Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Warringah Rats hooker Wes Thomas rarely asks for help, but last Saturday afternoon everything changed.
Warringah were down by 25 points with five minutes left against Sydney University in the Shute Shield when Thomas charged for the try line from close range and suffered a central cord syndrome neck injury.
Last year Thomas won the Shute Shield with the Rats and was awarded the Ken Catchpole Medal for the best player in the competition. The scaffolder remains in intensive care at Royal North Shore Hospital after surgery on Sunday and is facing an uncertain future.
Thomas has regained some movement in his arms since surgery and there is hope that with extensive rehabilitation, he can make a full recovery.
The primary focus for Thomas now is rest, something that he has rarely experienced. The former Dee Why Lions junior would be in strong contention for Australia’s hardest-working rugby player.
During the week, Thomas rises at 3.30am to do a gym session before long days on building sites.
Thomas then trains with Warringah every night apart from Wednesday, when he takes his daughter to soccer practice. Thomas plays Shute Shield on Saturday for Warringah at the heart of the front row, then backs up on Sunday to play rugby league for Cromer Kingfishers.
Warringah coach Josh Holmes is used to Thomas’ dry sense of humour, and during a hospital visit on Wednesday, the big man showed he hasn’t lost it.
“Wes told me, ‘You probably don’t need me for the next two games [in the Shute Shield], but I’ll be ready for the first week of finals; I just need to get some pad work done next week’,” Holmes said.
Humour aside, Thomas won’t be able to work while he recovers, so his brother Quin has created a fundraising page to support him and his young family.
In less than a day, the Australian rugby community and others had raised more than $100,000. The money came from the local community, rival clubs, teammates and former and current Wallabies.
Thomas was surprised and moved that people who didn’t know him donated money, but his coach said every dollar raised is needed.
“He’s out there doing the physical labour during the week, but if he can’t be there, he’s going to really struggle to earn money because that’s how he does it,” Holmes said.
“He’s obviously going to take a big hit [financially], and I know for him his most important thing is his family and making sure his family’s looked after.
“It’s really important that people get around him and help him as much as possible in the short term, just so it takes a bit of a load off his family and Wes can look after himself, make a full recovery and hopefully get back to everything he wants to do.
“It’s rocked a lot of people, and a lot of the boys at the club are very close with him. Everyone is super worried about him, but in the end everyone just wants to make sure that he can get back and live a good life and a normal life again, so he can be a good father for his kids.”
On the rugby field, Thomas is often the first to put his hand up to take the tough carries. He will need every inch of that determination as he embarks on a difficult and uncertain road ahead.
“Last night he messaged me and asked me how training was going. He never does that, and that’s because he’s always there,” Holmes said.
“I know he’s hurting, and I know he wants to be there with the boys because that’s what he wants more than anything else.”
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