LeagueNews.co | Jason Patrick
The Penrith Panthers are mourning the loss of club legend John Farragher, who passed away last week at the age of 68.
Farragher, who played seven first-grade matches for the Panthers in 1978, became an inspirational figure in the club's history following a tragic on-field accident that left him a quadriplegic at the young age of 21.
This life-altering incident occurred during a match against Newtown in 1978, when Farragher, a front-rower hailing from Gilgandra, was involved in a scrum that collapsed, leading to severe spinal injuries as players fell onto his neck.
Tim Sheens, a former Panthers player and coach who witnessed the harrowing event, shared his memories with Wide World of Sports.
"I was on the sideline that day, out injured, and will never forget it," Sheens recalled. "the boys were just shattered. They knew straight away how serious it was, and an ambulance eventually came onto the field and took him to hospital, and that was that."