At this time of year it is about being with your loved ones during the holidays but sadly for one rugby league family they have lost one of their loved ones over the festive period.
26 year old Canberra Raiders star Troy Dargan passed away over Christmas in an accident and now the rugby league world is in mourning.
The young man was born in 1997 and had only recently turned 26. He was a halfback by trade and played two NRL games for South Sydney Rabbitohs in 2020 during the pandemic. This came after he made his debut for the Cook Islands in 2019.
Dargan was in the Cook Islands when he passed away on Christmas Eve. Going into 2024, Dargan was a member of the Canberra Raiders squad.
The club released the following statement: “The Canberra Raiders are deeply saddened by the passing of squad member Troy Dargan, who tragically lost his life in an accident early yesterday morning.
“Troy had only been in Canberra since the commencement of the pre-season, but had already established a number of friendships within the current playing group.”
Known affectionally as TJ, he was killed in a what has been described as a “horrific crash.” The incident was a motorcycle crash whilst he was on holiday with his family.
Raiders CEO Don Furner said the club would do everything they could to respect Troy’s family and assist where they could.
“This is a very sad time for Troy’s family and friends, and we will be respecting their privacy and offering support where we can, to help them at this tough time,” Mr Furner said. “Troy was just 26 years old, and we were looking forward to him having the opportunity to further his NRL Career with our club.
“The news is also very sad for Troy’s current teammates, and we will be offering support to any of them who need it at this time.”
Troy’s family has established a GofundMe page to assist in the cost of bringing Troy back from the Cook Islands where the accident occurred.
You can donate to the page via the link https://www.gofundme.com/f/bring-our-tj-home
The thoughts of everyone at Serious About Rugby League are with his family at this difficult time.
