League: Tate's tears leave lasting image (+ video)

Brent Tate broke down after suffering a possible career-threatening knee injury. Photo / Getty Images

After countless hard hits and Benji Marshall's match winning antics, it's the images of a crying Brent Tate that may be most remembered after Saturday's Four Nations final.

Australia's Channel 9 captured the Kangaroos' centre breaking down in tears and being consoled by team officials at halftime after he suffered a possible career-threatening knee injury.

Sydney Morning Herald league writer Brad Walter says the images showed the soft side of a sport known for it's hard men.

"What the vision gave us was a rare insight into the pain and emotion felt by a top sportsperson after suffering a serious injury.

"Suddenly, the drama in the Australian dressing room was just as compelling as that on the field, where the undermanned Kangaroos were now trying - unsuccesfully as it turned out - to hold off a second half challenge from the world champion Kiwis.

"...what the footage showed was the human side of a game whose players are often portrayed as being little more than overpaid robots on the field and drunken louts off it."

A YouTube link of the video has attracted more than 13,000 hits.

But the emotional scenes did not affect the Kangaroos, coach Tim Sheens said.

"We're not using that as an excuse." Sheens said.

Captain Darren Lockyer also said Tate's distress had been only a minor distraction.

"We could see he was pretty upset but we had a game to play," he said.

"It was a distraction for maybe a minute but we were in a test match and had to get on with things. The boys went over to him after the game to see how he was. He's pretty shattered at the moment."

Tate, who rejected a two-year offer to stay at the New Zealand Warriors in favour of a three-year contract with North Queensland, now faces a third bout of knee reconstruction surgery followed by nine months of rehabilitation.

- Herald online (additional reporting by Steve Deane)