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Highs, Lows and Hypos

By Mike Appleton | May 21, 2017 0 Comments

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Danny Sculthorpe on his autobiography – Highs, Lows and Hypos, which is due out in October.

It’s been an absolute pleasure helping Danny with his story and over the coming weeks I’ll blog about the writing process.

Blurb:

Car-crash tackles at lightning pace, brutal hits and extreme physical exertion in all weathers; rugby league is an unforgiving sport. It’s a battle between player and opponent, whilst the demons inside your body are screaming at you that every sinew is in pain.

Show weakness and the opposition has an edge over you. You’ve already lost and you’ve also let your team-mates down. Don’t, and just maybe you can experience the best the sport has to offer and the adulation of thousands of supporters.

Danny Sculthorpe epitomised what being a tough, no-nonsense player was all about. Released by Leeds and Warrington before he’d even become a man, he revitalised his career at Rochdale. Then came the big money move to Wigan and the highs and lows of a cup final before he was unceremoniously dumped by a coach he thought had his back.

Spells at Castleford, Wakefield and Huddersfield followed until he landed at one of the most storied clubs in the world – Bradford Bulls. But agony struck. After beating countless injuries – and type one diabetes – over a long career that saw him captain his country, a simple training ground accident cost him his livelihood and almost his life.

Forced onto the scrapheap with many years ahead of him, depression followed alongside an addiction to medication and sleeping tablets. Worse was to follow as money troubles finally came home to roost, leaving one of the toughest players ever to play the game to contemplate suicide.

Highs, Lows and Hypos is an incredible story of being a sportsman at the top of your game to someone who came acutely close to losing everything. It’s how one man battled his black, emotional state to become an inspiration for all.