Former Newcastle Knights and Catalans Dragons player Scott Dureau has died, aged 39.
Catalans announced the news on social media after he had battled cancer for several years.
Scott Durea in 2009. Getty
“A former iconic player of the club, Scott had been courageously battling cancer for several years,” the Super League club said in a statement.
“Beyond being an exceptional player, Scott was a man admired by everyone who had the privilege of knowing him. His outstanding talent and achievements on the field, but above all his humility and kindness, will forever remain in our memories.
“At this difficult time, everyone at the Catalans Dragons send their deepest condolences to his wife Libby, his two daughters Imogen and Everly, his family, and all those who were close to him.”
Dureau started his NRL career at the Knights in 2007, playing 42 games before leaving the club at the end of 2010.
He moved to the Super League with Catalans in 2011 and was at the club until retiring in 2015.
In 2013 and ’14 he missed matches due to surgery removing a tumour behind his eye. Dureau had told ABC in 2019 the brain tumour was “the size of an avocado”.
In 2018 the tumour returned and Dureau was given 18 months to live.
“That was probably the worst moment of my life … I had six tumours that had formed pretty rapidly. To hear that news was pretty shattering,” he told the ABC.
However, he managed to fight the cancer before tumours re-emerged in 2023.
Dureau lost his battle with cancer last week.