It may take up to two years for Matt Scott to fully recover from the mild stroke that struck down the ex-Test prop three months ago, North Queensland football boss Peter Parr says.
While Parr admitted the Cowboys great had been frustrated by his slow progress, he said Scott was still expected to make a full recovery and was assured of a North Queensland support staff role in the future.
Parr said Scott still struggled at times with fatigue and nausea months after suffering the “shocking” health scare after playing in the Cowboys’ round 22 loss to Newcastle.
“I saw him last week. He is recovering well. He is going to be okay long term,” Parr told Sky Sports Radio.
“I think the frustrating thing for him is that it is a long process.
“He still gets fatigued very easily. He still has times there when he gets nauseous and things like that.
“Unfortunately the only thing that is going to heal is time.”
Parr said Scott was one of the toughest players he had met but admitted the former Queensland enforcer initially struggled when told of the long recovery process.
“When you are used to bouncing back quickly from injuries or illness because is such a good athlete, to be told that it could be a 12 to 24 month process, that’s hard to take,” he said.
“He’s one of the toughest blokes I have met. He’s used to dealing with pain, he’s used to being high energy.
“So that’s the struggle for him at the moment, to make sure he is looking after himself and taking things easy.”
Scott, 34, was set to retire at the end of the 2019 NRL season before his 268-game career – all with the Cowboys – was cut short by the health scare.
But Parr said Scott would still be a part of the NRL club.
“He will certainly be part of our club going forward. We love him a lot, he will have a role to play,” he said of Scott, who played 22 Origins and 22 Tests.
“But as it stands at the moment it is small steps.”