HSBC Waratahs acknowledge the contribution of women in rugby

In April this year, the 27 year old dislocated his ankle and broke a bone in his leg when he collided with another player in a Super 15 match against the Queensland Reds. Drew was looking at spending the rest of the year on the side line as it generally takes players six months to recover from an injury like this. A disappointing outcome in the usual course of events but devastating in a World Cup year.

Enter Drew's mum. Karen Mitchell, a nurse, came down from Queensland, where she lives with her husband, to look after her son. A self-proclaimed Army Brat who went on to marry into the miltary, Karen has raised three rugby playing sons. The eldest two play rugby for the Defence Force and Drew, the youngest, continues his upward projection on the Super 15 and International stage. Karen is therefore well aware of the highs and lows of playing rugby. 

Naturally, she is an ardent supporter of her son. In his first few games as a Wallaby, proud mum arranged for friends and family to attend each game wearing shirts emblazoned with 'Drew's Crew'. And, if Drew didn't see them (or was trying not to look), his senior team mates always made sure he knew they were there. She now has carefully selected outfits to show her support for Drew - whether it be blue for the Waratahs or gold for the Wallabies - and, according to Drew, none are of a pale shade. 

With Drew's motivation to be selected for Robbie Dean's World Cup Squad and the care of his mother, Drew has made a speedy recovery and, after eight weeks, is walking around without obvious signs of injury to his right leg and ankle.

At the breakfast, Drew acknowledged the significant support of his mum over the last eight weeks. She has driven him to multiple medical appointments and rehabilitation sessions, cooked his meals and generally ensured he has been able to focus all of his efforts on recovery. Having said that, Karen is just as apt at ensuring Drew stays grounded as he strives for World Cup selection. Drew relayed an example of this for the audience. 

In preparing for a visit to the other side of Sydney to see another one of her sons and her grandchildren, Karen checked whether Drew would be ok for the day. Despite an obvious lack of enthusiasm for cooking, he declared himself competent to feed and look after himself for the day. When alone, Drew discovered logistical problems with carrying the meal he had proudly prepared for himself from the kitchen to the lounge room with crutches in hand. After considering his options, he ended up on hands and knees, attaching his crutches to his legs and crawling his way to the lounge while shuffling his food laden plate across the floor. I'm sure his appreciation for his mum grew further that day.

With Drew now back on his feet with full mobility, after 8 weeks in Sydney, Karen flies home this weekend. Although her support will continue, as she did admit that Drew's freezer will have some easy-to-prepare meals waiting for him. 

So, the reality of the Rugby World Cup once again looms for Drew and if, as we hope, he joins the squad, he will owe a debt to his mum in helping him get there.  Good on you Mrs Mitchell....you may have been instrumental in enabling the Wallabies to lift the Cup in October.