TIM Browne was lying on a gurney being wheeled down a hospital corridor towards the operating theatre.

He turned to his wife, Ellie, and managed to tell her through the excruciating pain — “That’s it. I can’t”.

About five hours earlier Browne had taken a hit-up for Penrith’s reserve grade team against North Sydney at Panthers Stadium.

The ensuing tackle would end his rugby league career. It could have easily ended his life.

Round 20

But it didn’t. And Browne wasn’t going to risk it happening again. Not with a two-year-old daughter at home and a full life ahead of him.

He made the decision then and there to walk away. But he’s certainly landed on his feet.

Tim Browne of Penrith is put into an ambulance after rupturing his bowel. Source: News Corp Australia

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CHEATING DEATH

Browne is no stranger to injury and illness.

Since making his NRL debut for Canterbury in 2010 he’s been knocked out, fractured his skull, undergone knee operations and dealt with infection in the joint.

But nothing could prepare him for the tackle that floored him on a sunny Saturday, March 17.

It wasn’t so much the tackle itself, but the horror that unfolded afterwards that will stay with the 30-year-old forever.

“It was a normal hit-up, a shoulder went into my belly,” Brown told foxsports.com.au.

“I thought I was winded. It was the exact pain you feel when you get winded, when you get hit in the guts.

“I thought ‘geez I’m going to get rushed to hospital for a grade three winding and I’m going to cop it (from my teammates)’.

“I sucked on that whistle, the whistle they give you for the pain, and nothing was helping so I knew something was wrong.”

Writhing on the ground in pain, players and spectators watched on as Browne was bundled into the back of an ambulance and rushed to hospital.

Tim Browne of the Panthers injured during a game in 2017. Source: News Corp Australia

On arrival, scans revealed an inflamed spleen, but that was far from the worst of it.

Browne’s small intestine had a three-centimetre tear in it. The internal damage was horrific.

Doctors wouldn’t say it directly, but Browne knew his life was in danger.

“You know how they don’t say it, but ... the infection was the most dangerous part,” he said.

“There was a massive risk of infection. It had been five hours since the tackle so the amount of faecal matter ... it was really scary what could have come of that.

“They toss out all the scenarios of what could happen.

“They rushed me straight in. It felt like it took forever, I was rolling around in pain for a while.”

THE DECISION

It was during this five hours of horror that Browne made up his mind. He would never play rugby league again.

He told Ellie as he was being wheeled in for emergency surgery.

“When I was getting wheeled up there I said ‘that’s it, I can’t ... if I come out of this with a full bill of health I can’t risk it anymore’,” Browne said.

“Even now thinking about it, carrying the ball and playing at that elite level, I couldn’t see myself getting hit that way again.

Aside from the pain — the like of which he had never experienced before — he had a young daughter at home to think about.

He wasn’t going to end up like so many other footballers before him, who struggle to lift their children up or run around the backyard with them.

“I think that’s what’s made it easier to let go of footy. I suppose before when I had these injuries you’ve only got yourself to think about,” he said.

“I didn’t want to leave footy and not have a quality of life. I’ve always dreaded not being able to play with her and do the things we want to do.”

So that was it. An NRL career that had reaped 103 games for two different clubs was over, five hours after that fateful run.

Browne spent the next nine days in hospital, where he lost 10 kilograms.

He was only able to suck on ice cubes, as doctors took him completely off food and liquids until they could sort his digestive system out.

“I woke up with the colonoscopy bag — the poo bag — on the side of my belly,” he said.

“I was in there about nine days. I was in intensive care for a few days.

“It was a torture process to be honest. I was only allowed to eat ice cubes for about six days until everything started working.

“It was a weird process. They had a tube down my nose and it’s pumping out all the bile and stuff because my digestive system isn’t working.

“I wasn’t allowed to eat or drink anything. It was horrendous.”

Tim Browne in action for the Bulldogs in 2016. Source: Getty Images

MOVING ON

Browne made his retirement official over the next few days. He called Penrith head honcho Phil Gould, and then first-grade coach Anthony Griffin to inform them of his decision.

He made it in to Panthers HQ to front the playing group and tell his teammates he wouldn’t be back on the paddock.

But as one door was slammed shut in the most brutal fashion, another opened. In fact, more than one.

Browne’s career is only just beginning. Penrith has got him working with the club’s media team, as a start.

“I like working with the cameras and behind the scenes,” he said.

“I like all that technical sort of stuff ... I’m not too good at it but I’m keen on learning. I can learn some new skills and get involved there which will be good.”

If that doesn’t work out Browne won’t be short on options.

He owns numerous pieces of paper proving he’s studied personal training, strength and conditioning ... even financial planning (he can’t see himself entering this field, but it’s handy to have).

And then there’s his very own business — Leading Edge Rugby League Academy (LERLA).

He opened it in November and now he’s retired, he will spending plenty of time trying to get it off the ground.

The academy targets young rugby league players who have slipped through the net of the Harold Matts and SG Ball competitions, and are struggling to find a pathway to the NRL.

Browne’s own experiences — struggling to make junior representative teams, then being picked up later — inspired him to help out the next generation of potential NRL stars.

“I really want to see someone experience the sort of journey I’ve been able to experience who has come from a similar situation — they’ve struggled to get selected or they’ve been overlooked,” he said.

“I like proving the system wrong. A lot of people think you have to be in the Harold Matts or SG Ball programs to go on, but I disagree.”

If that all goes well, Browne is interested in entering player management.

His dream is to take a young player all the way from his academy to his NRL debut.

Tim Browne knows how precious a career in the game can be.