CLUBB GLAD TO BE BACK
Tony beats kidney woes
WIGAN star Tony Clubb feared kidney problems would force him to quit.
But after a try-scoring comeback in champions Wigan’s 28-12 win over Widnes on Sunday, former England international Clubb has no more fears about his playing future.
Clubb had a five-hour operation on May 5 to remove one of his kidneys.
On Sunday he played 55 minutes against the Vikings, touching down less than 10 minutes after making his return to a standing ovation at the DW Stadium.
Clubb, 30, said: “I had a tough time with it at the start.
“If it was a broken arm I would have known bones heal. But with it being an organ I didn’t know what was going on.
“Before I saw the surgeon, I had a scan and was told I had a dead kidney inside me. I didn’t know how things like that work.
“Going through my head I thought, ‘I’m going to have to retire’.
“But after seeing the surgeon he reassured me everything would be okay and I would be back in eight weeks.”
Fluids
Clubb originally signed off from action after Wigan’s home defeat by Castleford on April 6. But he had no idea he would soon be fretting over whether he would ever play again.
He added: “In pre-season I was getting back aches, though it didn’t feel like backache.
“I knew I had something wrong and eventually I went for scans. I was told the kidney was dead but I could carry on playing, but I wouldn’t be able to take on a lot of fluids.
“Being a bit naive and stupid I said, ‘Right I want to have a crack with it’. But after the Cas game I got rushed to hospital because the pain was too much.”
Clubb, who never played for his country again after scoring four tries against Papua New Guinea in 2010, now feels as good as new.
He added: “I have no pain or no dramas. I saw the surgeon during the week and he was fine that I didn’t have to go back and see him anymore.
“Wigan fans have been fantastic but so have fans from other clubs. One week they hate you, the next they are wishing you well. That’s how rugby league is.”