Melbourne Storm captain is praised for brave beach act that saved lives – and it’s not the first time he’s been a hero

  • Harry Grant rescued two youngsters when surfing
  • Youngsters were caught in a rip near some rocks
  • Footy fans lauded Grant on Facebook for his good deed

EXCLUSIVE

Melbourne Storm skipper Harry Grant has been hailed a hero after he saved two swimmers struggling near some rocks at a Queensland beach on Wednesday.

Grant, 26, was surfing at First Bay Beach on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast around 12pm following an arduous season which included the NRL Grand Final with the Melbourne Storm.

Spotting two teenagers struggling in the conditions, Grant quickly intervened and potentially helped avoid multiple drownings.

Grant was showered in praise from supporters on social media – including David Begley, whose son Riley was at the beach.

‘My son and his mates were out there and they [two swimmers] got caught in a rip,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.

‘Harry quickly paddled over on his board and helped them.

‘The boys then had a great chat with him – what an awesome bloke he is.’ 

Kellie Metcalfe – another parent of the group of struggling boys – labelled the dummy-half ‘a legend’ and thanked Grant for helping and chatting to the starry-eyed youngsters.

Footy star Harry Grant (pictured right) has been hailed a hero after he helped two swimmers struggling near some rocks at a Queensland beach on Wednesday

Grant, 26, was surfing at First Bay Beach on the Sunshine Coast following an arduous season which included the NRL Grand Final with the Melbourne Storm and the Pacific Championships with Australia

Grant, 26, was surfing at First Bay Beach on the Sunshine Coast following an arduous season which included the NRL Grand Final with the Melbourne Storm and the Pacific Championships with Australia

Plenty of footy fans were keen to lavish footy star Harry Grant for his good deed

Plenty of footy fans were keen to lavish footy star Harry Grant for his good deed

‘Watched this bloke [Grant] bring in a young fella who was struggling in the water near some rocks back to the beach on his surfboard. Absolute legend,’ footy fan Bradley Norris also posted on the Melbourne Storm Rugby League Facebook page.

Grant, who is a talented surfer, has a background in junior nippers with Yeppoon SLSC, which is north-east of Rockhampton in Central Queensland.

It also isn’t the first time Grant has been a hero in the ocean.

On Christmas Day in 2016, Grant was holidaying with his family at Oxley Beach in Port Macquarie on the mid-north coast of NSW.

A mother and daughter got caught in a dangerous rip and were swept out to sea.

Grant and his father jumped into help, and the family were forever thankful given the child wasn’t a strong swimmer.

After making his NRL debut with the Melbourne Storm in 2018, Grant has become the code’s best number 9.

He featured in his team’s Grand Final defeat in October, scoring the first try of the contest which Penrith won 14-6.

Melbourne StormQueensland

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