Ryan Stig, a former playmaker for the Knights, is determined to return to first grade even though it has been 14 years since his last NRL appearance.
In 2011, Stig, now 34, made his NRL debut with the Newcastle club, playing 13 games and becoming one of the league’s most promising half.
However, in 2012, Lyme’s disease—a potentially fatal condition brought on by the bite of a tick carrying a dangerous bacteria—halted his career.
Stig took a break from football before playing two reserve-grade games for the Knights in 2024. He told WWOS that he nearly played rugby league away from the game.
“I never imagined I’d play league again; a few years ago, I was more concerned with whether I would live or die,” Stig remarked.
“I just wanted to live for my family, so I put the game in the trash.” It was therefore incredibly special to return to the field.
“My immune system, nervous system, and one eye were all shot, and there might have even been some brain damage.”
The gifted five-eighth’s diagnosis left Australian physicians unsure on how to treat him.
Following his own investigation, Sitg ended himself in Mexico, Switzerland, and Germany, where he received “hyperthermia treatment,” which turned out to be the “turning point.”
Now that Newcastle’s halves situation is uncertain, Stig might have a remote chance of making a comeback to the top division.