Former Hunslet prop Steve Pryce is typical of the many ex-players who want no truck with the notion of mounting retrospective claims for dementia.
Pryce has himself recently been diagnosed with signs of early-onset dementia but he has no intention of seeking damages from the club, or from the sport that he loves.
The 52-year-old, who is a member of Hunslet’s Hall of Fame, made 255 appearances for the club – known during his period as the Hawks – after signing in 1994, and he also played for Ryedale-York and amateur outfits Queensbury, Dudley Hill, West Bowling and Wortley Dragons, who were run by former Hunslet secretary Alan Stephenson. He was also, alongside Dean Thomas, the late Des Drummond and Hunslet’s Roy Sampson, a leading figure in the launch of the Jamaican Rugby League side.
It is not known whether his condition has been contributed to in any way through his many seasons of giving and taking knocks in the front row, but he will emphatically not be seeking to sue Hunslet, or the Rugby Football League. And he has yet to come across any former players, either team-mates or opponents, who think differently.
Pryce, who is a hugely popular figure at Hunslet and who attends most matches at the South Leeds Stadium, says: “Everyone I know says the same – that they knew, perfectly well, the risks inherent in playing Rugby League from the minute they first laced on a pair of boots. For them and for me, it would be wrong to now pretend otherwise. We were all aware of the potential injuries, but we just got on with it.”
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