Gary Schofield tribute

Yorkshire Evening Post

YEP rugby league writer Peter Smith reflects on Leeds Rhinos and Great Britain legend Garry Schofield's decision to withdraw from rugby league due to ill health.

Transcript

00:00Big news in the rugby league world this week about Gary Schofield the ex Leeds

00:05Hull FC and Great Britain star who's announced that he's stepping back from

00:10the sport after being diagnosed with brain damage this all stems from a

00:16detached retina he had several years ago that led to complications he eventually

00:22had to have his left eye removed unfortunately and he's still been

00:28suffering some bad symptoms blinding headaches that sort of thing and he's

00:32now decided that he's not going to be involved in rugby league as a pundit or

00:37an interviewee in the future he's focusing quite rightly on his health at

00:4459 he's obviously got to put that first and so he's decided he'll no longer be

00:49involved in the sport he's had a lifelong association with that's really

00:53sad news because Gary Schofield certainly for people who are watching

00:56rugby league in the late 1980s and early to mid 90s he's a rugby league

01:03icon began his career with Hull was a Challenge Cup winner there then made a

01:07big-money move to his home city club of Leeds was a stalwart at Leeds for a

01:13decade and I think if he played ten years later he would have won every

01:18available trophy unfortunately he came through at a pretty poor time in Leeds

01:23his history when they weren't very successful and he won a Yorkshire Cup

01:26and that was all unfortunately his talent deserved a lot more than that

01:30having said that he's a joint record holder of most Great Britain caps

01:34captained Great Britain in a famous win against Australia in 1992 in Melbourne

01:42and will be remembered as one of the great players of his generation he was a

01:48centre turned standoff reinvented himself really in the play making role

01:53outstandingly successful as I say as a initially as a try approacher then as a

01:59try creator after his rugby league playing days were over he became a

02:04well-known pundit I think somehow sometimes that's overshadowed some of

02:09some of his exploits on the field he's certainly been an outspoken pundit not

02:14afraid to say it as it is that hasn't always gone down well unfortunately but

02:20the thing about Gary Schofield is he's had a lifelong association with the

02:24rugby league he genuinely loves the sport he's a big Leeds Rhinos fan and

02:28always will be and he says it how he how he sees it as I say that sometimes upset

02:35a few people unfortunately but I think everybody in the rugby league world will

02:39wish him all the best for the future and will be very upset by this recent news

02:43Thank you for watching!

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