Rhian Yeo’s return to rugby league is remarkable enough. The fact she did it with a player-of-the-match performance in the opening round of the NSWRL Women’s Premiership makes it almost unbelievable.
Less than 12 months ago, the Illawarra Steelers second rower was lying in a hospital bed recovering from emergency brain surgery, unsure whether she would ever walk properly again, let alone pull on a football jersey.
Today, she is back where she belongs.
From Hospital Bed To Best On Ground
When the Steelers opened their 2026 campaign with a dominant 40-4 victory over the Wenty Magpies, Yeo was one of the standout performers. Her powerful running, relentless defence and trademark energy helped set the platform for an impressive team display.
For those who know her story, the performance carried far greater significance than two competition points.
“It was so much fun getting back out there,” Yeo said.
“It was really good to see the growth we had from our trial game to Round One because our trial game was questionable.”
The result reflected a team that had grown together over the pre-season, but for Yeo, simply being on the field was a victory in itself.
A Scan That Changed Everything
The journey began after years of unexplained pain.
Yeo had battled severe neck issues for almost three years, often waking up after games unable to move her neck. Initially, the symptoms were put down to the physical toll of rugby league.
Eventually, she knew something wasn’t right.
“One game I was like, ‘No, there’s something wrong,'” she recalled.
A scan revealed something far more serious than anyone expected.
Doctors discovered a mass between her brain and spinal cord, along with a Chiari malformation, a condition where part of the brain extends into the spinal canal.
Three weeks after what she thought would be a routine scan, Yeo was in surgery.
“It was so scary,” she said.
What was initially expected to be a straightforward procedure quickly became far more complicated.
The first operation was unsuccessful, requiring a second surgery. At one point, doctors feared she may need a shunt inserted into her brain and warned there could be long-term impacts on her mobility and independence.
“They thought I was going to be a bit worse off,” Yeo said.
“I was meant to get a shunt in my brain. Basically, I was going to have to rely on care for the rest of my life, but luckily something happened and I was fine.”
On the run: Yeo in action during the 2025 Tarsha Gale Cup season
Learning To Walk Again
The physical toll was immense.
Yeo lost 20 kilograms during her hospital stay and spent an entire month unable to use her legs.
Simple daily tasks became major challenges.
“Lifting a cup of water was so hard coming out,” she said.
“I could barely walk up my stairs.”
While the Steelers were competing in the 2025 HNWP season, Yeo was fighting a very different battle.
“There was a point where if someone had told me in hospital I’d be playing footy this season, I would have laughed in their face,” she said.
“I was so bad. I did not think I was going to be back playing football ever again.”
The thought of missing the game she loved became almost unbearable.
“I couldn’t even watch football last season because I was just so upset that I thought I’d never play again.”
The Long Road Back
Recovery became a day-by-day process.
Working closely with exercise physiologists Yeo focused on rebuilding basic strength and function before even thinking about football.
The milestones were small at first, walking, climbing stairs, regaining weight and strength.
Then came a turning point.
After months of rehabilitation, Yeo’s hard work was beginning to show. As her strength returned and she started hitting the physical benchmarks she had achieved before surgery, those around her began to believe a return to football was possible.
Remarkably, doctors couldn’t definitively rule her out from playing despite the mass still being present.
“There isn’t really anyone who’s played with a mass like this before,” she said.
“They couldn’t really rule me out.”
Months of neck strengthening and rehabilitation followed before Yeo finally received the clearance she had worked so hard for.
Not long after, Steelers Head Coach Courtney Crawford came calling.
“Courtney reached out and said if I can play again, come play for the Steelers.”
Winners are grinners: Rhian (right) celebrating after the 2024 HNWP Grand Final with sister Sienna
A New Appreciation For The Game
The experience changed Yeo’s relationship with rugby league.
Before her diagnosis, years of continuous football had left her mentally exhausted.
“I was kind of over football,” she admitted.
“I’d been doing it for five years non-stop and I was just so over it.”
It took having the game taken away to realise how much it meant.
“Not playing for a season made me realise this is what I’m supposed to be doing.
“I missed it so much.”
That perspective was evident when the Steelers gathered during pre-season camp to share their personal stories and reasons for playing.
Yeo opened up about her journey, although the memories remain emotional.
“It’s still so fresh,” she said.
“I often think back on it and think, ‘Wow, what am I doing here?'”
Yet gratitude outweighs everything else.
“You see people come out a lot worse from those surgeries.
“I just have to be grateful to be fine and back playing footy.”
A Story Bigger Than Football
Yeo’s performance against Wenty will be remembered as one of the best on the field, but the scoreboard only tells part of the story.
After facing a future clouded by uncertainty, wondering whether she would regain normal movement and independence, she is back in Steelers colours, inspiring teammates and no doubt, opponents alike.
But for Rhian Yeo, simply running onto the field again was the biggest win of all.
Photo Credits: Denis Ivaneza