Former Manly Sea Eagles forward Lloyd Perrett has launched legal proceedings in the NSW Supreme Court, claiming he suffered permanent injuries after collapsing with heat stroke during a compulsory pre-season training session in November 2017.

The session, held at Narrabeen Sports Complex, allegedly deprived players of water under instructions from then-performance coach Dan Ferris. Perrett completed two 2km time trials and one lap of a third before collapsing unconscious. He was later diagnosed with severe heat stroke after being hospitalised in a “comatose state for two days.”

Represented by Carter Capner Law, director Peter Carter said the ordeal had “disastrous consequences” for Perrett’s career. “Despite attempting a comeback with appearances in 2018 and 2019, that was the last time Lloyd played at NRL level. Given he was a very successful player at such an early stage of his career with arguably many good years ahead of him, the potential damages are well into the millions of dollars.”

The claim alleges negligence and breach of duty of care by Manly for failing to provide water, monitoring, or safety precautions during the high-intensity training in hot conditions. Since the incident, the NRL has implemented new welfare rules to protect players from heat stress.

Perrett debuted for Canterbury in 2014 before moving to Manly in 2017 on a $500,000-a-year contract. Once tipped for Queensland Origin honours, his career ended prematurely, leaving him with lasting physical and psychological impacts.

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7News – Former NRL star Lloyd Perrett launches legal action against Manly Sea Eagles over 2017 training incident