NRL legend the affectionately called ‘Lord’ Ted Goodwin has sadly suffered a stroke in recent times but remarkably wasn’t aware of this.
The St George legend ‘Goodwin is already being described as the luckiest man in rugby league in 2024 by Wide World of Sports’ the Mole who broke the story just hours into the new year.
The Mole revealed that tests overnight showed that the former Test star of the 1970s suffered a major stroke recently but didn’t even know it.
Now aged 70, Goodwin believed that he simply had a headache in December when he was feeling unwell.
As the Mole said, “He shrugged it off, got on with life, but was admitted to hospital last week unable to walk, his legs badly swollen and tests revealing fluid in the lungs and around his heart.”
“We weren’t sure what it was and he had us worried,” Goodwin’s son Bronx told Wide World of Sports.
“A CT scan yesterday revealed he had a stroke. This is what set everything else off. He’s sitting up in hospital and feeling a lot better.”
The Mole would perfectly encapsulate his legacy: “Goodwin was a favourite son of the Dragons in the 1970s, playing more than 100 games for the club including three grand finals.
“In the 1977 drawn grand final with Parramatta, he scored one of the all-time classic tries at the SCG with a chip and chase.
“But as he scored, he knocked himself out on the SCG turf, taking no further part in the match.
“Despite being heavily concussed, he played in the replay the following weekend as the Dragons won the premiership with a 22-0 defeat of the Eels.
“Goodwin also had stints with Newtown and Western Suburbs and played four times for Australia.
“He was one of the glamour players of the 1970s and his nickname – ‘Lord’ – said it all about how much he was loved by the fans.”
Sadly he is the third player to suffer a stroke in 2023 with the highest profile player being Zane Tetevano from Leeds Rhinos resulting in his exit. Fortunately he has recovered and is able to play on in 2024.