Daniel Anderson’s family say his positive attitude has helped them cope as the game continues to rally around the Roosters recruitment manager and former Warriors and Eels coach after his life-changing spinal injury.
Sydney Roosters and Parramatta will meet in Round 25, which the NRL has dedicated to Anderson, with Go Media Stadium in Auckland to be re-named Daniel Anderson Stadium for the Warriors’ August 18 clash with Manly.
The Long Lunch for Daniel at Royal Randwick on July 7 saw the game come together in support of Anderson and NRL CEO Andrew Abdo successfully bid for the opening two auction items – NSW and Queensland Origin experiences.
Abdo purchased the packages on behalf of the NRL for $10,000 each and asked Anderson to offer them to some special people who had helped him since the bodysurfing accident last December that has left him a quadriplegic.
Anderson’s sons Cooper and Spencer attended the Blues captain’s run, were given tickets to Origin III, entry to the post-match function and received a signed jersey, courtesy of the NSWRL.
His brother-in-law Brett Ireland and Brett’s son, Aeren, attended the Maroons’ captain’s run, received seats behind the playing bench and access to the dressing room after the match, courtesy of the QRL.
“We had great seats, in the first half we were on the side where the Blues kept making the breaks through Josh Addo-Carr,” Cooper said.
“The day before we did a tour of the NSWRL HQ and got to see the boys warm-up, then went over to the stadium and watched them train. It was only a light session but it was still incredible.
“It was a once in a lifetime experience and the generosity, not just with this but from the NRL in general, has been almost unfathomable at some stages.
“On behalf of our family I want to thank Andrew Abdo, the NRL and everyone across the game for their incredible support.”
Cooper, 20, was on the beach the day of his father’s accident and was constantly by his side as the family came to terms with the severity of his injury.
As Cooper works for the Roosters, he was the first point of contact for many at the club and within in the game who wanted to check on Anderson’s condition and recovery.
He helped to enable his father to work from hospital and initially Cooper or his mother, Natalie, would write emails on Anderson’s behalf until he learned to use voice to text technology on his phone to do so.
“The first month or so was tough, especially as some of the early diagnoses were quite daunting, but Dad’s attitude has been so positive and that has helped us so much,” Cooper said.
“As Dad got better, he just wanted to get straight back into work. He said at the lunch that he has never been a great trainer, he has never been really fit or had a great body to be honest, but he has been pushing himself so hard, and he has been so positive.
I tell everyone that if he wasn’t so positive, it would be completely different for us.
Daniel Anderson's son, Cooper
Cooper has worked part-time at the Roosters since April 2022 as an analyst for the club’s junior representative teams while also studying commerce at Sydney University.
Spencer, 18, took the first semester off from university to help support Natalie by cooking and performing other household tasks, but he is now set to resume his studies.
Face to Face: Yvonne Sampson interviews Daniel Anderson
“We shared the load - myself, Mum, Spencer and we have two older sisters [Alana and Heather], as well,” Cooper said.
“My brother has done a lot of the cooking when Mum has been out late, and before this he did not know how to cook anything. He has had to learn to cook and he has done a lot of the house maintenance as well.
“I was a bit more busy with the Roosters, and I helped Dad with work stuff. I was at the hospital a lot early on and if any of the football staff needed to ask Dad something or just wanted to check in, they usually came to me.
“I got to go to a lot of the physio sessions and for Mum it was nice for her not to be there with Dad all the time, so she could duck out for a coffee with a friend.”
Unite for Daniel
Natalie’s brother Brett also helped by taking over the regular maintenance of their lawns and pool, while his wife Kym has been cooking meals for Anderson and his family.
Brett bought three tables for friends at the Long Lunch with Daniel function and purchased the Melbourne Cup package at the auction.
Brett and son Aeren are hoping to do some modifications to the Anderson’s house to assist Daniel’s return home.