Cronulla is rallying around former player Nathan Stapleton after he suffered a devastating football injury.
Stapleton, 32, was left a quadriplegic after a rugby scrum gone wrong while playing for Boorowa earlier this month.
He has been receiving treatment at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney since, but will need care for the remainder of his life.
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He has an 18-month-old son, and his partner is pregnant with the couple’s second child.
The Sharks – for whom Stapleton played 61 NRL games between 2009-14 – are going to work to raise funds for the family.
The entire team is auctioning their game-worn jerseys from Anzac Round, which can be bid for on the club website.
Cronulla’s head of welfare, Jeff Robson, is also in discussions with the Stapleton family in the hope of organising something for their home game in round nine.
“That’s what the NRL community is all about, we always get behind one of our own in time of need,” Sharks captain Wade Graham told SEN Breakfast.
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“We’ll be here for Nathan, the club will be here for Nathan. It would be good to have support from across the NRL.”
Graham was a teammate of Stapleton’s during his five years at the Sharks, and was shocked to hear the news of his accident.
“It was hard news to hear,” Graham said.
“When the news filtered through, you kind of hear what happened, then you hear the extent of the injury, and it just hits you.
“It’s hard to explain really. How devastating it is for him and his family. It’s one of those bits of news you get that stops you in your tracks.”
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