 Adam was placed into the Eels starting line-up with immediate effect and after playing just eleven games for his new club struck tragedy in a fixture against the Canberra Raiders.Just two minutes into the game he was knocked unconscious after a dangerous high tackle from Canberra forward John Lomax and with the completion of the game and a routine scan it was discovered he had a life-threatening brain cyst.Ritson then went on to have fourteen operations over the next year, several of which nearly left him dead.