‘It shows no one is safe in rugby’

FIFITA FEARS OVER TWIN

DAVID FIFITA will not take anything for granted after fearing the worst following his twin’s horrific injury.

The Wakefield prop was stunned when brother Andrew, below, was rushed to hospital after fracturing his larynx while playing for Cronulla Sharks against Newcastle Knights in Australia last August.

He was placed in an induced coma for five days, required major surgery, could only talk with the help of a tracheostomy tube and has only recently made his return to action. David said: “I’ve never really experienced anything like it. My brother was in a coma.What?

“Because it’s my twin brother, I don’t know if it’s the bond we have, but I feel everything he goes through.

“I just said I needed the next flight out of here. But his wife Nikki settled me down and I came to our game against Warrington. I didn’t think I could play but I played all right, scored a try and we won. But there was always a situation going on those first few days.

“It’s good to see him back playing, and playing some good footy.”

Because of Covid travel restrictions, Fifita has still not been able to visit his brother Down Under.

He added: “Before Andrew goes out now he has to find his missus and tell her he loves her. He always texts me on the phone and says, ‘Love you lots’. He doesn’t take anything for granted now.

“With him pretty much being the biggest player out there, it just shows no one is really safe in our sport.

“It can go just like that.” Fifita,

32, who hopes to help secure Trinity’s first win of the season against Leeds Rhinos tonight, is finding form, which makes his talk of potentially calling it a day surprising. His contract is up at the end of the season and he said: “I’m just enjoying it this year more because if I do end up retiring at the end of the year I can go out happy. I’ll leave it all up to my wife.

“She’s happy being here but she is also missing home a lot. It was in 2019 when we were last back home.”