Greg Alexander sports a bandage on his right hand as he covers Brisbane’s win over the Dolphins after the football great was left with hairy palms due to a rare ‘Viking disease’
- The NRL icon has Dupuytren’s contracture
- It causes the fingers to bend towards the palm.
- He underwent skin graft surgery to combat the disease.
Football legend turned commentator Greg Alexander was seen with his right hand bandaged during Fox Sports’ coverage of the Dolphins vs Broncos clash on Friday night in a sign that he battles with a condition known as ‘Viking disease’ could be exploding.
The former Penrith, NSW and Kangaroos star’s hand was wrapped in a white bandage as he discussed Brisbane’s historic win over the NRL’s newest team with fellow Fox pundits Yvonne Sampson and Michael Ennis.
Last year, Alexander revealed that he had been diagnosed with Dupuytren’s contracture, which is also known as ‘Viking disease’ because it often affects people of Northern European descent.
Alexander (centre, with co-host Yvonne Sampson, left, and Michael Ennis, right) was seen with his right hand bandaged while dissecting the Brisbane vs Dolphins game on Friday night.
The condition causes the tissue under the skin of the hand to harden, thicken, and tighten, causing the fingers to bend toward the palm and become difficult to straighten.
It can be treated by surgery that consists of grafting skin with hair follicles over the affected area, in order to prevent the disease from reactivating.
“I’ve had it in both hands now,” said the soccer icon known to fans as “Brandy.” Sydney Morning Herald last year.
“What they have to do is open you up and then it’s almost like a calcification where they have to cut everything out.”
Alexander’s skin grafts were taken from his armpit when he was operated on.
The Panthers legend (pictured playing for Penrith late in his career in 2009) had to undergo skin graft surgery to combat the debilitating condition.
“If it’s skin with hair follicles, that means the Viking disease can’t come back…so every once in a while I have to pluck a hair out of my hand,” he explained.
“I feel a bit like an ape, but that’s exactly how they kept me from coming back.”
Dupuytren’s contracture is painless and most commonly affects the ring and little fingers. The condition worsens over a period of years and the first sign someone has is usually a lump in the palm of the hand.
It is more common in men than women, the cause is a mystery, and it is more common in people over the age of 50.
An alternative treatment is to stick a needle into the cord of tissue to break it. Steroid or collagenase injections may also be used to soften and weaken the tissue.
Alexander (pictured working as an assistant coach for the New South Wales team in 2022) has ‘Vikings disease’ on both hands.
The condition causes the fingers to bend backwards, and skin graft surgery, the NRL icon (pictured with Penrith teammate Mark Geyer in 2021) left him with hairs on the palm of his hand.
Even when surgery like Alexander’s is done, the relief can only be temporary, as the disease can return over time.
Alexander starred for Penrith from 1984 to 1994 and from 1997 to 1999, and had a stint with the Auckland Warriors in 1995 to 1996.
Known primarily as an exceptionally gifted running back and fifth eighth, he also switched to fullback and wing during a stellar career that saw him play six State of Origin matches for NSW and six games for the Kangaroos.
Alexander captained Penrith to their first major final win in 1991, with his outstanding kicking and overall play helping the Panthers beat the Canberra Raiders 19-12.
He now works as an NRL commentator for Fox Sports, and was awarded the Australian Sports Medal in 2000, followed by a Panthers hall of fame induction in 2016.