Former NRL star Scott Dureau dies at 39 after long battle with cancer

Former Newcastle Knights NRL halfback Scott Dureau, who became a Super League star with the Catalans Dragons, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 39.

Dureau fought cancer for the past 13 years and passed away on Saturday.

In a statement, Once a Knight Old Boys, the organisation that represents former players, said Dureau had earned enormous respect throughout the game.

"There are players whose careers are remembered because of what they achieved on the field. There are others who are remembered because of the people they were," the statement read.

"Scott Dureau will be remembered for both."

He left a lasting impression on many in rugby league, but former teammates said it was the way he lived his life away from the field that would leave the greatest impression on those who knew him.

"Even as he fought for his own future, he continued helping young people build theirs," the Once a Knights Old Boys statement read.

After retiring from playing in 2015, Dureau returned to Newcastle in coaching and development roles, helping to guide the next generation of players.

Despite his challenges over the past 13 years, Dureau will be remembered for his positivity.

"Even when confronted with the most devastating news imaginable, his instinct was to focus on what he could still do rather than what had been taken away from him," the old boys statement read.

The Calatan Dragons also issued a heartfelt statement.

"A former iconic player of the club, he had been courageously battling the illness for several years," the Dragons' statement said.

"Beyond the exceptional player that he was, Scott was a man cherished by all those who had the privilege of knowing him.

"His talent and numerous achievements on the field, but above all his humility and kindness, will forever be etched in our memories.

"In these painful moments, president Bernard Guasch and the entire club extend their most sincere condolences to his wife Libby, his two daughters Imogen and Everly, his family, and all his loved ones."

Dureau played 42 games over four seasons with Newcastle before teaming with French club the Catalans Dragons for four years, chalking up 97 appearances.

He was named in the British Super League's "Dream Team" in 2011 and 2012 and won the Albert Goldthorpe Medal, the competition's equivalent of the NRL's Dally M medal, in the second of those seasons.

Dureau had been battling cancer for more than decade, having retired from playing after a tumour was removed from behind an eye.