If ever you are at a barbeque and overhear someone talking about injuries in the NRL, it might not just be a mad fan having their say about how long a player may be out of action and what it means for their fantasy football team.
It might be more credentialled opinions of Redcliffe Dolphins fan Brien Seeney, who most people would know as NRL Physio on social media.
A popular account on Twitter especially, Seeney saw a gap in the market and based on his love of NFL, filled it with his own love of the NRL and Intrust Super Cup.
Currently, Seeney and his account have no official affiliation with the NRL and he is open with fans on the fact his diagnoses are opinions only, based footage and images; but with nearly 140,000 followers across social media, fans are all eager to see what he has to say about any injury they see occur on the coverage.
“I started following the NFL and they had doctors and physios commenting on injuries and their treatment, and I thought that was something I could provide for NRL fans,” Seeney, who is a partner at Active Care Physiotherapy in Capalaba, said.
“Once at a barbeque, all my questions were from family asking about their back, but now, it’s ‘do you think Nathan Cleary will play tomorrow?’
“If an injury occurs, I get a lot of messages with footage asking me what has happened and how long the recovery could be.
“When I first started NRL Physio, I would watch every game, but I don’t need to anymore, I get plenty of notifications letting me know someone has been injured.
“(But) I have had to momentarily duck out of a few family gatherings in my time to see what is happening.”
The immediacy of the NRL Physio’s insight is what makes Seeney's accounts so popular and a staple of football watching now for many fans.
An injury occurs and within minutes, Seeney will have footage, a possible explanation and an estimated time out of the game for fans to devour.
“Fans will send me footage of their own injuries too, and ask what happened, it’s got a lot bigger than I ever thought it would,” Seeney said.
“I stopped checking my messages when Nathan Cleary hurt his shoulder, the number of people wanting to know what I thought and how long he’d be out was staggering.”
However, long before Seeney was the NRL Physio and providing insight for league fans on the weekend, he was just a league lover and Dolphins fan seeking the same information on injuries he now gives out to fans.
When former Queensland Maroons player Adam Mogg was running out onto the field as a Dolphin, he had an extra fan sitting up on the hill in Seeney.
Mogg played 106 games for the Dolphins and scored 52 tries, appearing in two premierships before signing up to coach at the club from 2016 until 2021.
“I went to primary school in Redcliffe, so I love the Dolphins,” Seeney said.
“For me it was about Adam Mogg,
“He came to school when I was in grade one and since then, I’ve loved the Dolphins.
“Mogg taught me to pass during his school visit, so that really kicked off my fandom.
“I would say Petero too, but who doesn’t love Petero.
“My dad ran the tennis centre at Redcliffe for 20 years and Petero and his family would come in and play tennis all the time.
“I am pretty excited about the Dolphins progression to the NRL and looking to add to my already huge Dolphins jersey collection.
“I might have to add a Dolphins NRL jersey to my Christmas list.”
Seeney will be at his practice during the off-season, but come February and trials, he will turn back into the NRL Physio and ready to respond fan queries.
