Getting To Know You: Mick Heys - Eagles Physio

16/04/2020

In the latest edition of 'Getting To Know You', we quiz Eagles physio Mick Heys on his role, how he got involved and his favourite memories so far. 

Role at the club and what it entails:

I am the club’s physiotherapist so it entails keeping an eye on everyone’s health and wellbeing. 

The doctor is around but not there every training session, just there when he needs to be. 

The day-to-day medical stuff is what I look after. I assess the players, decide what’s wrong with them, formulate a rehab programme and communicate with Simon (strength and conditioning) and the other rehab therapists Steph, Kay and Emma. We manage the rehab process, back to training and back to playing. 

The big thing is communicating with the coaching staff, telling them what is wrong with them and how long they’ll be out for.  

When did you become involved:

The first time was about 25 years ago. I was doing physiotherapy training and used to coach the Junior Eagles which then mutated into Hillsborough Hawks. 

We used to train on the indoor track at Don Valley in the winter and that’s where the Eagles were too. 

I talked to Alan Tomlinson, the Eagles physio then, to get some experience and see how it runs. 

Soon after that, they started the academy team which had Keith Senior, Ryan Sheridan, Chris Thorman and Matty Crowther come through as well as Jason Davidson who is now S+C coach at Leeds Rhinos. 

I had a couple of years off when they had the merger with Huddersfield. Tubbs started an Academy team a few years later and that’s where I got involved again. I took over the first team duties soon after that. 

Favourite memory from the role:

Probably the Wembley game last year. I have been to Wembley a few times for football and rugby games but only as a spectator. To get behind the scenes, on the pitch, as a rugby league physio for a club like ours is a memory. 

A couple of big games with the Championship Grand Finals. We lost in 2011 to Featherstone but got back a year later to beat them. 

We built up a good squad and kept adding to the core bit by bit and we were definitely the best team in the division at that time. 

They were a great bunch of lads to be around and we went on to win it again a year later against Batley. 

Another memory is Brian Moore and his cardboard box. For this interview, I won’t elaborate but the people who know, know! 

Job outside of Rugby League:

I am a physiotherapist and my day-to-day job is with the NHS as an extended scope practitioner which is referring to people to surgery if they need it. 

It’s a mainly assessment role, rather investigating than treating and pointing people in the right direction. 

I am also a faculty member of IMOF (Immediate Medical Management On The Field of Play) which is the rugby league qualification that all physios and doctors need to enter the field of play. 

We started the course around 20 years ago and I have been a part of it with teaching and examining on that. The last three or four years I have done the FA courses as well. 

If you could trust one Eagles player with your role, who would it be and why:

Tubby thinks he can do it, for a start! He is a doctor, as he keeps telling us. 

At the moment with the current players, I’m not sure I trust too many of them. 

Rob is switched on about fitness, if I had to pick one it’d be him. 

A definite no would be Blake Broadbent, he doesn’t know the difference between a physio and doctor even though it’s on our t-shirts every game. 

In the past we have had a couple of players, both Cory and Corey (Aston and Hanson) were interested when they were injured and doing rehab. 

They were questioning stuff, learning about it and quoting terminology. 

I think Corey has been working as a physical assistant and doing some training to become a physiotherapist, I know that was his plan. 

Cory would always come out with the proper names for parts of the body that he had injured. Those two would have been good, but they’re no longer at the club.