Plum

Cowell's covid lockdown project was first published as a book in late 2021, and now a few years later it has honoured us with its presence as a series, translating to the screen perfectly.

The creative team and cast capture perfectly the culture of the sport, rugby league, mostly in the Sutherland shire of Sydney, revealing the effects of sustained head injuries in a ruthless contact sport. A drama that for us locals feels so real, observing the aftermath of a young retired player, Peter Lum (the plum) and his ex-team mates attempting to adjust to a new life after the sport has rejected their well being.

Also tackles the issues of affliction (Plum and son relationship and drinking habits, including Plum's past with his father), relationships torn by the sport-related concussion (SRC), and the sports media handling of the situation. Topics that infuse the drama and challenge the characters along the way.

There is also a surreal element in the form of the poets, Charles Bukowski and Sylvia Plath, which takes this series to another enjoyable level, as Plum heads toward a new vocation in life.

A fine Australian drama told with honesty and characters worth caring for, thanks to a great cast (with even Jemaine Clement thrown into the mix and somehow pulling it off).

The threat to footballers of various codes posed by head trauma, and more specifically CTE, has been granted a dramatic treatment before - most famously by Will Smith's Concussion. This local Australian production tackles the topic with a gritty realism, delving into the many impacts felt by a former rugby league legend, his extended family and friends.

Brendon Cowell, in addition to writing the novel on which this 6-part series is based, plays the central character Plum in typically outstanding fashion. Clearly, years in the industry have informed Cowell's choices to surround himself with the quality players required, on and off screen, to deliver a passion project (set in his home town Cronulla) so incredibly well.

Plum covers a lot of ground, a versatile drama that also touches on family dynamics, addiction, father-son relationships, friendship (male and female) and media sensationalism. It's uniquely Australian in its setting and characters, yet avoids cringe or cliche elements. The only minor quibble is a couple instances where key characters are frustratingly incapable of providing a simple explanation to defend their actions, thus causing avoidable fallout.

Whilst Plum's descent and battle to find redemption are harrowing, moments of dry humour (including an odd yet endearingly quirky turn by Jermaine Clement), provide relief. Most notably, Cowell's playwright sensibilities come to the fore in a final act that must rank as one of the most riveting episodes of any TV series here or abroad.

One might expect Plum to add a few more awards to the trophy cabinet. And if you like Cowell's work in Plum I highly recommend seeking out the 2007 movie Noise.

Concussion has been a big focus in the NRL recently, with crackdowns on head contact and lessening the impact of collisions.

With that in mind, the ABC adaptation of Brendan Cowell's novel is especially relevant.

Peter 'Plum' Lumb is a former Cronulla-Sutherland, NSW Origin, and Australian Kangaroos legend who's dealing with the fallout of a CTE diagnosis, family drama, and his son Gavin (Vincent Miller) graduating from Sharks lower grades to the NRL.

Rugby league fans will love this, with a lot of cameos from former players - including James Graham, Mark Carroll, Paul Gallen, Joel Caine, and Andrew Johns - and media personality Matt Nable.

And add extra points for Cronulla fans, with some scenes shot from Shark Park and the Lum family singing the club song ("Up, Up Cronulla) at one point.

While "Plum" can be heavy going at times (especially around concussions and the 'blokey' rugby league culture), it's worth investing your time in.

Cowell delivers, from his novel of the same name to making it to the small screen.

I managed to watch all the episodes after they came out and there is so much we truly don't know with brain injuries and sport.

It makes you think about if we truly know the damage of all our years playing sport, the knocks we get and the pains of getting older and if you're the same person you were before you started.

Asher Keddie delivers as Renee and the rest of the cast gel really well as well. Cowell playing a broken man struggling with the diagnosis and the cameos of NRL players is a treat.

This show makes you think, wonder and reflect on how precious life is. Highly recommend the series and one thing is: go gently and ponder what comes next.

Urgghh.just watched the final episode and, strangely for me, I felt the need to review. Not only was this grip Ing to watch,my interest was not as a sport fan, not as a sport participant, but as an anOccupational therapist working with adults with brain injury. I loved the fact that this was not all about nasal prongs and endless medical scenes. This is exactly how to get the true story of brain injury across. It is about the impact on the brain injured person, their relationships and self. Such a great Show...moving, great actors and sadly, totally true and believable. Congratulations to ABC for airing it.