Tim Browne was looking forward to "an experiment" when he walked through the metal detector at Sydney airport before he and his Canterbury teammates boarded their flight for Saturday night's match against North Queensland in Townsville.
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He wondered if the metal plates that patched a hole the size of a golf ball in his skull would create a security scare. "I'm told they won't set the alarm off but I'm kind of hoping they do," said Browne with a mischievous grin.
Browne is credited with bringing "energy" to Canterbury and viewed as a player who can help Des Hasler's team build momentum. He's also tough, making an almost miraculous return to play in last season's grand final 11 weeks after he suffered a depressed skull fracture against the Wests Tigers.
The 27-year-old's injury occurred when he copped an accidental blow from his then teammate Dale Finucane. While he's not sure whether it was Finucane's elbow or the palm of his hand the damage was extensive. In an operation that sounded as though it was taken from the medical journal according to Dr Frankenstein a surgeon took Browne's hairline, sliced it from one ear to the other, pulled his face down and inserted the three plates over the cavity.
"They wanted to write me off [for 2014] just to be on the safe side," he said. "As we progressed towards the semis I asked the surgeon if it was OK to play and he said if I wore the head gear I was at minimal risk of injury."
A few weeks ago Browne was floored by a high shot from St George Illawarra's Tyson Frizell and suffered severe concussion. Not one for bravado Browne quietly corrected the notion he played "without fear".
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't conscious of [the risks]," he said. "I have plates in my head, my skull has been moulded, but the way we treat concussions these days means I'm glad to play in this era because I was symptom free when I returned. The head knocks] haven't made me question what I'm doing. I love it. Why? I love the passion behind what I'm doing. The competitiveness; you want to be the best. I feel like I'm proving myself, I have a lot to give and a lot more to learn."
While Browne feels no malice towards Frizell - "he didn't mean it" - seeing his wife Ellie in a distressed state in the dressing room when he came to, and the concern on the faces of his family, drove home a few realities. "She doesn't want to see that again," he said. "It also affected me listening to how my family felt and I understood what they were saying because I'd be the same if it was one of them. It was awful. You feel a bit nauseous [after being concussed], you can't watch television or read a book because you can bring concussion on. You feel uneasy because you can't focus. It was a slow week after the hit but it's all behind us now."
