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Featured Image Credit: Supplied/NRL/Instagram/blakeferguson23
Topics: NRL, Rugby League
The SPORTbible Team
Topics: NRL, Rugby League
Former rugby league player Blake Ferguson has called out the NRL, demanding to be compensated for 'ruining my face' during his career.
The premiership-winning winger has joined the chorus of voicing urging he sport's governing body to provide recently-retired players with better medical care.
His comments come during a tense stand-off between the players and the league regarding pay.
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Under current regulations, ex-players only have 12 months to get “any surgeries and rehabilitation paid for that will help fix the injuries they suffered during their careers”.
But Ferguson, who played around 250 NRL games in his career, claims officials have denied him treatment for his nose – which he broke eight times.
“After 15 years in the nrl system, playing 249 games for 4 NRL teams winning a grand final, 7 games for @arlkangaroos, 9 games for @nswblues, winning the Harry Sunderland medal (players’ player for Kangaroos) and breaking my nose over 8 times you’d think they would fix it as I dedicated my life and body to the game,” Ferguson wrote in an Instagram story.
“But no I have been told because I went to Japan and England and it has been over 12 months that I’m not eligible for the medical treatment to fix it.
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“What’s the go deadset person struggles to sleep at night and puts bums on seats for yas and you wanna just throw a person to the kirb [sic] once they are retired. Absolute joke.”
In a separate post, Ferguson said: “Surely I can be compensated for ruining my face. This wouldn’t have happened if I just played for ya local footy team. You think this came from walking in the park on an afternoon @rlplayers @arlkangaroos @nrl @nswblues.”
Fellow players were quick to show their support for Fergo – Latrell Mitchell being one of them.
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The South Sydney Rabbitohs star re-posted Ferguson’s story, adding: “Regardless of how long you’re out of the game you should be compensated for your dedication”.
“What I’ve witness as a young fulla coming in to a system with you bred showed a lot of professionalism. Love ya bra. Bums in the seat for a game that forgets their biggest assets.”