MATTY BLYTHE:
THE SUPER LEAGUE STAR HELPING BRING DOWN ISIS IN BAGHDAD
MATTY BLYTHE went from catching bombs in Super League to helping dispose of them safely around Iraq.
The former Warrington and Bradford Bulls centre has spent the last two years working in protection in the Middle East, acting as a bodyguard to experts clearing ISIS improvised devices.
Blythe switched from taking carries for his team on the rugby field to carrying AK47 assault rifles around some of the most dangerous parts of Iraq.
Now back in England and training future bodyguards, Blythe has lifted the lid on his remarkable experiences just north of Baghdad.
He said: “We were taken to places that ISIS would target – they were trying to mess up the economy, the infrastructure, just destroy the place basically. We went to hospitals, schools and low-cost housing. The stuff we saw them take out at one hospital was ridiculous.
“There were improvised devices, rockets, land mines, trip wires – everything. It was absolutely littered.
“Then there were the houses, areas that had been bombed heavily during the war that still had people living there.
“They were living with holes in their roofs, knowing that they could have IEDs [improvised explosive devices] around them.
“It was crazy and it really opens your eyes.”
Blythe made the decision to retire from rugby league at just 28 during an injury-hit second spell at his home-town club Warrington, who helped him train for his current career with financial support.
His first job was in London acting as a bodyguard for a family who had faced serious threats, but his path quickly changed when a colleague asked if he fancied working in Iraq. He said: “My first day was my birthday and it was at a factory site.
“There’s different flags to say where you can and can’t go.
“They told me not to stand anywhere near red flags because those areas hadn’t been cleared yet, but white flags were OK.
“We had to stand a certain distance back from the bomb disposal guys in case anything happens and I spent half that first day looking at my feet. I was just glad to get home that night.
“It was overwhelming at first, but it was exciting too and the adrenalin was amazing.”
Blythe himself did not see any active fighting, although one of his previous clients was killed while clearing an area.
He was based at a camp 20 November 1988 (age 31) Birthplace Urmston
Height 6ft 1in
Weight 14st 11lb
Position Wing, Centre, Second-row, Loose forward
Years
2007–12 Warrington Wolves ...69 2010–11 Leigh Centurions ....... 21 2013–16 Bradford Bulls ........... 64 2017 Warrington Wolves ..... 3 2017 Rochdale Hornets ...... 2 Total ........ ................................. 159
T
11 48 12 48 20 80 0 0 0 0 43 176