Napier City Rovers midfielder Cameron Emerson has battled back from a tough 2021 season which included a mini-stroke, concussion and a broken wrist. Photo / Neil Reid
If Napier City Rovers need any inspiration on how to front up when the going gets tough in the National League, they need to look no further than Cameron Emerson.
In Emerson's own words, he describes his 2021 as a "rough season".
And when you consider what the 26-year-old endured last year, his choice of words is polite to say the least.
A concussion, then a mini-stroke – which happened during an aftermatch function – and finally a broken wrist during his comeback match made for a grim season.
As Napier City Rovers prepare for the launch of their 2022 National League campaign, Emerson has opened up about his brave battle in the face of adversity, including suffering a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) - known as a mini-stroke – after a Central League match.
"It happened here in the clubrooms after the Western Suburbs game," Emerson told the Herald.
"About 30 minutes after I had a shower and came to the clubrooms I started feeling really dizzy and nauseous. My mum looked over at me and said, 'Are you alright?'. I just started mumbling.
"The right side of my body was paralysed.
"The good thing was that there were a couple of nurses, including Teri who works at the club, who were able to go through some quick tests. They ended up laying me down and calling the ambulance."
Emerson spent a night in hospital as a variety of tests – including a CT scan – were carried out on him.
Full feeling returned to the right side of his body.
He suffered the TIA three weeks after being concussed in an earlier match against Western Suburbs. The head knock and his latter mini-stroke have not been medically linked.
"They never found a reason why it happened ... it was just so out of the blue," Emerson said. "It was a little bit scary, it puts you in your place a little bit."
Emerson was sidelined from the football pitch for six weeks after the mini-stroke. By law, he was also not allowed to drive for five weeks.
When he finally returned to the playing arena, more bad luck followed when he broke his wrist in his comeback match.
"So, I was out for another six weeks," Emerson said. "It wasn't the best.
"It was a rough season. [But] it didn't really knock my confidence.
"You do have some moments of realisation that maybe I need to slow things down, or are there certain aspects of my life that I need to re-evaluate. But football has always been a passion, every time I get on the pitch for a game or training my mind is away from everything else."
Thankfully, the 2022 season has been a lot brighter for the Hawke's Bay-born player.
He was a constant in the Napier City Rovers team which finished fourth in the Central League, which saw the club qualify for the National League.
They kick-off their season against Phoenix Reserves at Napier's Bluewater Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Last weekend they played the Wellington Phoenix A-League team, impressing in an eventual 5-2 loss to the fully professional club.
Qualification ends a 20-year absence from the National League for the club. During that time a league restructure saw the formation of Hawke's Bay United, who represented the region.
Auckland City – a cashed-up club whose playing roster includes a current All White squad member and several ex-All Whites - will go into the season as the bookie's favourites.
But that isn't stopping Napier City Rovers – which Emerson said had a very rich legacy of success - from aiming high.
"I think a lot of people would consider us underdogs," he said.
"But we want to prove to teams that we want to be there. We want to do ourselves justice going up against some of the best teams in the country."
As well as having the chance to take on some of the country's other top clubs, the National League will also provide Napier City Rovers with a reprieve from the relentless travel demands of the Central League.
For away games to Wellington, the team leaves shortly after 6am for a six-hour bus trip to the capital, before the return bus later that evening.
Emerson is fortunate to miss some of the return trips as he spends the night with his Wellington-based partner before flying home.
Buses will be swapped for plane travel during the National League.
Emerson said the bus travel was just "part" of the reality of being with Napier City Rovers, and another sign of players' commitment to the club and fans.
"If it's a win, it's good. If it's a loss, it's pretty quiet, understandably," Emerson said. "Let's just say you have a lot of time to reflect on the game.
"The first two trips are usually the worst, but then you get used to it pretty quickly. [But] then getting up and going to work the next day is tough."
Work for Emerson is at an ice factory, both stacking bags of ice on crates and delivering them around Hawke's Bay.
"I work five days a week. It keeps me fit," he said.
He also coaches the Napier City Rovers women's and under-15s team, as well as being one of the coaches for the club's school holiday programmes.
Being raised in the Hawke's Bay and now playing for the Napier City Rovers was a source of personal pride for the midfielder.
Emerson said the club's "great history" and impressive facilities – including a first-class pitch at Bluewater Stadium and clubrooms that were the envy of other clubs – shone through after games, both home and away.
What the club could offer helped with both player recruitment and retention, he added.
"You do hear about the legacy [of our club]," Emerson said.
"When you travel away to other clubs in the Central League, you hear that their clubrooms are striving to be like ours, which is quite nice to hear.
"And obviously when they come up and during the aftermatch speeches one of the first things they say is about the pitch that we have, the facilities, the venue, the fans ... everything we have is what they strive for.
“It is good that we already do have that foundation.”