Penrith can thank an invention made out of cotton fibre some 40 years ago by a teenage university student for playing a big role in delivering them the premiership last Sunday night. Terry Kempnich, now a 60-year-old Brisbane businessman, was a promising league player for Nerang Roosters when he dislocated his shoulder in the surf in the early 1980s. Kempnich was studying human movement at the University of Queensland at the time - and decided to experiment to save his football career. "I wanted to keep playing footy but my shoulder was a mess," Kempnich told. "I thought there must be a way to hold it in place and reduce the risk of it dislocating again - so I used my knowledge of movement and biomechanics to come up with a prototype of a brace that goes around the back and shoulders." "It gave me a lot of pride to see Nathan wearing it all these years later," Kempnich said. "I'm sure it kept the shoulder stable and enabled him to keep playing." Kempnich patented his device and it was eventually bought out by the Madison Sports Company, which still markets it today. "I didn't make a fortune out of it, but it did allow me to take a nice holiday at the end of every year," Kempnich reflects. "I'm just glad I have been able to help guys like Nathan keep playing footy." Ironically, Kempnich was cheering for Souths in the big one. "I joined the police force for a while in Brisbane after uni and Wayne Bennett was one of my instructors," he explained. "He was a great guy then and I have always followed his teams - but I'm happy for Penrith - they deserved it."
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