NRL great Bryan Fletcher has opened up about the bizarre medical treatment he received after suffering a nasty surfing injury while on holiday in Indonesia.
In light of current footy stars Reece Walsh and Toby Rudolf’s recent surfing accidents in Bali, Fletcher has set his sights on a wild adventure of his own.
The former Roosters star was on a surfing holiday on the island of Telo off the west coast of Sumatra when he cut his foot trying to get back into a boat.
Fletcher’s wound was serious and required stitches – and luckily help was not far away.
“There was a team of doctors in a nearby house, which was perfect,” he said SEN.
‘The man was a neurosurgeon, but my friends didn’t let him do that until after dinner, when he was blind. [drunk]. They gave him tequila and he couldn’t even get 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 vacation) ended up getting stitches in his foot by a drunken surgeon
“I encouraged it all, and he succeeded. I don’t have a scar because he did so well. Even though he couldn’t really get up.
‘It was quite funny. He sewed it up and I tied it up and went straight back into the surf. It was day one of ten.”
Fletcher is no stranger to bizarre injuries.
In 2016, he was rushed to hospital after breaking three ribs and puncturing his lung while attempting to set a world record.
The attempt involved him and fellow NRL great Nathan Hindmarsh linking arms and jumping onto an inflatable cushion to catapult a performer into the air. But things didn’t go according to plan.
“We’re going up to the top and we were at about 30 feet this time, so I’m looking at Hindy going, damn it. This is pretty tough,” Fletcher said.
“The guy said to land on our backs, so we link our arms and it looks like Hindy pulled me down a little bit, I turned on my side and I just landed right on his knee.
“He was somehow twisted in the air and I turned on my side and sat right on his knee from behind.”
A moment later he realized how seriously 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 lay in the water out of breath and tried to laugh and try, but I got up and I knew something was wrong because I was coughing up piles of blood,” he said.
“And yes, I broke my ribs and punctured my lung.”
Fletcher found himself in a bizarre situation again when playing for Souths in 2003.
Rabbitohs owner Russell Crowe organized a pub night for the team, who got extremely drunk on Absinthe.
Towards the end of the evening, Crowe called on him to bring in the club’s best defender as he fancied a game of footy.
“It was a strange time, but I’m thinking, ‘You’ve got to do Russ a favor, he made us this drink,'” Fletcher said in 2021.
“So Russell comes running towards me and I tackle him like I’ve always done my whole career and I miss him. He runs after me and dives down behind an imaginary set of posts.
‘I said, “Good job Russ” and kept walking. I take two steps and am pushed in the back. It’s Russian. He just stops in front of me and says, “You bloody dog. You’re a bloody cat. You’re a waste of money, you’re South Sydney’s worst captain ever”.
‘He was right, but he didn’t have to say it to my face. The boys have become aware of what’s going on… I got it and said, “Let’s just do this again.”
“He actually gets up and runs towards me and I get under his ribs and drive him… and push him through a wall and the guys just say, ‘What the fuck are you doing? Why are you doing this?’
‘Russ pops up and just shakes his head and says, “That’s what I want to see!” That was his motivation, so we end up having a great night going out on the road.”
The Rabbitohs then won their match against the Melbourne Storm just days later, but only came out on top in one other match of the season as they got stuck with the wooden spoon.