Wallaby who overcame cystic fibrosis to play rugby diagnosed with MND

Nathan Charles overcame the odds to play four Tests for Australia. ( Getty Images: Paul Kane )

Nathan Charles, who played four Test matches for the Wallabies, has revealed he has motor neurone disease (MND).

Charles revealed the diagnosis during an interview with Stan Sport.

MND has dominated sporting headlines in 2026, with the death of 2025 Australian of the Year Neale Daniher and the diagnosis for Qld State of Origin representative Jai Arrow.

Former Wallaby Nathan Charles, who defied cystic fibrosis to play international rugby, has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND).

The 37-year-old, who played four Test matches for Australia in 2014, publicly announced his diagnosis during an interview with Stan Sport.

During the interview, Charles, who retired from professional rugby in 2018, said he had been experiencing challenges for eight months.

"For a long period there I just didn't know what it was," Charles told interviewer and former Wallaby Justin Harrison.

Copyright for this text belongs to ABC Australia.