Footy star Ethan Lowe was one of Australia's fittest men - then one tackle left him so damaged he could cook his hand on a frying pan and not feel it

Former South Sydney forward Ethan Lowe has opened up about the innocent-looking tackle that ended his career and left him with a horrible injury that has changed his life forever.

Lowe, 33, was forced into a medical retirement in 2020 after rupturing a disc in his neck and and suffering spinal cord damage from a crusher tackle in a match against the Newcastle Knights.

He got up to play the ball after the regulation hit up, but knew something was seriously wrong.

'Straight away, I felt a numbness, a pins and needles sensation throughout my whole body, mainly on my left side but into my right side as well,' Lowe told The Sydney Morning Herald.

'I figured it was pretty serious and thought it would be the end of it. I just knew it would be the last time I would play footy.'

On Monday, the former Maroons star will launch a $1million lawsuit against the NRL's insurer in the Federal Court.

Lowe says he has a condition called 'permanent hemiplegia', which effects the left side of his body and doesn't improve over time. 

He struggles with everyday tasks and has a range of problems including poor balance, hand and arm numbness, tingling in his fingers, left leg weakness and limb spasms. 

'I can put my hand on a pan that's hot and not even notice,' Lowe says. 

'Hitting buttons is hard. Tying my shoes is time-consuming. My handwriting wasn't the best to start with, now I can't even read it. 

'I went to grab a can of Coke from the servo, I walked to pay for it and it slipped straight out of my hand because I wasn't concentrating. My hand just went.

'My balance on my left side is going. If I walk the dog and he wants to pull me to go to the toilet, I just lose balance.

'I've had to deal with it for four years and it's part of my everyday life now. But everything I have to do, I need to fully concentrate. It's draining mentally.'

A month after the tackle, the NRL cracked down on controversial crusher tackles which put pressure on the head and neck of players.

 Souths organised a job for Lowe during 2021, and he's now employed by Tabcorp as a customer experience executive.

'There are certain things because of my injury, I'll never have a chance to do those as a career,' Lowe says. 'I've had to come to terms with that basically from the start.

'I couldn't go and work for my old man as a tradie. Any physical job is out of the question. Sitting for long periods of time, it can get really tough. 

'The RLPA [Rugby League Players' Association] has stood solid the whole way through. They've been outstanding. My wife and family have been great. That's about as wide as my circle is at the moment.'