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Footy legend Brett Kimmorley has recalled the moment he could have died after having a couple of beers and getting behind the wheel for a long trip.
Kimmorley, 48, was driving from Canberra to Cronulla in Sydney's south when he had a microsleep.
The decorated halfback earlier 'had one or two beers plus some food' at a time when he was 'overworked and over-tired' - and the combination could have been fatal for the father of four girls.
'It was daylight, and I had three hours in the car, I wanted to get home,' the NRL premiership winner said in a Hit's Hard road safety campaign for Transport NSW.
'I feel asleep (for a split second) and drove straight into the back of a moving trailer.
'The car was written off... the engine exploded and my airbag definitely saved my life.
Footy legend Brett Kimmorley (pictured with partner Lauren) has recalled the moment he could have died after having a couple of beers and then getting behind the wheel
Kimmorley - a father of four - was driving from Canberra to Cronulla in Sydney's south when he had a microsleep and smashed into a trailer
'I'm lucky to (be in a position to) share this experience, it could have been life changing... it is all about making better decisions.'
In 2017, Kimmorley's life was turned upside down following the death of his wife Sharnie from brain cancer.
She was just 38 and Kimmorley instantly became a single dad with four daughters until he met his new partner Lauren.
'Our eldest was 15 and the youngest was six years when unfortunately they did lose their mum,' Kimmorley told NRL.com
'Hopefully somewhere in the future there will be a cure for it (cancer).'
He also praised the NRL for the annual staging of the Beanie for Brain Cancer Round, which was kickstarted by former Knights star Mark Hughes following his own diagnosis in 2013.
'The NRL is such a big product and having a whole round dedicated (to Beanie for Brain Cancer) creates awareness,' Kimmorley said.
'People then start talking about it and you start opening up, and you realise there's a lot of people going through something similar, and that there is support.
'I went through a lot of challenges, but one thing I would say to anyone who goes through this is please speak up, please ask questions, please reach out to people.'
Kimmorley made his NRL debut in 1995 with Newcastle and went onto represent NSW and Australia.
His career highlight at club level was the 1999 premiership with the Melbourne Storm, where Kimmorley won the Clive Churchill medal for best on-ground.
These days the man affectionately known as 'Noddy' is the head coach of the Wests Tigers NRLW squad.
