By SHAUNA ANDERSON
There were two acts of bravery that my seven-year old son lauded last week.
The first was a guy who had his arms ripped off by a shark on Thursday off the coast of Western Australia.
The other was Sam Burgess, the young bloke who played an entire NRL Grand Final with a fractured cheekbone and possible concussion.
A man now praised for being a “champion”, a “legend”, “gutsy”, and “courageous”.
A man who now says he “can’t actually remember” much of the game anyway – possibly, medical experts now say, due to concussion.
Sam Burgess (left) with Greg Inglis after the Grand Final
A man given the keys to the city of Sydney today and whose image will appear in full on posters tomorrow in major daily newspapers.
The shark attack victim had no choice but to swim to shore when the shark tore his limbs off.
Somewhere out there was a great white keen to eat the rest of him.
Sean Pollard lost his arms last week after a shark attack victim
But the other “hero”, Burgess, had a choice as to whether risk blindness, permanent double-vision or a lifetime head injury, and he chose to risk it.
He chose a ring, a shit-load of cash and the glory of a much-loved football team over his own health.