pt73
Bencher
From today's SMH, great story.
I remember that NYC Grand Final ending like it was yesterday.
Vale Keith Titmuss.
Sunday should have been the day that four best friends fulfilled their dream of playing in the NRL together.
Instead, three of them – Josh Schuster, Jason Saab and Matt Doorey – will come together at Moreton Daily Stadium to honour the mate who couldn’t be with them.
It has been nine months since Keith Titmuss died after suffering a seizure at Manly training and the trio are still struggling to process the tragic event.
Life in the bubble has meant that Manly stars Schuster and Saab haven’t been able to spend much time with Canterbury counterpart Doorey of late, but they will reunite when the teams clash at Redcliffe. Given how close Titmuss was to making his NRL debut before his passing, this should have been the game in which the quartet fulfilled their life-long ambition.
“It’s going to be a weird one,” says Schuster, who was injured when the teams met in July. “[Doorey] is one of our close mates as well; we spent time with Matty every day when we weren’t in lockdown. Keith will be happy watching us three.”
The four youngsters were inseparable growing up in Sydney’s western suburbs. Whether it be playing footy with or against each other, trying to outdo each other on PlayStation or shooting hoops at the Collimore Park basketball courts in Liverpool, theirs was a bond that could not be broken.
Which is one of the main reasons why Saab switched from St George Illawarra to Manly during the summer, in the hope of playing in the NRL alongside Titmuss.
“Definitely, if he wasn’t here, I don’t know whether I would have come,” Saab says. “He definitely was one of the main influences.”
Even now, after every training session, Sea Eagles players observe a moment’s silence to remember Titmuss. The club, acknowledging the fact he was destined for the NRL, posthumously awarded him their next first grade number, 623.
The significance of that number isn’t lost on Saab or Schuster.
“That would have meant the world to Keith and to his family,” Schuster says. “It’s special for me and Saaby as well because I’m No.622, Keith is No.623 and Saaby is No.624. It’s quite amazing how it all worked out.”
Doorey adds: “I went down that day the club retired the number. It was pretty cool. That’s pretty special for him and his family, it shows how much Manly cares, that he is a part of it.”
Before Schuster runs out against the Bulldogs, he will go through a routine that has become the norm since Titmuss’ passing.
“I write a little ‘KT’ on my wrist,” he says. “It’s not big, you can’t really see it – I don’t want to make it a big deal. He is always there with me every time I step onto the field.”
Titmuss’ greatest footy moment came on grand final day in 2017. The Sea Eagles were trailing arch-rivals Parramatta by four points in the National Youth Competition decider with just a minute left on the clock. With time running down on their premiership dream, Titmuss steamed onto a short ball, split the Eels defence and launched into an extravagant dive to ground the Steeden under the posts.
The try was converted, Manly won and Titmuss was a grand final hero.
“I was actually working at Peter Wynn’s [sports store] at the time,” Saab says of his part-time job at Parramatta. “I was sitting in the change rooms or doing whatever Pete had me doing and watching the TV.
“I remember seeing him [Titmuss] bust through and I was like, ‘What’s going on, this is crazy’. It was pretty cool.”
Doorey was in New Zealand at that time, as part of a touring Combined High Schools side.
“I only got to watch the last 10 minutes on one of the TVs in the hotel room,” he says. “When he scored the try, it was pretty cool.”
The trio have shared special moments during their careers, but Titmuss is never far from their thoughts.
“Every time I play, I just want to make him proud,” Saab says.
“If I don’t play good, I feel like I let him down. I know that’s never the case, but it’s just what it means to me. That’s how much I dedicate everything towards him, because it was both our dreams to play together.
“He’s motivation, that’s for sure. I don’t highlight it that much, I don’t need to, he is just part of the why – why I play the game now.”
Schuster’s friendship with Titmuss stretched over 15 years. They attended Mount Pritchard Public School and Westfields Sports High together and lived in each other’s pockets.
“He’s been my best mate since primary school,” Schuster says. “We did pretty much everything together, to be honest. He meant a lot not only to me but my family as well.
“He was pretty much my older brother. It would have been the best feeling if we could have all played NRL together.”
In speaking to Schuster, Saab and Doorey, themes emerge about Titmuss the character: he was quiet, humble, but a “bit of a comedian” when he came out of his shell around his closest friends.
“Very few people in this world got to see Keith be his natural self, when he would open up,” Saab says.
Time has passed, but the pain remains raw for those closest to Titmuss.
“It’s still been tough,” Doorey says. “I spent most of my time growing up with him. Like the other boys, a part of him is still with me.”
I remember that NYC Grand Final ending like it was yesterday.
Vale Keith Titmuss.
Sunday should have been the day that four best friends fulfilled their dream of playing in the NRL together.
Instead, three of them – Josh Schuster, Jason Saab and Matt Doorey – will come together at Moreton Daily Stadium to honour the mate who couldn’t be with them.
It has been nine months since Keith Titmuss died after suffering a seizure at Manly training and the trio are still struggling to process the tragic event.
Life in the bubble has meant that Manly stars Schuster and Saab haven’t been able to spend much time with Canterbury counterpart Doorey of late, but they will reunite when the teams clash at Redcliffe. Given how close Titmuss was to making his NRL debut before his passing, this should have been the game in which the quartet fulfilled their life-long ambition.
“It’s going to be a weird one,” says Schuster, who was injured when the teams met in July. “[Doorey] is one of our close mates as well; we spent time with Matty every day when we weren’t in lockdown. Keith will be happy watching us three.”
The four youngsters were inseparable growing up in Sydney’s western suburbs. Whether it be playing footy with or against each other, trying to outdo each other on PlayStation or shooting hoops at the Collimore Park basketball courts in Liverpool, theirs was a bond that could not be broken.
Which is one of the main reasons why Saab switched from St George Illawarra to Manly during the summer, in the hope of playing in the NRL alongside Titmuss.
“Definitely, if he wasn’t here, I don’t know whether I would have come,” Saab says. “He definitely was one of the main influences.”
Even now, after every training session, Sea Eagles players observe a moment’s silence to remember Titmuss. The club, acknowledging the fact he was destined for the NRL, posthumously awarded him their next first grade number, 623.
The significance of that number isn’t lost on Saab or Schuster.
“That would have meant the world to Keith and to his family,” Schuster says. “It’s special for me and Saaby as well because I’m No.622, Keith is No.623 and Saaby is No.624. It’s quite amazing how it all worked out.”
Doorey adds: “I went down that day the club retired the number. It was pretty cool. That’s pretty special for him and his family, it shows how much Manly cares, that he is a part of it.”
Before Schuster runs out against the Bulldogs, he will go through a routine that has become the norm since Titmuss’ passing.
“I write a little ‘KT’ on my wrist,” he says. “It’s not big, you can’t really see it – I don’t want to make it a big deal. He is always there with me every time I step onto the field.”
Titmuss’ greatest footy moment came on grand final day in 2017. The Sea Eagles were trailing arch-rivals Parramatta by four points in the National Youth Competition decider with just a minute left on the clock. With time running down on their premiership dream, Titmuss steamed onto a short ball, split the Eels defence and launched into an extravagant dive to ground the Steeden under the posts.
The try was converted, Manly won and Titmuss was a grand final hero.
“I was actually working at Peter Wynn’s [sports store] at the time,” Saab says of his part-time job at Parramatta. “I was sitting in the change rooms or doing whatever Pete had me doing and watching the TV.
“I remember seeing him [Titmuss] bust through and I was like, ‘What’s going on, this is crazy’. It was pretty cool.”
Doorey was in New Zealand at that time, as part of a touring Combined High Schools side.
“I only got to watch the last 10 minutes on one of the TVs in the hotel room,” he says. “When he scored the try, it was pretty cool.”
The trio have shared special moments during their careers, but Titmuss is never far from their thoughts.
“Every time I play, I just want to make him proud,” Saab says.
“If I don’t play good, I feel like I let him down. I know that’s never the case, but it’s just what it means to me. That’s how much I dedicate everything towards him, because it was both our dreams to play together.
“He’s motivation, that’s for sure. I don’t highlight it that much, I don’t need to, he is just part of the why – why I play the game now.”
Schuster’s friendship with Titmuss stretched over 15 years. They attended Mount Pritchard Public School and Westfields Sports High together and lived in each other’s pockets.
“He’s been my best mate since primary school,” Schuster says. “We did pretty much everything together, to be honest. He meant a lot not only to me but my family as well.
“He was pretty much my older brother. It would have been the best feeling if we could have all played NRL together.”
In speaking to Schuster, Saab and Doorey, themes emerge about Titmuss the character: he was quiet, humble, but a “bit of a comedian” when he came out of his shell around his closest friends.
“Very few people in this world got to see Keith be his natural self, when he would open up,” Saab says.
Time has passed, but the pain remains raw for those closest to Titmuss.
“It’s still been tough,” Doorey says. “I spent most of my time growing up with him. Like the other boys, a part of him is still with me.”
