On episode 6 of Behind The Roar, we chat to former Wests Tigers forward and now assistant coach, Simon Dwyer.
You can listen and watch this week’s episode of Behind The Roar, available on Apple, Spotify and also YouTube.
Dwyer talks about how he's coped after a career-ending injury, his love for Wests Tigers and his revamped role at the club, some encouraging stats from our team despite four straight losses, 'that hit' on JWH in 2010, and a whole lore more.
Simon Dwyer’s story is one of perspective, perseverance, and strength.
It is a story that will tug at your heartstrings, but also one that all of us should listen to.
If you’ve ever been ‘doing it tough’, going through a ‘rough patch’, or for whatever reason, ‘feeling down’, Simon’s story might pick you up.
It’s about how a young footballer - described as ‘one of the brightest prospects in the game’ - had his dreams shattered when a routine tackle went wrong, leaving him without the use of his right arm.
As Simon says, “You have a choice to make. Get on with life or let it get on top of you.
I am making the most of what I have got.
Simon Dwyer
These days Simon is a very big part of Tim Sheens’ coaching team, overseeing match and player analysis.
As well as being very good at his job, he’d also put most of us to shame in the gym and on the golf course, and he’d leave us for dead at the poker table.
He talks about his multiple surgeries, his desire to prove the doctor’s wrong, and how he coped when life as he knew it, changed so drastically.
Simon also sheds light on the performance of Wests Tigers NRL team four rounds into the season.
Still without a win, he points to some telling stats which reveal where the team is performing very well in comparison to other clubs, highlighting the one key area where the team needs to improve.
We touch on one of the ‘hits of the century’ when Dwyer put a shot on Roosters enforcer Jared Waerea Hargreaves in the 2010 qualifying final. These two don’t send each other Christmas cards, but is there any bad blood?
They say you don’t fully appreciate what you have in life, until it is taken away. Simon Dwyer lost so much, but still has so much to give.
He offers advice and hope to others living with a disability, at the same time providing a ‘reality check’ for those who don’t.
All that and more in episode 6 of Behind the Roar.
