Fifita: I thought career was gone
ON the first night that Andrew Fifita was discharged from the ICU of Royal Brisbane Hospital, he had a goal of walking less than 20 metres to a window at the end of the ward hallway.
“He had to learn how to walk again – and that was the start,’’ Fifita’s wife Nikki said.
“There was definitely a thought that he would never make it back to the game, so you could say I’m equally as shocked.”
Fifita’s 181-day goal, which drove him to the point of physical and mental exhaustion, of representing the NRL Indigenous All Stars will be achieved against the NRL Maori All Stars on Saturday night at CommBank Stadium in Sydney.
In her mind, Nikki had practised what to say if Fifita needed to be told he’d played his last game after 12 years in the NRL. Luckily, it never came to that.
“I was there for all his appointments with the specialists and as every day passed, it became clear that medically, therewas no doubt he could play again,’’ Nikki said.
Asked if she would be attending the match, Nikki said simply: “We’re all going. Me and the kids. We wouldn’t miss it.’’