NRL great Bryan Fletcher has opened up about the bizarre medical treatment he received after suffering a nasty surfing injury while holidaying in Indonesia.
In light of current footy stars Reece Walsh and Toby Rudolf’s recent surfing mishaps in Bali, Fletcher has spilled the beans on a wild adventure of his own.
The former Roosters star was on a surfing holiday at Telo Island off the west coast of Sumatra when he cut his foot while trying to get back into a boat.
Fletcher’s wound was serious and required stitches – and fortunately, help wasn’t far away.
‘There was a team of doctors in a nearby house, which was perfect,’ he told SEN.
‘The guy was a neurosurgeon, but my mates wouldn’t allow him to do it until after dinner when he was blind [drunk]. They were feeding him tequila and he couldn’t even stand up.
Bryan Fletcher (pictured at the 2022 NRL grand final) has opened up about suffering a nasty surfing injury while in Indonesia
Fletcher (pictured third from right on a previous tropical holiday) ended up getting stitches in his foot from an intoxicated surgeon
‘I was encouraging it all, and he nailed it. I’ve got no scar because he did such a good job. Even though he couldn’t really stand up.
‘It was quite funny. He stitched it up and I strapped it and got straight back in the surf. It was day one of 10.’
Fletcher is no stranger to bizarre injuries.
In 2016 he was rushed to hospital after breaking three ribs and puncturing his lung while attempting a world record.
The attempt involved him and his fellow NRL great Nathan Hindmarsh linking arms and jumping onto an inflatable pillow to catapult a performer into the air. But things didn’t go to plan.
‘We get up the top and we were at about 10 metres this time, so I’m looking at Hindy going, s***. This is pretty heavy,’ Fletcher said.
‘The bloke told us to land on our back, so we link arms and it looks like Hindy pulled me down a bit, I’ve spun on my side and I’ve just landed straight on his knee.
‘He’s somehow twisted in the air and I’ve turned on my side and just went straight on his knee from at the back.’
Moments later he realised how badly injured he was.
Fletcher said he once put Hollywood star and Souths owner Russell Crowe (pictured together) through a wall during a footy bonding session in a pub
‘So I’m winded in the water and trying to laugh and trying but I got up and I knew something was wrong because I coughed heaps of blood up,’ he said.
‘And yeah, I’ve broken my ribs and punctured my lung.’
Fletcher again found himself in a bizarre situation while playing for Souths in 2003.
Rabbitohs owner Russell Crowe organised a pub night for the team, who got extremely drunk on Absinthe.
Near the end of the night Crowe called on him to bring in the club’s best defender because he wanted a game of footy.
‘It was an odd time but I’m thinking, “You’ve got to humour Russ, he’s put this drink on for us”,’ Fletcher recounted in 2021.
‘So Russell comes running at me and I tackle him how I always have my whole career and I miss him. He runs behind me and dives down behind an imaginary set of posts.
‘I said, “Good on you Russ” and kept walking. I take two steps and I get pushed in the back. It’s Russ. He just stops in front of me and he goes, “You f***ing dog. You’re a f***ing cat. You’re a waste of money, you’re South Sydney’s worst ever captain”.
‘He was right but he didn’t have to say it to my face. The boys have jerried to what’s going on… I got the s**ts and said, “Let’s just do this again”.
‘He basically gets up and runs at me and I get under his ribs and drive him… and put him through a wall and the boys are just going, “What the f*** are you doing? Why are you doing this?”
‘Russ pops up, just shakes his head and goes, “That’s what I want to see!” That was his motivation, so we end up having a terrific night, getting on the p***.’
The Rabbitohs then won their match against the Melbourne Storm just days later but only came out on top in one other game for the season as they got stuck with the wooden spoon.
