‘It spread to my brain, it was serious’: Young relives health ordeal

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Dominic Young has spoken for the first time about the “heartbreaking” health setback that has cost him a cherished Test jersey and left him languishing in a Leeds hospital after a sinus infection spread to his brain.

Having finished as the NRL’s top tryscorer following a breakout season with Newcastle, Young travelled back to his native England to play in the season-ending international matches against Tonga. What began as a sinus infection quickly escalated to a much more serious condition that has ruled him out of the Test series and will also sideline him for a significant portion of the pre-season.

In his first interview since the ordeal, the Roosters recruit said he is grateful his condition is improving after undergoing emergency surgery.

“The infection I had spread to the brain, which was quite serious,” Young told this masthead from his hospital bed.

“I obviously had to get that removed and it’s just being monitored now. It was surgery, they had to go up through my nose and remove it, kinda drain it.

“It started from a sinus infection. I was congested for a little bit and I flew over and the pressure in my head made it worse.

Dominic Young is on the mend.Credit: James Brickwood

“I was getting bad headaches and went to the hospital for the headaches. I’ve had migraines and stuff before but I’d never felt anything like I was feeling.

“I woke up in hospital the next day and my eye was really swollen. I spent the night by myself and then the family came in the morning and they were [asking] ‘What’s happened to your eye?’

“The doctors got pretty concerned, I went for a scan and then they realised it had spread a bit. That’s when it all kicked up.”

The congestion issue worsened after the flight from Australia and Young soon realised the issue was more serious.

Dominic Young’s breakout NRL campaign was capped by a miraculous try against the Dragons.Credit: Getty

“My sinuses weren’t great, but that wasn’t any real alarm for me because that’s kinda normal, isn’t it?” he said.

“But when I landed, each day I got a light headache and didn’t think too much about it. Then it kind of ramped [up] and it got a bit serious.

“I’m feeling better now, obviously still in hospital, but kinda on the mend now.”

Medicos are yet to provide Young with a discharge date, but the best-case scenario is he could be allowed to leave by the end of the weekend. Regardless, he will need to recover in England for several weeks before he is allowed to return to Australia.

‘I think I’m going to be out of action for a decent amount of time. It is disappointing.’

“If I didn’t get on the antibiotics as early as I could, it would have spread a lot faster and been more dangerous,” he said.

“It’s a good thing I nipped it in the bud as soon as possible.

“I’m going to have to be on antibiotics, I’ve got a device in my arm that is going to stay there for a while.

“I’ll be on antibiotics when I get home [in England] for a few weeks before I can even think about flying back. I will probably miss a bit of the pre-season, [but] it won’t set me back for round one or anything like that.”

John Bateman helped England to a 22-18 win over Tonga in what would have been Dominic Young’s sixth Test.Credit: Getty

Young has already represented England on five occasions and was hoping to add to that tally in the coming weeks.

“It’s obviously heartbreaking, that’s the reason I came over: to play,” he said.

“I’ve always spoken about how much it means to me to pull on that jersey, it’s disappointing. The most important thing is I am with my family and they can look after me. I’m on the mend now and I’ve got to look at the positives, but obviously it’s really disappointing to miss out.

“I think I’m going to be out of action for a decent amount of time. It is disappointing.”

Young scored 25 tries last season for Newcastle, eclipsing the previous record of 21 held by Timana Tahu. The 22-year-old is looking to continue that form at the Roosters, where his older brother Alex has also signed from next season.

“He’s a big boy, taller than me, he’s around six foot seven [200cm],” Young said.

“It would be very cool to play with your brother. We always spoke about it when we were younger. This is the first time he’s gone in and really believed in himself and attacked rugby.

“It will be interesting to see how he goes in a full-time environment, it will bring the best out of him.”

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