Kangaroos forward Pat Carrigan has thanked team-mates for rallying around him after the tragic death of Liam Hampson and revealed that he would have been in Barcelona with his close mate if not selected for the World Cup.
Carrigan, who learned of Hampson’s death while attending a civic reception in Coventry ahead of Australia’s 84-0 defeat of Scotland, said members of the Kangaroos squad had regularly checked in on his welfare.
“I reckon after that night all 23 of them, plus the coaching staff, sent me a message when I was in my room,” Carrigan said.
“That speaks well of the group that we have got here and their character. They are pretty special footy players but there is not one minute I have felt alone the last couple of days, and I will be forever grateful to those guys.”
The Broncos star wrote “Hampo” on strapping tape on his right wrist and was sporting a new tattoo with the opening line from the Serenity Prayer on his left forearm, although he said that was not dedicated specifically to Hampson.
He was part of a group of players who were close friends with the Redcliffe Dolphins hooker, including Brisbane team-mates Jordan Riki and Jesse Arthars and Titans star AJ Brimson.
“We grew up playing footy against each other. We are the same age and we have got a little crew of mates, some outside of footy, and some of the Titans boys,” Carrigan said.
“He was an awesome mate of mine, and it is really tough to see what has happened, not only what his family has got to go through but also some of the lads who were with him.
“It is crazy how if I wasn’t in this situation, I probably would have been on that holiday with the boys so that is a bit of perspective.
“We have been tossing up a bit of a Europe trip for a while. We have got a crew of mates who knock about together and if I wasn’t here, I would have been with the boys.”
Carrigan said he had last spoken with Hampson and their other friends before his departure to England with the Kangaroos, but they had kept in contact through social media.
“I found out the news when I was heading into the civic reception and one of the boys rang me,” he said. “That rocked me a bit. You just have to take time to process things and think of the good times we had together.
“He was a fun, lovable sort of person, who will be remembered as a competitor on and off the footy field. He was only a little guy, but he bought a lot of joy to our friendship group.
“I put his name on my wrist, I am not usually one to do that stuff, but I just wanted to show a bit of a momento to his family and all of the guys out there.
“We probably need to talk about things more as men and I am not the best to do that, but I just wanted to reach out to the boys to let them know I was thinking of them too.”
Carrigan, who ran 183 metres with the ball and made 15 tackles in a 38 minute stint against Scotland, dedicated his performance to Hampson.
Match Highlights: Australia v Scotland
Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga offered him the opportunity to sit the match out but Carrigan said he wanted to play.
“It is crazy how things change, and I was definitely thinking of him and his family,” he said.
“I am just grateful I could be in that position and just tried to play a good game of footy for the boys watching back home and his family, as well.
“It’s been a tough week but honestly there is no place I’d rather be. The boys here have been like family, kind of thing, and constantly checked in on me.
“I just wanted to play, not only to be a bit of a shining light for the guys and his family but to give back to these guys as well.”
Meninga: We'll make those tough decisions when the time comes
A Go Fund Me page set up by the players who were in Barcelona with Hampson to help pay for the cost of getting his body back to Australia raised $70,000 in two hours, with many NRL stars making donations.
“The generosity not only from the rugby league community for his family but also the wider public has been amazing, and I will be forever grateful that those sort of people have made it a little bit easier,” he said.