When James Fisher-Harris tucks the ball under his arm and tears up the field in Saturday's NRL All Stars match, the Maori enforcer will have his ill grandfather in mind.
Fisher-Harris fought off tears as he spoke to 9News about his grandfather, who's been diagnosed with dementia.
"Me and my brother were just lost for words seeing him like that," Fisher-Harris said.
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"He was like the big, tough man, you know? Just a bit fragile now."
Fisher-Harris has twice been named in the Dally M team of the year, and was crucial to the Panthers claiming back-to-back NRL titles over the last two seasons.
He's also among the toughest men in the game.
But he admitted in the 9News interview to being a gentle giant off the field.
"Try to pick out the positives," Fisher-Harris said of his grandfather's dementia battle.
"Just trying not to get emotional.
"But, yeah, it was pretty heartbreaking.
"Just can't take things for granted. Tomorrow's never promised, so just trying to live as much as we can and go give it my all."
Indigenous speedster Josh Addo-Carr is among a host of high-profile players who've withdrawn from the All Stars game, set to be played at New Zealand's Roturua International Stadium.
Maori representatives Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Joseph Manu, Daejarn Asi, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Starford To'a have also pulled out.
But Fisher-Harris is locked in — and says his grandfather, who's still aware of who his grandson is, will be watching the game with pride.
"I can just hear him telling me what to do and all this," Fisher-Harris said with a laugh.
"I think he'll just be happy seeing the last name on the back of our shirts."
The Maori defeated the Indigenous 16-12 at Sydney's CommBank Stadium in last year's All Stars clash.
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When James Fisher-Harris tucks the ball under his arm and tears up the field in Saturday's NRL All Stars match, the Maori enforcer will have his ill grandfather in mind.
Fisher-Harris fought off tears as he spoke to 9News about his grandfather, who's been diagnosed with dementia.
"Me and my brother were just lost for words seeing him like that," Fisher-Harris said.
THE MOLE: Police 'over-reaction' claimed after stars' arrest
READ MORE: Penalised team fumes as drama hits Bathurst 12 Hour
READ MORE: Bitter blow as Aussie bowling stocks crumble
"He was like the big, tough man, you know? Just a bit fragile now."
Fisher-Harris has twice been named in the Dally M team of the year, and was crucial to the Panthers claiming back-to-back NRL titles over the last two seasons.
He's also among the toughest men in the game.
But he admitted in the 9News interview to being a gentle giant off the field.
"Try to pick out the positives," Fisher-Harris said of his grandfather's dementia battle.
"Just trying not to get emotional.
"But, yeah, it was pretty heartbreaking.
"Just can't take things for granted. Tomorrow's never promised, so just trying to live as much as we can and go give it my all."
Indigenous speedster Josh Addo-Carr is among a host of high-profile players who've withdrawn from the All Stars game, set to be played at New Zealand's Roturua International Stadium.
Maori representatives Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Joseph Manu, Daejarn Asi, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Starford To'a have also pulled out.
But Fisher-Harris is locked in — and says his grandfather, who's still aware of who his grandson is, will be watching the game with pride.
"I can just hear him telling me what to do and all this," Fisher-Harris said with a laugh.
"I think he'll just be happy seeing the last name on the back of our shirts."
The Maori defeated the Indigenous 16-12 at Sydney's CommBank Stadium in last year's All Stars clash.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
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