St Helens make gesture to former coach Daniel Anderson after catastrophic injury
Photo: Vaughn Ridley/SWpix
St Helens have shown their support for their former coach Daniel Anderson, who has been left a quadriplegic following a devastating spinal chord injury.
The 56-year-old suffered the life-changing injury whilst in a body surfing accident on the Central Coast of New South Wales last December.
Anderson is now continuing his rehabilitation at the Royal Rehabilitation Centre in Ryde.
The Daniel Anderson Support Fund has been launched to help raise funds for the former Saints coach, with the Super League champions sponsoring the Fund.
The fundraising initiative has been launched to assist Anderson and his family with financial assistance, essential equipment, intensive physiotherapy and home modifications.
On the organisation committee is St Helens chief executive Mike Rush alongside representatives from Parramatta Eels, Sydney Roosters and New Zealand Warriors alongside others who will be promoting events to raise funds for the Daniel Anderson Support Fund.
Click here find out how you can support and contribute to the Daniel Anderson Support Fund
❤ St Helens R.F.C. are proud to sponsor and be part of the rugby league community that has come together to help launch The Daniel Anderson Support Fund to help raise much-needed funds for the former Saints coach.#COYS
— St.Helens R.F.C. (@Saints1890) May 29, 2023
More on the Daniel Anderson Support Fund
Anderson began his coaching career in 1999 with the Eels before taking his first head coaching role with the Warriors in 2001.
The Australian led the Warriors to their first Grand Final in 2002, where they lost to the Roosters. He was named Dally M Coach the Year in 2002 and guided the Warriors to another finals series in 2003.
He was appointed as head coach of the New Zealand national team in 2003, coaching the Kiwis in the 2004 Tri-Nations.
Anderson was appointed the coach of St Helens in 2005, succeeding Ian Millward. He guided the Saints to a historic treble, with them winning the Challenge Cup and Super League Grand Final in 2006 followed by the World Club Challenge the following year.
The Saints won the Challenge Cup again in 2007 but fell short to Leeds in the Grand Final at Old Trafford.
St Helens won the Challenge Cup for a third year in a row in 2008 before going down to the Rhinos in the Grand Final again.
He returned to the NRL with the Eels as head coach in 2009, taking the club to the NRL Grand Final.
Most recently, Anderson has been working in a recruitment role for the Roosters.
In a message on the Fund’s website, it read: “Our dear friend Daniel Anderson is a well respected and highly successful elite rugby league coach, a devoted husband, and a loving father.
“In December 2022, Daniel suffered a catastrophic spinal cord injury following a body surfing accident on the Central Coast of New South Wales.
“Daniel’s friends, and with a lot of rugby league support, have opened this fund to provide ongoing financial assistance, enabling Daniel to continue with intensive physiotherapy and to purchase essential equipment and undertake home modifications.”
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