Kiwis ‘will give Prem the elbow’
FOR Mose Masoe, taking five small steps provided the same elation as winning a Super League title at Old Trafford.
The Hull KR prop suffered a career-ending injury during a pre-season match at Wakefield in January and was warned he may never walk again.
Masoe, 31, damaged two vertebrae in his spine while making a routine tackle. But after two months of rehab (right) at Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield, he last week posted a video of himself walking unaided for the first time in his kitchen.
Watched by daughters
Marlowe and Evie-rose, the Samoa international ticked off the latest landmark on his remarkable recovery road.
“It’s weird – it was like winning a Grand Final, the same kind of feeling,” said Masoe, who was part of St Helens’ 2014 title-winning side.
“It was something that sounded impossible 16 weeks ago. If you’d said to me then I’d be walking again now, I never would have thought it would come this quickly.
“I’m stoked to be up and walking and grateful for whatever I get back now, everything is a massive bonus.”
Masoe’s positivity is evident in every word he says, despite what he has been through. Each step of his rehabilitation – from sitting up in bed to using a wheelchair and now walking – has been cheered by a rugby league community galvanised by his attitude towards adversity.
Even the coronavirus crisis has created new obstacles, meaning he can’t get the physiotherapy he is used to. But he added: “When the Rugby League Benevolent Fund came to put a stairlift in our house they asked if I wanted one to the top floor and I said no.
“I got up on my bottom using my triceps, then I could crawl up and this week I walked up for the first time with crutches. “My missus has me vacuuming the house now and I’m using everyday jobs as my rehab so when I get to specialist facilities again I can do more than now.”
Wife Carissa is clearly the rock on which Masoe has built his recovery.
The couple had one moment of real sadness in the changing room at Wakefield after the injury, but since then have looked positively on the future.
And with Carissa expecting a son in July, Masoe has another reason to keep going.
He said: “I must be able to help her out when he comes.”
HAVING the mentality of a professional sportsman has been a significant help in Mose Masoe’s rehabilitation.
He continues to exceed expectations during his recovery and says coming back from common rugby league injuries has contributed to him staying focused and positive.
Masoe (left) said: “It definitely does help because there are days when you become frustrated as you’re trying new things with injuries.
“We know there’s a time limit for things to heal and that when you’re doing little things every day, you might not see the benefit at first – but you need to keep chipping away.”
Masoe also hailed the assistance of the Rugby League Benevolent Fund, a charity which provides financial and emotional support to players who suffer life-changing injuries.
ALL BLACK Dane Coles has predicted top New Zealanders will shun the Premiership in future because of the impact of the coronavirus.
The 69-cap hooker believes the severity of the outbreak in Europe – and the knock-on effect the shutdown will have on club spending power – will persuade many Kiwis to stay at home.
“It’s definitely going to have an effect on people looking overseas in that UK and France market,” Coles said.
“It does make you appreciate being in New Zealand.
“We heard some sad stories of guys playing in France and they’re still in lockdown and their contract is taking a massive hit.” The majority of Premiership clubs imposed a 25 per cent temporary wage cut on players when the season was stopped – a situation some teams now want made permanent.
New Zealand’s Super Rugby sides returned to training on Monday ahead of a restart to their season on June 14.
Wasps flanker Thomas Young has turned his back on Wales by re-signing with the Premiership club.
Young, whose father Dai left as director of rugby in February, won the last of his three caps in February but has made himself ineligible by recommitting to Wasps.
“I’ve made some great friends at this club and I want to achieve something special with them,” he said.