When Liam Cullen woke up in a Queensland hospital after he was knocked unconscious during a rugby league game, he didn't recognise his newborn daughter.
He is now suing Roma Cities Rugby League Football Club and one of its players after an alleged "swinging arm tackle" during a game at St George, Queensland in 2014 left him with neurocognitive deficits, post-traumatic headaches, mental health disorders and balance issues.
The father-of-three's solicitor Nick Hart of Shine Lawyers alleged there were some "comparisons to be drawn" from Mr Cullen's incident and Sia Soliola's high tackle on Billy Slater at the weekend.
"Liam did watch the game over the weekend and his comment to me was it sent shivers down his spine and it really hit him at home," he said.
"Liam doesn't really remember much of his incident and that is probably fortunate for him because it was very traumatic.
"These tackles can go one of either ways: you can be lucky like Billy and walk away or at the other end you can be left with very serious conditions like Liam has."
It was on July 27 and in the second half of a match between St George and Roma Cities that Mr Cullen, playing for St George, had possession of the ball and ran towards the try line.
In a Statement of Claim delivered to the Supreme Court on Monday, it is alleged a player ran at Mr Cullen and allegedly swung his right arm at him, making contact directly with Mr Cullen's head, in what the documents have called a "breach of the playing rules of rugby league".
The hit knocked Mr Cullen unconscious and he was rushed to St George hospital and airlifted to Princess Alexandra hospital, where he remained for more than three weeks.
He has since lost his job as a full-time project manager with Proterra Group and suffered a "diminution of his earning capacity such that he will suffer economic loss in the future", according to court documents.
"It has had a significant impact on Liam and also his family," Mr Hart said.
"Liam prior to the accident, only weeks before, he had his third child and when he woke up in hospital he didn't recognise her.
"It has had a significant impact on his capacity to earn in the future ... he was the breadwinner.
"He is a young guy and had the world at his feet.
"He has a beautiful, young family and now it is going to be a real struggle for him in what he needs to do as a dad and as a husband to provide for his family and no one should have to go through that."
A spokesperson for Cities Rugby League declined to comment.
He is suing the club and its player for $1.4 million in damages.
"We say the tackle was intentional and in breach of the playing rules ... those rules are there for the safety of the players," Mr Hart said.
"The whole reason for this, we don't want to change the game, it is a hard game but it is to be played fairly.
"It is an opportunity for league to discuss this ... ensuring that judiciary take appropriate action and that is at all levels of the game.
"Realistically, what we want to focus on, in light of the long road to recovery that Liam had and what he experienced and the enormous impact on his life, Liam doesn't want to see that happen again, I don't want to see that happen again and I am pretty sure anyone that has a child playing rugby league doesn't want to see that happen."
This story first appeared on Brisbane Times.
