele, 17. Loko Pasifiki Tonga Reserves: 18. Ben Murdoch-Masila, 19. Lachlan Ilias, 20. Jacob Halangahu, 21. Nathan Lawson, 22. Christian Tuipulotu
The Advertiser
01-07-2025
- Health
- The Advertiser
'It's ok to lose it': wife of former NRL star speaks out about caring for someone with dementia
Karen Johnson watched as her husband prepared to brush his teeth, picking up a disposable razor and then putting toothpaste on it. Fortunately, she was there to stop him; she often had to be there as Brian's dementia steadily grew worse. Brian, a former first-grade footballer with the St George Dragons and part of their 1979 premiership team, was diagnosed with early-onset dementia at the age of 52. The story of his decline is told in Karen's book Letters for Brian, which focuses on what happened after football. The incident with the disposable razor highlights the reality of dementia; that it takes little pieces away from you. Brian knew he had to put toothpaste on something to brush his teeth but that knowledge that it was a toothbrush just wasn't there anymore. "He couldn't use cutlery," Karen said. "He lost that well before he was in palliative care. He'd only eat with his hands because the knife and fork was just beyond him. "Holding a pen was beyond him. You don't realise that you learn these things and you remember how to do them." Her book includes a number of letters she wrote - to Brian, to friends, his former team-mates, to doctors and others. The letters were where the idea of the book came from, and also provided a way of coping when she was at home caring for him. "If things went wrong or if things went right even in the end, I just debriefed to myself at the end of the day," she said. "At the time, I was probably leaving the house six to eight hours a week in two-hour slots. And there wasn't anybody to talk to a lot of the time, and my mind would be racing. "So I started out talking to Brian, or if things went wrong, like, if I wasn't happy with what the doctor said. It was my way of mulling it over in my mind." The book is about caring for someone with dementia - if you want to know about Brian's football career, this isn't the book. Though Karen knows Brian's profile will make it more likely that people will pick up the book, than if it was about "Joe Bloggs from Dapto". Letters For Brian is aimed at other carers, so they know they're not alone. And for those close to them, so friends have some understanding of what the person is going through. Because some of what Karen writes about, people feel uncomfortable about revealing to others. "I had quite a few carers around me in our support group and we were all helping each other, but the emotional side, people keep it to themselves," she said. "A number of people that are friends of mine who were on that journey with us for a lot of the time, have said to me since 'I had no idea what you were going through'. "Because you don't show people how needy you are sometimes. You're trying to be polite, you're trying not to look like you can't cope. "I want people to understand that it's okay to lose it. With Brian, it would take an hour to get his shoes and socks on, with me screaming at him 'just keep your foot still'. "It's okay to lose it every now and again. We're not saints. Today, there is more awareness of the dangers of head knocks in contact sports as more retired players are diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE, which can cause dementia. The only sure way to diagnose it is at an autopsy, which Brian never had. So Karen can't be sure that was the cause - but his geriatrician thought it may have been. "She went to a conference in the states, and she came back and she said, 'I think I know what's wrong with him'," Karen said. "But Brian didn't take a lot of head knocks - he hated being tackled. He'd go down just before they tackled him. "But he was susceptible to it. And susceptibility is the thing. "There are loads of footballers with all their marbles. Les Boyd, how many knocks would Les have taken in his career? He hasn't got it." The possibility that rugby league caused her husband's dementia hasn't changed Karen's view of the sport. "How do you stop people doing what they want to do?" "People still smoke. They know about lung cancer, they still smoke. You make life choices and there are consequences. "I am really pleased to see them mitigating everything they can to stop head knocks and taking people off the field after concussions. "There is a risk with everything and every sport has a risk of head injuries. Where do you draw the line?". She is also aware footy players get a lot of bad press, but Karen knows a different story. She knows of the old ex-players who would lift Brian up the stairs of the coach so he could go on a Men of League trip to Mick Cronin's pub. And then take him to the toilet when he needed to go. She knows of legendary hard man Les Boyd inviting them to his home after the dementia diagnosis and taking care of him during the visit. She knows of his teammates from that 1979 premiership side who insisted on taking Brian to their annual reunions and watching over him. "If I told him they were coming, his face would light up," Karen said. "He'd talk about it for as long as he could remember they were there. "There's a rapport among team members that I never got to experience, but he loved seeing all those people. That was such a big part of his life." Karen Johnson's Letters from Brian is available at Collins Thirroul and other bookstores. Karen Johnson watched as her husband prepared to brush his teeth, picking up a disposable razor and then putting toothpaste on it. Fortunately, she was there to stop him; she often had to be there as Brian's dementia steadily grew worse. Brian, a former first-grade footballer with the St George Dragons and part of their 1979 premiership team, was diagnosed with early-onset dementia at the age of 52. The story of his decline is told in Karen's book Letters for Brian, which focuses on what happened after football. The incident with the disposable razor highlights the reality of dementia; that it takes little pieces away from you. Brian knew he had to put toothpaste on something to brush his teeth but that knowledge that it was a toothbrush just wasn't there anymore. "He couldn't use cutlery," Karen said. "He lost that well before he was in palliative care. He'd only eat with his hands because the knife and fork was just beyond him. "Holding a pen was beyond him. You don't realise that you learn these things and you remember how to do them." Her book includes a number of letters she wrote - to Brian, to friends, his former team-mates, to doctors and others. The letters were where the idea of the book came from, and also provided a way of coping when she was at home caring for him. "If things went wrong or if things went right even in the end, I just debriefed to myself at the end of the day," she said. "At the time, I was probably leaving the house six to eight hours a week in two-hour slots. And there wasn't anybody to talk to a lot of the time, and my mind would be racing. "So I started out talking to Brian, or if things went wrong, like, if I wasn't happy with what the doctor said. It was my way of mulling it over in my mind." The book is about caring for someone with dementia - if you want to know about Brian's football career, this isn't the book. Though Karen knows Brian's profile will make it more likely that people will pick up the book, than if it was about "Joe Bloggs from Dapto". Letters For Brian is aimed at other carers, so they know they're not alone. And for those close to them, so friends have some understanding of what the person is going through. Because some of what Karen writes about, people feel uncomfortable about revealing to others. "I had quite a few carers around me in our support group and we were all helping each other, but the emotional side, people keep it to themselves," she said. "A number of people that are friends of mine who were on that journey with us for a lot of the time, have said to me since 'I had no idea what you were going through'. "Because you don't show people how needy you are sometimes. You're trying to be polite, you're trying not to look like you can't cope. "I want people to understand that it's okay to lose it. With Brian, it would take an hour to get his shoes and socks on, with me screaming at him 'just keep your foot still'. "It's okay to lose it every now and again. We're not saints. Today, there is more awareness of the dangers of head knocks in contact sports as more retired players are diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE, which can cause dementia. The only sure way to diagnose it is at an autopsy, which Brian never had. So Karen can't be sure that was the cause - but his geriatrician thought it may have been. "She went to a conference in the states, and she came back and she said, 'I think I know what's wrong with him'," Karen said. "But Brian didn't take a lot of head knocks - he hated being tackled. He'd go down just before they tackled him. "But he was susceptible to it. And susceptibility is the thing. "There are loads of footballers with all their marbles. Les Boyd, how many knocks would Les have taken in his career? He hasn't got it." The possibility that rugby league caused her husband's dementia hasn't changed Karen's view of the sport. "How do you stop people doing what they want to do?" "People still smoke. They know about lung cancer, they still smoke. You make life choices and there are consequences. "I am really pleased to see them mitigating everything they can to stop head knocks and taking people off the field after concussions. "There is a risk with everything and every sport has a risk of head injuries. Where do you draw the line?". She is also aware footy players get a lot of bad press, but Karen knows a different story. She knows of the old ex-players who would lift Brian up the stairs of the coach so he could go on a Men of League trip to Mick Cronin's pub. And then take him to the toilet when he needed to go. She knows of legendary hard man Les Boyd inviting them to his home after the dementia diagnosis and taking care of him during the visit. She knows of his teammates from that 1979 premiership side who insisted on taking Brian to their annual reunions and watching over him. "If I told him they were coming, his face would light up," Karen said. "He'd talk about it for as long as he could remember they were there. "There's a rapport among team members that I never got to experience, but he loved seeing all those people. That was such a big part of his life." Karen Johnson's Letters from Brian is available at Collins Thirroul and other bookstores. Karen Johnson watched as her husband prepared to brush his teeth, picking up a disposable razor and then putting toothpaste on it. Fortunately, she was there to stop him; she often had to be there as Brian's dementia steadily grew worse. Brian, a former first-grade footballer with the St George Dragons and part of their 1979 premiership team, was diagnosed with early-onset dementia at the age of 52. The story of his decline is told in Karen's book Letters for Brian, which focuses on what happened after football. The incident with the disposable razor highlights the reality of dementia; that it takes little pieces away from you. Brian knew he had to put toothpaste on something to brush his teeth but that knowledge that it was a toothbrush just wasn't there anymore. "He couldn't use cutlery," Karen said. "He lost that well before he was in palliative care. He'd only eat with his hands because the knife and fork was just beyond him. "Holding a pen was beyond him. You don't realise that you learn these things and you remember how to do them." Her book includes a number of letters she wrote - to Brian, to friends, his former team-mates, to doctors and others. The letters were where the idea of the book came from, and also provided a way of coping when she was at home caring for him. "If things went wrong or if things went right even in the end, I just debriefed to myself at the end of the day," she said. "At the time, I was probably leaving the house six to eight hours a week in two-hour slots. And there wasn't anybody to talk to a lot of the time, and my mind would be racing. "So I started out talking to Brian, or if things went wrong, like, if I wasn't happy with what the doctor said. It was my way of mulling it over in my mind." The book is about caring for someone with dementia - if you want to know about Brian's football career, this isn't the book. Though Karen knows Brian's profile will make it more likely that people will pick up the book, than if it was about "Joe Bloggs from Dapto". Letters For Brian is aimed at other carers, so they know they're not alone. And for those close to them, so friends have some understanding of what the person is going through. Because some of what Karen writes about, people feel uncomfortable about revealing to others. "I had quite a few carers around me in our support group and we were all helping each other, but the emotional side, people keep it to themselves," she said. "A number of people that are friends of mine who were on that journey with us for a lot of the time, have said to me since 'I had no idea what you were going through'. "Because you don't show people how needy you are sometimes. You're trying to be polite, you're trying not to look like you can't cope. "I want people to understand that it's okay to lose it. With Brian, it would take an hour to get his shoes and socks on, with me screaming at him 'just keep your foot still'. "It's okay to lose it every now and again. We're not saints. Today, there is more awareness of the dangers of head knocks in contact sports as more retired players are diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE, which can cause dementia. The only sure way to diagnose it is at an autopsy, which Brian never had. So Karen can't be sure that was the cause - but his geriatrician thought it may have been. "She went to a conference in the states, and she came back and she said, 'I think I know what's wrong with him'," Karen said. "But Brian didn't take a lot of head knocks - he hated being tackled. He'd go down just before they tackled him. "But he was susceptible to it. And susceptibility is the thing. "There are loads of footballers with all their marbles. Les Boyd, how many knocks would Les have taken in his career? He hasn't got it." The possibility that rugby league caused her husband's dementia hasn't changed Karen's view of the sport. "How do you stop people doing what they want to do?" "People still smoke. They know about lung cancer, they still smoke. You make life choices and there are consequences. "I am really pleased to see them mitigating everything they can to stop head knocks and taking people off the field after concussions. "There is a risk with everything and every sport has a risk of head injuries. Where do you draw the line?". She is also aware footy players get a lot of bad press, but Karen knows a different story. She knows of the old ex-players who would lift Brian up the stairs of the coach so he could go on a Men of League trip to Mick Cronin's pub. And then take him to the toilet when he needed to go. She knows of legendary hard man Les Boyd inviting them to his home after the dementia diagnosis and taking care of him during the visit. She knows of his teammates from that 1979 premiership side who insisted on taking Brian to their annual reunions and watching over him. "If I told him they were coming, his face would light up," Karen said. "He'd talk about it for as long as he could remember they were there. "There's a rapport among team members that I never got to experience, but he loved seeing all those people. That was such a big part of his life." Karen Johnson's Letters from Brian is available at Collins Thirroul and other bookstores.
News.com.au
06-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Woolf reacts to Dolphins' record win!
NRL: Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf spoke to the media following their round 14 victory against the St George Dragons.
ABC News
05-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Letters for Brian offers insight into dementia and life after rugby league
Despite everything she has gone through, Karen Johnson does not hesitate when asked how she feels about rugby league now. She still loves it. Ms Johnson was brought up on the sport as a child, her late husband Brian played professionally for the St George Dragons, and it "paid the bills at our house forever". But she cannot bring herself to recommend rugby league to a child considering taking it up. "The knowledge has been there for a long time that knocks to the head, if you're susceptible to it, can cause CTE [chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain disease]," she said. "Getting people to realise that hits to the head, landing on the ground, shaking your brain around is terrifying. Ms Johnson's husband Brian died from Alzheimer's disease, which the family believes was likely caused by CTE. As a coping mechanism while caring for her husband in his latter stages of life, Ms Johnson wrote him letters that she has now turned into a book. Brian Johnson was the 1980 Dally M fullback of the year and, on top of his six years at the Dragons, played a season for Eastern Suburbs and three years in Warrington in the United Kingdom. Even at the height of his career, he dreaded the collisions of the sport. "I'm really pleased to see [the NRL] trying to mitigate the [concussion] risks involved, but I don't think you can stop men and women wanting to play the sports they want to play." Ms Johnson said the diary letters to her husband helped her process the challenges she was facing. "At the time, I probably left the house for about six hours a week and other than that, I was just home caring and it was at the stage where we could virtually not go out," she said. "When he was tucked up in bed, I just needed to talk to him, so when he wasn't there, I was still talking to him like I used to." Brian Johnson died in January 2016. The letters have formed the basis for Ms Johnson's book, Letters For Brian. Rugby league writer Roy Masters said the book was a fitting tribute, an educational resource and a love story. Ms Johnson said that while writing the letters and her reflections on the time had been a cathartic experience, the book also provided an insight into life while caring for someone dying from Alzheimer's disease. "I think people assume that dementia means you can't find your car keys and you can't remember your children's names, but that's not necessarily it," she said. "They don't realise that everything that we do and what we think is intrinsic is memory — how to eat, how to speak, how to read, how to write. "Brian stopped being able to read and if he wanted to write something down and he had objects on his desk, he didn't know which one the pen was." Ms Johnson said she had shared more of her life in the book than she had expected to, but she wanted it to be a resource for people going through the same experience. "People are going to know more about us than I realised, but I kind of wrote it for me," she said. "The interest in it has taken me by surprise and I'm actually surprised at how long it is because people research books, but I just sat and had a stream of consciousness and just wrote it."
RNZ News
14-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
NRL: What's with the Warriors and penalty kicks?
Luke Metcalf kicks the winning drop goal. St George Dragons v One NZ Warriors. Photo: David Neilson/Photosport Warriors v Dolphins Kickoff 5pm Saturday, 17 May Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Live blog updates on RNZ Sport NZ Warriors coach Andrew Webster insists his team's newfound fondness for penalty kicks has not become a philosophy, merely a situational strategy. Halfback Luke Metcalf slotted two first-half penalties during the Warriors' 15-14 thriller over St George Illawarra Dragons at Wollongong last weekend, before also connecting on the winning field goal with 10 minutes remaining on the clock. The first penalty stretched an early lead to 8-0, while the second put the visitors 14-0 after half an hour, playing with a wind at their backs. Ultimately, those goals proved crucial to the outcome, as the Dragons outscored their rivals three tries to two, yet still lost. Taking the kick at goal represents a double-edged gamble in that a) the kick still has to be successful, and b) you've turned down a possible six points for an easier two. In most circumstances, teams would probably kick for touch in search of a try or, at the very least, build pressure on a tiring defence that may pay dividends later, which seemed to be the Warriors' methodology, as they ground down Manly Sea Eagles and Sydney Roosters earlier this season. In those encounters, they were happy enough to spend set after set on the opposition tryline without scoring, battering away, until the defence finally snapped. Since then, they have relied on late penalties from Metcalf's boot for victories over West Tigers and Brisbane Broncos . They were game-winning kicks in the dying moments, but the timing of the penalties against the Dragons was curious. Photo: Brett Costello "Moment by moment, really," reflected Webster on the decision to kick for goal. "There were some we said no, we wanted to stay down there and put some work into them, but there were other times we said this was the perfect time to do it. "We have a strategy meeting around when we like to do it and when we don't. We just felt, on the weekend, it was a good opportunity. "The first one put us up eight and the second time, it was 14-0, so they had to score three tries to beat us." Webster was satisfied with the outcome. "Definitely, it gave us the chance to kick a field goal. If we don't do it, they scored more tries than us - we scored two, they scored three, so it definitely worked." While the Warriors are winning, it's hard to question their approach, but if Dragons kicker Valentine Holmes had been more successful with his boot - he converted only one of their three tries and also missed a field goal attempt - they might have rued those two lost opportunities to keep the foot on the throat.
