Gavin Quinnell loses sight in left eye
Scarlets has been rocked by the news that 26-year-old Gavin Quinnell has lost the use of his left eye.
Quinnell underwent surgery at Newport's Royal Gwent Hospital after taking an impact to his eye during Llanelli's Welsh Premiership match against Cross Keys.
"It is with a huge disappointment and regret that today we can confirm that our Scarlets player Gavin Quinnell
has received a conclusive report from medics that he has permanently lost his sight in his left eye," said a Scarlets and Quinnell family statement.
This is extremely bad news for both the club and the player. The club must now work very hard to make sure that Quinnell is not mentally damaged because of this permanent
change in his life.
Bad news
Neither the club nor the player has released a statement with a return date but a reduced field of vision will have a huge blow on Quinnell's game. It will take him a long
time to get used to this incapacity in his normal life, never mind rugby.
Quinnell can play a central or a wider role. The biggest impact from losing sight in one eye will come in his role at centre or number eight. His field of vision will be
reduced and he may not be as effective when linking up his team.
There is also a big danger that Quinnell will suffer mentally because of this news. He is a big, strong and athletic man that likes to live life to the full. He could get
frustrated because having half vision may slow him down in life.
"It is very sad news for all those connected with Llanelli rugby, the
Scarlets family and rugby as a whole, and all our best wishes and thoughts are with Gavin.
The Scarlets will continue to offer Gavin and his family all the support they require going forward," added the statement.
Betting advice
It could be a long time before Quinnell is back playing rugby. However, back him to do well if he does return. This sort of damage to a player's life can sometimes make
him even more determined to succeed.
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