- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Manly premiership winner Matt Orford remains in a stable condition in intensive care as he continues to recover from brain surgery.
Orford, 38, underwent surgery on Sunday at Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital to remove a clot from his brain after suffering a seizure.
The former NRL halfback had hip surgery last week, but had stayed in North Sydney’s Mater Hospital as a result of complications from that operation.
On its Twitter account on Thursday Manly provided an update on Orford, who captained the club to 2008 premiership.
“Matt Orford remains in a stable condition in intensive care. The family appreciate all the well wishes,” the tweet read.
Craig Bellamy, who coached Orford at Melbourne from 2003 to 2005, said the thoughts of the rugby league community were with the former first grade playmaker and his family.
“It is obviously a terrible situation, and for a guy that age and that fit it is hard to believe,” Bellamy said.
“He is going through a real tough time and his family is going through a real tough time.
“It is just hard to think of Matt Orford in that sort of condition or in that state, he always had a real bounce in his step.
“He always was a cocky rooster. He always had that swagger about him. It is really sad but he is only young, he is strong and I know he has been doing some training.
“He is a determined little bugger too and I hope all those things get him through this.”
Orford, nicknamed Ox, led Manly to their 40-0 win over Melbourne in the 2008 NRL grand final.
The former City Origin halfback played 249 first grade games in a career that spanned 12 years with Northern Eagles, Melbourne, Manly, Bradford and Canberra until his retirement in 2011.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.