Safety record defended after champ killed at 33

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By Robyn Ironside November 19, 2007 01:00am

THE National Rodeo Association said yesterday there was nothing more it could do to make the sport safer following the death of the "number one cowboy in the nation" Greg Meech.

The 33-year-old Caboolture father-of-two was performing at the Brother's Leagues Club rodeo at Ipswich Saturday night when his bull threw him to the ground and trod on his chest. Although he managed to stand up immediately afterwards, Meech collapsed at the side of the ring and was rushed to Ipswich Hospital with severe internal bleeding.He died a few hours later, about midnight.
Jason Hall from the National Rodeo Association yesterday said "no one knew the dangers of the sport better than Greg" who was a rider of at least 10 years' experience.
"He actually broke his neck about three years ago on a bareback horse. He wasn't supposed to come back but he did, and he won the all-round title this year," Mr Hall said.
"The whole rodeo community is a little bit shocked.
"You see similar things happen every weekend. It was just bad luck I guess."
Meech wore a helmet and a protective vest.
Mr Hall said the ground surface at the club was also well within safety requirements.
"It is a dangerous sport we all know that, but we have all the safety in place. You don't expect someone to die," he said.
However Mr Hall admitted it had been a "tough year" for the rodeo with two other national champions in serious accidents. Four times national bull-riding champion Saras Ramsay spent a week in a coma after his spleen was ruptured by a bull's horn, and 2006 bareback champion Heath Wallace lost part of his kidney when he was thrown from a bull.
Meech's partner Shelley Harrison was yesterday too distraught to speak about the accident. The couple have a one-year-old son and Meech also has a daughter, 8, from a previous relationship.
"He was very hard-working and very dedicated to the sport. He was a fairly well-liked guy around the scene," Mr Hall said.
Another National Rodeo Association event planned for the Beenleigh Showgrounds this weekend would still go ahead.
"I guess a lot of people will have a look and think about why they're doing it and what the consequences are, but I don't really expect anyone to pull out," Mr Hall said.