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Wallaby who overcame cystic fibrosis to play rugby diagnosed with MND

Nathan Charles overcame the odds to play four Tests for Australia. (Getty Images: Paul Kane)

Nathan Charles, who played four Test matches for the Wallabies, has revealed he has motor neurone disease (MND).

MND has dominated sporting headlines in 2026, with the death of 2025 Australian of the Year Neale Daniher and the diagnosis for Qld State of Origin representative Jai Arrow.

Former Wallaby Nathan Charles, who defied cystic fibrosis to play international rugby, has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND).

The 37-year-old, who played four Test matches for Australia in 2014, publicly announced his diagnosis during an interview with Stan Sport.

With a former Wallaby’s ‘cruel’ diagnosis, is there a link between contact sports and MND?

Former Wallaby Nathan Charles, who overcome cystic fibrosis to play elite level rugby, has revealed he has also been recently diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND).

It follows the recent diagnosis of high profile rugby league player Jai Arrow, who captured national attention with his MND diagnosis, and the recent passing of former Australian rules football player Geoff Ablett, who died of the disease.

With another high profile athlete revealing his MND diagnosis, a familiar question returns: are there any links between repeated impacts to the brain and the risk of MND?

MND is a progressive disease that affects specific nerve cells, called motor neurones. These allow signals between the brain and muscles to control movement.

Wallabies rally for 37-year-old struck down by ‘cruel’ disease

Former Wallabies hooker Nathan Charles has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

The 37-year-old, who played four Tests for Australia in 2014, shared the painful news with the public in an emotional interview with Stan Sport’s Justin Harrison.

Charles retired from professional rugby in 2018 and started experiencing new health “challenges” over the last eight months.

“And for a long period there I just didn’t know what it was,” Charles said.

“I’ve had that many tests, seen that many doctors and it just wasn’t getting any outcome. But my health just kept declining. And then recently in the last few weeks I was actually diagnosed with motor neurone disease, which has been extremely challenging and overwhelming. And, yeah, just at times quite cruel.”

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