By Matt Findlay

From being in a coma to running out in the Australian Club Championship just 12 months later, boom Warringah recruit Ruaridh Mackenzie’s journey to Rat Park has been arduous to say the least, but equally as remarkable.

In December of 2016, just after he’d signed with the Glasgow Warriors, the now 22-year-old was diagnosed with a severe case of viral meningitis and spent months in hospital and a number of days in a coma during that period.

For those playing at home viral meningitis is inflammation of the tissue that covers the brain and spinal cord and, in extreme cases like Mackenzie’s, can be life threatening.

“I got sick a couple of months after I got to Scotland, so it didn’t work out as planned,” Mackenzie, who’s father Gregor earned a single Test cap for Scotland in 1984, said.

“I was in hospital for a couple of months, in a coma for three or four days and lost about 20 kilos.

“Glasgow obviously told me not to worry about rugby … there was no rush but they did say they’d get me back on a trial period the following season.”

But as you might expect considering the illness Mackenzie – who was born in Scotland and grew up in New Zealand before moving to Australia to study at Queensland’s Bond University – did harbour thoughts he’d never play again.

He has, of course, but not before several more bumps in the road.

“I went back to Glasgow midway through last year,” he explained.

“It was only going to be a three of four week trial and then I’d make a decision with the new coaches, but I picked up a shoulder injury.

“I wasn’t ready, my body was still weak, so I never really got the chance I wanted over there.

“After that I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do with rugby but I spoke to some of the guys, it really is your mates that get you back out there.

“I started training again, the hunger came back (and) I liked living in Australia, so I thought I’d try and give the Shute Shield a crack.”

That brings us to now, with Mackenzie having “pretty well made a 100 per cent recovery” and impressing in his return to the paddock last weekend in the Rats’ trial against Eastern Suburbs.

On Saturday he’ll continue that comeback in Warringah’s famous No.8 jersey as the reigning Shute Shield champions face their Queensland Premier Rugby counterparts University of Queensland (UQ), with the Tackling Violence Australian Club Championship Cup on the line.

“I have pretty well made a 100 per cent recovery, I’m almost back to my regular weight now and the trial was my first game back after being sick,” he said.

“I’m very lucky to have come through unscathed, because meningitis can leave you with brain damage or worse.

“It’s been a long, old slog but since I’ve been at Rats I’ve just loved it.

“It’s such a good environment around the club, I’m really getting back to enjoying playing my footy.

“This weekend is a great opportunity for me to hopefully gain the boys’ respect with a good performance and obviously keep playing.

“I played UQ a few times when I was at university, but I never managed to beat them so I’m looking forward to hopefully doing that.

“We know they’re a fit side and very skilful too, but we’ve just been focusing on what we can do, getting our structure and the little things right. If that stuff comes together I think we’ll have a real crack at it.”

Of course after the Australian Club Championship comes the much tougher prospect of defending last year’s Shute Shield win, a famous one considering the emotional rollercoaster the Warringah club rode during 2017.

“We’ve spoken a lot about it at training and then at our pre-season camp,” Mackenzie said.

“With everything that happened last year there was a lot of emotional energy, so we really think winning a second title in a row would definitely be a bigger achievement because it is so difficult to do.

“[Rats coach Darren Coleman] has been very good at bringing all the new guys in and really getting the group to gel early as well.

“It’ll be interesting to see how we go, but it’s all feeling pretty good at this stage and we’re all keen to rip in.”

While the Shute Shield presents Warringah with the chance to go back-to-back, it also gives Mackenzie the chance to potentially progress back to the professional ranks.

Not that he’s focusing on that.

“After I got sick, the initial thing I sort of thought was ‘bugger the professional stuff, I just want to get back on the field’,” Mackenzie, who also played for Queensland’s under 20s at age 18, said.

“At this stage I do still have aspirations to play professionally but if I think about that too much I’ll lose my focus, and my focus right now is just to get out and enjoy it.

“That’s the way I’m looking at it, I’ll just enjoy my rugby and whatever happens, happens.”

Warringah will use Saturday’s match to raise awareness of a NSW Government initiative to tackle domestic violence, hence the aptly-named Tackling Violence Australian Club Championship Cup.

Kick-off at Rat Park in Sydney’s northern beaches is at 3pm on Saturday afternoon, the clash will be televised on Fox Sports.

WARRINGAH: Rory O’Connor, Luke Holmes, Harry Rorke, Sam Ward, Sam Thomson, Max Girdler, Maclean Jones, Ruaridh Mackenzie, Josh Holmes, Myles Dorrian, Harry Jones, Sailosi Tagicakibau, Seb Wileman, Tyson Davies, Dave Feltscheer. Reserves: Rob Kelly, Baxter King, Faavae Sila, Jack Tomkins, Andrew Davies, Pat Curtin, Mark Gerrard, Harley Attwater

UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND: Tom Mellor, Campbell Wakely, Hamish Richardson, Jay Adkins, Ben Paxton-Hall, Pat Morrey, Wyatt Setu, Jack de Guingand, Scott Gale, James Dalgleish, Will Eadie, Con Foley, Josh Birch, Clifton Setu, Jock Campbell. Reserves: Aaron Pleash, SJ Tamala, James McColl, John Yates, Max Sing, Sam Dalgleish, Ed Gibson, Brad Twidale.