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http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/nr...-1226031649576
UNTIL he joined the Roosters six months ago, NRL star Justin Carney was "too terrified" to wade into the surf above his knees. But when faced with a potentially fatal situation at North Bondi on Monday morning, Carney raced from the sand and swam 100m out to sea to rescue a mother-of-three who now owes her life to the powerful winger.
In a freakish postscript to Jarryd Hayne's heroics at nearby Coogee a week earlier, the 22-year-old kid from the bush has become rugby league's latest lifesaver after dragging 48-year-old Jacqueline Urquhart from the sea during a Roosters recovery session.
The Daily Telegraph was yesterday on hand to witness Urquhart personally thank Carney, who humbly described the feat as a "decent training session".
"I thought I was gone," Urquhart told Carney before showering him with kisses and hugs. "Until you came along I thought I was going to die at Bondi Beach.
"You were amazing the way you got me out of there."
A long-time resident of Bondi and regular swimmer, Urquhart found herself in strife after being caught in a vicious undertow that swept her beyond a sand bank.
"It just dragged me straight out and I was out of my depth," she recalled. "I was waving and yelling but the beach looked empty and no one seemed to notice me."
Or so she thought.
"At first it looked like she was waving at a friend, but then I heard her screaming," Carney said.
"I thought to myself, 'OK ... she's on here' and just ran in."
Carney, who grew up riding horses in the tiny town of Trangie, west of Dubbo, admitted his lifesaving technique was unorthodox. Barely able to touch the sand once he had reached Urquhart, the stocky winger continually plunged under water and threw her toward the shore until they reached safety with the help of Roosters stalwart Bobby Johnson.
"She was full of water and in a pretty bad way," Carney said. "My only concern was to keep her out of the water.
"It was tough and in the end it turned out to be a pretty decent training session."
Although he was a state representative swimmer in school, the former Canberra flyer had always been scared of swimming in the ocean until he moved to Sydney's eastern beaches last November.
"I've only just started swimming in the beach since I moved up here," Carney said.
"I was too terrified to go above my knees because I was scared of sharks."
The feel-good story comes as a huge boost for Carney, who will make his first NRL appearance for the Roosters against Wests Tigers on Sunday.
It will also be his first game in the top grade since a broken leg sidelined him in the middle of the 2009 season.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/nr...-1226031649576
UNTIL he joined the Roosters six months ago, NRL star Justin Carney was "too terrified" to wade into the surf above his knees. But when faced with a potentially fatal situation at North Bondi on Monday morning, Carney raced from the sand and swam 100m out to sea to rescue a mother-of-three who now owes her life to the powerful winger.
In a freakish postscript to Jarryd Hayne's heroics at nearby Coogee a week earlier, the 22-year-old kid from the bush has become rugby league's latest lifesaver after dragging 48-year-old Jacqueline Urquhart from the sea during a Roosters recovery session.
The Daily Telegraph was yesterday on hand to witness Urquhart personally thank Carney, who humbly described the feat as a "decent training session".
"I thought I was gone," Urquhart told Carney before showering him with kisses and hugs. "Until you came along I thought I was going to die at Bondi Beach.
"You were amazing the way you got me out of there."
A long-time resident of Bondi and regular swimmer, Urquhart found herself in strife after being caught in a vicious undertow that swept her beyond a sand bank.
"It just dragged me straight out and I was out of my depth," she recalled. "I was waving and yelling but the beach looked empty and no one seemed to notice me."
Or so she thought.
"At first it looked like she was waving at a friend, but then I heard her screaming," Carney said.
"I thought to myself, 'OK ... she's on here' and just ran in."
Carney, who grew up riding horses in the tiny town of Trangie, west of Dubbo, admitted his lifesaving technique was unorthodox. Barely able to touch the sand once he had reached Urquhart, the stocky winger continually plunged under water and threw her toward the shore until they reached safety with the help of Roosters stalwart Bobby Johnson.
"She was full of water and in a pretty bad way," Carney said. "My only concern was to keep her out of the water.
"It was tough and in the end it turned out to be a pretty decent training session."
Although he was a state representative swimmer in school, the former Canberra flyer had always been scared of swimming in the ocean until he moved to Sydney's eastern beaches last November.
"I've only just started swimming in the beach since I moved up here," Carney said.
"I was too terrified to go above my knees because I was scared of sharks."
The feel-good story comes as a huge boost for Carney, who will make his first NRL appearance for the Roosters against Wests Tigers on Sunday.
It will also be his first game in the top grade since a broken leg sidelined him in the middle of the 2009 season.
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