GrogDog
bad attitude
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2009
- Messages
- 9,398
- Reaction score
- 10,139
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...s/news-story/7c47684a0de0847fc3f120cc0edd2ba1
ADAM Elliott doesn’t know why his brother stopped talking for two years.
Only that he did.
And the silence, it was terrifying.
“Because James had started speaking,’’ the Canterbury forward recalls of his sibling, when aged five. “But then, he stopped.
“Nothing.
“Our family were afraid he was going to be mute for the rest of his life.”
Yet remaining hopeful, they watched the fridge.
For it was on here, among a collection of those colourful, magnetic alphabet letters, where the little boy with severe autism began communicating.
Elliott says he plays for his older brother James.
“He’d take the letters on the fridge and spell Sports Sunday — his favourite show,’’ Elliott says of the brother 18 months older.
“He couldn’t speak, but he could do that.
“He’d also pull apart alarm clocks, or toy cars, and then put them back together. Genius.”
More than that, too.
For when Elliott, the biggest Country Origin surprise of 2017, comes off the interchange bench on Sunday afternoon, it will be for James.
Sure, they say this game is meaningless.
Elliott, too, drawn unwittingly into coach Des Halser’s controversial decision to ban a host of star Bulldogs, including Mudgee junior Josh Jackson, from playing.
The Elliotts are a close-knit family.
But as for any of this worrying him? Nah.
The Tathra boy aware life can toss up much worse.
“I’m not one for writing names on my wrist when I play,’’ he continues. “Actually, I internalise a lot.
“But my brother and I are so connected ... everything I do is for him.”
And so it will be on Sunday, in Mudgee.
Just as it was last year, against Manly, for his NRL debut. Then again in his first starting game against Souths, on Good Friday just gone.
A match to which James, for the first time in his life, flew.
“Which was massive for our family,’’ Elliott says. “He got into the sheds after the game, too. Got in the team photo.
“That meant the world to him.
“We also went to the races — James loves the horses — and really just had the best weekend.
“As a family, we’re so tight ... there’s not much can get between us.”
Not that autism hasn’t given it a fair crack.
“Oh, it was tough times,’’ the Country debutant continues of his childhood. “Growing up, dad coached my footy and cricket teams, but that’s all he could do for me.
Elliott will make his rep debut against City on Sunday.
“Outside that, my parents had to pour all their time into James.
“It’s why, living in the country, I don’t think there was any another option for us. We couldn’t have lived in the city because my brother was too severe
“But he’s come a long way and I think living where we do — mum and dad being able to invest time in him, being surrounded by great people — is a big part of that.”
The experience, undoubtedly, has shaped Elliott, too.
The proof there in his patience, his humility, even the way this young Bulldog interacted with members of a disabled League Tag side after a training session this week.
“When I was little, I could tell people thought funny of James,” he says. “And that’s probably where my protective instincts first kicked in.
“Then at high school, he also got bullied.
“At 16, I moved away to finish school at St Gregory’s which was hard because I was helping mum and dad a lot.
“He had some really good people in his year at school — I’d drop him to parties knowing they’d look after him — but leaving was tough.
Adam protected James growing up.
“I actually got quite upset at St Greg’s because, no matter how well my brother functions, I knew my parents were struggling and I wasn’t there to be his protector.”
But today?
Well, while one Elliott is preparing to make his Country Origin debut, the other is working in a Bega accountancy firm, numbers coming easy to the mind that once tinkered with radios and toy cars.
Call it a rare reprieve for this fighter who finds even long car rides challenging.
“So Sunday, I’m not sure if James will come up for the game,” Elliott says. “But even if he wants to stay home, watch it on TV, that’s fine by me.
“He’s still as much a part of this team as I am.”
Great story. Growing to this fella bigtime!
ADAM Elliott doesn’t know why his brother stopped talking for two years.
Only that he did.
And the silence, it was terrifying.
“Because James had started speaking,’’ the Canterbury forward recalls of his sibling, when aged five. “But then, he stopped.
“Nothing.
“Our family were afraid he was going to be mute for the rest of his life.”
Yet remaining hopeful, they watched the fridge.
For it was on here, among a collection of those colourful, magnetic alphabet letters, where the little boy with severe autism began communicating.
Elliott says he plays for his older brother James.
“He’d take the letters on the fridge and spell Sports Sunday — his favourite show,’’ Elliott says of the brother 18 months older.
“He couldn’t speak, but he could do that.
“He’d also pull apart alarm clocks, or toy cars, and then put them back together. Genius.”
More than that, too.
For when Elliott, the biggest Country Origin surprise of 2017, comes off the interchange bench on Sunday afternoon, it will be for James.
Sure, they say this game is meaningless.
Elliott, too, drawn unwittingly into coach Des Halser’s controversial decision to ban a host of star Bulldogs, including Mudgee junior Josh Jackson, from playing.
The Elliotts are a close-knit family.
But as for any of this worrying him? Nah.
The Tathra boy aware life can toss up much worse.
“I’m not one for writing names on my wrist when I play,’’ he continues. “Actually, I internalise a lot.
“But my brother and I are so connected ... everything I do is for him.”
And so it will be on Sunday, in Mudgee.
Just as it was last year, against Manly, for his NRL debut. Then again in his first starting game against Souths, on Good Friday just gone.
A match to which James, for the first time in his life, flew.
“Which was massive for our family,’’ Elliott says. “He got into the sheds after the game, too. Got in the team photo.
“That meant the world to him.
“We also went to the races — James loves the horses — and really just had the best weekend.
“As a family, we’re so tight ... there’s not much can get between us.”
Not that autism hasn’t given it a fair crack.
“Oh, it was tough times,’’ the Country debutant continues of his childhood. “Growing up, dad coached my footy and cricket teams, but that’s all he could do for me.
Elliott will make his rep debut against City on Sunday.
“Outside that, my parents had to pour all their time into James.
“It’s why, living in the country, I don’t think there was any another option for us. We couldn’t have lived in the city because my brother was too severe
“But he’s come a long way and I think living where we do — mum and dad being able to invest time in him, being surrounded by great people — is a big part of that.”
The experience, undoubtedly, has shaped Elliott, too.
The proof there in his patience, his humility, even the way this young Bulldog interacted with members of a disabled League Tag side after a training session this week.
“When I was little, I could tell people thought funny of James,” he says. “And that’s probably where my protective instincts first kicked in.
“Then at high school, he also got bullied.
“At 16, I moved away to finish school at St Gregory’s which was hard because I was helping mum and dad a lot.
“He had some really good people in his year at school — I’d drop him to parties knowing they’d look after him — but leaving was tough.
Adam protected James growing up.
“I actually got quite upset at St Greg’s because, no matter how well my brother functions, I knew my parents were struggling and I wasn’t there to be his protector.”
But today?
Well, while one Elliott is preparing to make his Country Origin debut, the other is working in a Bega accountancy firm, numbers coming easy to the mind that once tinkered with radios and toy cars.
Call it a rare reprieve for this fighter who finds even long car rides challenging.
“So Sunday, I’m not sure if James will come up for the game,” Elliott says. “But even if he wants to stay home, watch it on TV, that’s fine by me.
“He’s still as much a part of this team as I am.”
Great story. Growing to this fella bigtime!
