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@spartan117 said in [Taniela Tuiaki](/post/1300734) said:
I hope Tank reads this.
One of my all time Fav Tigers for sure. Hard running.
I took my son on a fan day at corcord and when posing for photos he put the boy on his knees.
The memory of such a simple act and the photo of that moment is a treasure for the both us both.
Wish u the best Tank and thank you so much.
It’s a pity that he wasn’t supported by the club a bit more
What's the story with The Tank not being supported by our Club BT?
From what I heard he was basically thrown on the scrap heap, and not supported by the club.
He’s now working as a correctional officer in NT, but was unemployed for years.
If I’m wrong someone please correct me.
I'm pretty sure a few years ago the club spoke to Tuiaki during the trial game or maybe before the 9's and did an interview with him .......
The question is did the club look after him financially?
My point is if Tuiaki was treated wrongly by the club he would tell them to get knicked .....and I thought the interview did cover that .....Sure they got him a job at Allied Express (that was the name of the sponsor ) as well
Okay thanks Hap.
You might find it on the club's website ...but they did an interview and the more I think about it the club did try and find him alternative employment
It was more after that when he needed further Operations and had to self fund them..
Go fund Me was started on Facebook to help pay for them..
I know absolutely zero about the facts of this, but it seems strange that the clubs insurance wouldnt cover this......unless it ties in with what someone else here posted that there was an issue with TT screwing up his rehab.
Total speculation but if he didnt hold his end up with proper rehab Im sure it would give the insurance company an out.
Not 100% on the details but here is the article..
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/teams/tigers/taniela-tuiaki-still-yet-to-see-significant-compensation-six-years-after-career-ending-ankle-injury/news-story/3d8dcd4c938bf85e9a266cd424d27e41
Taniela Tuiaki still yet to see significant support six years after career ending ankle injury
SIX years after a gruesome ankle injury ended his career, Taniel Tuiaki is still one of the forgotten men of rugby league.
Nick Walshaw
3 min read
July 17, 2015 - 12:08PM
The Daily Telegraph
TANIELA Tuiaki is worth a grand.
Nothing more, apparently.
Four figures is all rugby league can muster for this broken body on a pile of who knows how many?
“Players like me, nobody gives a shit,’’ Tuiaki concedes. “We can’t bring anyone through the turnstiles anymore. Can’t make any money for the game.
“So what do I matter? I’m just a broken down black kid from New Zealand.”
Speaking with The Daily Telegraph from Darwin, where he now works in a Youth Detention Centre, Tuiaki is discussing life as a man left disabled and forgotten by rugby league.
But we told you all this a year ago, remember?
Explaining how this Wests Tiger once crowned Dally M Winger of the Year, a colossus who rose up to become the most feared finisher in the code, now wakes every morning and limps down the hallway of his rented home.
Some days, his ankle aches. Others, Tuiaki struggles to even walk.
“And fish oils, ointments, painkillers — I’ve tried the lot,’’ he says. “Nothing works.”
Six years after an innocuous tackle shattered both his ankle and future — after enduring three operations and another 18 months of failed rehabilitation — Tuiaki is still struggling to get himself right.
Emotionally, he is free of the depression that followed his first two years in retirement.
But still his ankle remains so badly damaged, a specialist is now urging him into a fourth operation — this time in Adelaide.
“But where do I get the money for that?’’ Tuiaki asks. “When I left the game, there was no insurance payout, no fundraisers, nothing.
“If I’d been injured on a job site, I’d still be getting looked after. But unfortunately, rugby league was my job.
“I know Wests Tigers were going to do something, but it never happened.
“After doctors said I was finished, I went home to Auckland for what was supposed to be a week. I stayed two years.
“Just lived with mum. Didn’t work and didn’t need to. I wasn’t going anywhere, I was too depressed.
“By the time I came back it was too late, no one wanted to know me.”
Still don’t.
“It’s strange,” he continues. “Sometimes I’m mentioned in the papers, on Fox Sports or whatever. I think Paul Gallen tweeted something after that Alex McKinnon program on 60 Minutes, too.
“But who do I go to for help?
“When I moved up here to Darwin for work, Men of League gave me a thousand dollars. I was so grateful because that helped pay for my bond.”
Of course, the game promised a lot more than a grand, too.
For The Daily Telegraph was there at the Simon Dwyer Fundraiser late last year. Listening as amid all the goodwill and auctions, people promised a similar night for Tuiaki.
So yesterday, well, we decided to phone the man himself and see if the game had come good.
“Nah, nothing yet,’’ Tuiaki replied hopefully, like maybe someone is still listening.
“Although this week I called my old manager, Martin Tauber. Asked if there’s a way to get funding for this latest operation, given it happened playing NRL.
“He’s told me I have to fill out application forms, so that might be something.
“But really, who knows?