Shaun Fensom of the Cowboys lays injured during the 2017 NRL Grand Final match between the Melbourne Storm and the North Queensland Cowboys. Photo / Getty Images.
Shaun Fensom of the Cowboys lays injured during the 2017 NRL Grand Final match between the Melbourne Storm and the North Queensland Cowboys. Photo / Getty Images.
He gave the crowd the thumbs-up as he was taken from ANZ Stadium during Sunday's grand final. And now courageous Cowboy Shaun Fensom has delivered the thumbs up from his hospital bed.
In one of the saddest yet inspiring grand final moments, the tough-as-nails 28-year-old was operated on Monday after his sickening collision in the opening minutes in Sunday's decider.
With his wife Leah by his bedside in a Sydney hospital, Fensom was full of hope on Monday night that he would be back on the field next year after breaking both the fibula and tibia bones in his left leg.
On a heartbreaking night for North Queensland, Fensom stole the hearts of footy fans around the country when he set aside the pain of the shocking break to gesture to the crowd that he was okay.
Fensom's bravery masked the immense disappointment after he broke down in tears in the dressingrooms and apologised profusely to teammates and staff, saying he was sorry he had let them down.
Fensom's leg struck teammate Ethan Lowe in a fourth-minute tackle and from the moment of impact he was painfully aware of the seriousness of the injury.
The game was stopped for 10 minutes as trainers tended to a stricken Fensom, a sad end to the first year of his two-season contract in Townsville after moving from Canberra.
Fensom's courage won the respect of the crowd at ANZ Stadium and from millions more fans watching at home as he gave them the thumbs up.
But what everyone outside the Cowboys' inner sanctum didn't see was the devastation that followed as soon as he arrived in the dressing rooms.
Insiders revealed how Fensom broke down in tears and constantly apologised for letting his teammates down.
The seriousness of Fensom's injury is revealed in X-rays.
Injured prop Matt Scott also revealed how Fensom sent him text messages from hospital again saying "sorry" for letting his mates down.
"I know all the guys are feeling for him, he texted me and apologised as soon as he went off for letting the team down, that's the sort of guy he is," Cowboys' Matt Scott said.
"I told him to wake up to himself.
"He's been one of the most underrated players in the club, what he's done this year has been immense."
Teammate Scott Bolton labelled Fensom "one of the toughest blokes I have ever played with".
"I feel bad for him because he has just had such a bad run with injuries," Bolton said.
"Since he has been here and when he was at Canberra, everyone respects him because of the man he is. He is just a top bloke."
Fensom now faces a lengthy recovery period, but hasn't given up the hope of returning to the field in as little as six months.
