Kimmorley disappointed to give up USA Hawks job but had no choice

Brett Kimmorley has spoken of his disappointment at having to give up a coaching role at the Rugby League World Cup but was unable to commit to four weeks away from his four young daughters while in camp with the United States team.

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Kimmorley, who stood down as assistant coach of the USA Hawks after the recent death of his wife Sharnie from brain cancer, is still likely to be involved in the World Cup as part of Channel Seven’s coverage of the tournament.

In the meantime, Kimmorley has thrown his support behind the NRL’s Beanies for Brain Cancer to help the Mark Hughes Foundation raise $500,000 for research into the disease, while caring for daughters Maddi, Mia, Ava and Ivy.

The former Australian halfback, who was a member of the 2000 World Cup winning team, said he couldn't leave them while the Hawks played in Townsville on October 28 against Fiji and November 5 against Italy before travelling to Port Moresby to play Papua New Guinea on November 12.

“It was a great opportunity to do the World Cup and to be a part of that with the US team was pretty exciting but to be away for 27 days in Townsville and PNG is just impossible for me now,” Kimmorley said.

“I am disappointed to miss out on that opportunity but my four children are the most important thing.”

Kimmorley was running late for the launch of the NRL’s dedicated Beanies for Brain Cancer round in Sydney on Thursday morning as he had do the daily school drop off but the cause is important to him and he has been willing to speak openly about Sharnie’s eight month battle with the disease.

“It is something that we tragically went through last year and this year so any of way of helping is good and I think the NRL is doing an amazing thing with the round,” Kimmorley said.

“What you probably don’t notice is how many people are affected because most people don’t go and hang out at cancer centres too often but when you do that pretty regularly you get to see how many people are going through it.

“The number of people who lose their lives to brain cancer is astonishing and things haven’t changed much in the last 20 or 30 years but there is a cure out there somewhere or a better understanding of the disease through research.”

The Beanies for Brain Cancer round was the idea Channel Nine NRL executive producer Matt Callander, who was diagnosed with brain cancer last year, and he has joined forces with the foundation run by Hughes, the former Newcastle Knights and Catalans Dragons centre.

After suffering headaches for two days in 2013, Hughes visited a doctor and was told he had brain cancer – a disease which last year claimed 1200 lives in Australia and is the deadliest cancer for people under 40.

“I had a scan and within minutes my world was turned upside down,” Hughes said.

“I was 36, with three children under 10 years of age and a long life to live. To then be sitting in front of your doctor and being told ‘I’m sorry, you’ve got high grade brain cancer’ is a tough situation to be in.

“That is what the Mark Hughes Foundation is about – to help people like myself. To help the Kimmorleys, that situation is gut wrenching.”

Fans are able to donate through markhughesfoundation.com.au or by buying beanie at the ground during NRL matches this weekend, while there is also an auction for two people to join Hughes and team-mates from the Knights 1997 premiership winning team in climbing Mt Everest.

Among them are former Australian World Cup representatives Paul Harragon, Andrew Johns, Matthew Johns, Matt Gidley, Adam MacDougall and Kurt Gidley, along with Danny Buderus, Bill Peden and coach Malcolm Reilly, who played for Great Britain at the 1970 tournament.

“A lot of the boys have put their hands up to come on this trip and help raise money,” said Harragon, who captained the 1997 team. “Our coach Malcolm Reilly, who is over in England, heard about and he is in his 70s now but he is fired up and he is raising money to get over there too.”

Harragon said the aim of the Mark Hughes Foundation was to raise $500,000 to fund a fellowship at Hunter Medical Research Institute, which would enable a specialist to work solely on researching brain cancer and conducting clinical trials for treatment.

By Brad Walter | @BradWalterSport
Chief Correspondent, RLWC2017