When Tawera Nikau was involved in a 2003 motorbike accident that resulted in the amputation of his leg, the Storm legend made a very unexpected request.
The 59-year-old, who scored 12 tries in 114 games for the Sharks and Storm during his NRL career, suffered the life-changing injury just two years after his retirement.
The crash resulted in the lower part of his right leg being amputated just below the knee.
While many would perhaps prefer no recollection of their old leg, the former Kiwi rugby league star instead asked doctors if he could keep the leg.
Prior to his operation, Nikau made it very clear to his surgeon that he would prefer his limb did not get sent to the incinerator after being removed.
He also explained that he initially planned to keep it in the bar in his house, but thought better of it after getting an actual look at it.
Former NRL star Tawera Nikau (pictured) had his leg amputated following a motorbike accident in 2003
The former Sharks and Storm man (left) requested that doctors let him keep his leg after it had to be amputated
Nikau saw the funnier side of the injury using it to prank some friends during a barbecue at his house
The champion forward told Jake Duke, ‘When I told the doctor I was gonna have my leg cut off, he came and gave me this green form.
‘I said, oh, what’s that for, Doc? He says, oh, can you sign the form? When you cut your leg off, when we amputate your leg, you see look at the window. I said, yep, you see those big incinerators? We incinerate the leg.
‘And I said, Doc, have you heard of cultural sensitivity? And he says, what do you mean? I said, I’m Māori, that leg belongs to me. I’m gonna take it home when I go.
‘He said, well, no one’s ever asked to do that before. I said, well, can you sort it out?’
Despite the request catching staff off-guard, the doctor made good and managed to sort out Nikau with his lost leg.
‘So he comes in, discharges me, gives me the green form and he says to me, just take that down to the morgue, give them the form and they’ll give you your leg, you can take it home,’ Nikau said.
‘I said, oh, that’s awesome, so jumped in the wheelchair, went around in the elevator, down to the basement, got to the morgue.’
Nikau revealed he initially intended to keep his leg on display, but the gruesome nature of the leg led to a change of plan.
‘There’s a lady in the office, I gave her the green form. She looks at the form, looks at me, she goes, what are you gonna do with your leg?’ Nikau added.
‘I said, oh, I just built a new house and I got a big bar in it.
‘I’m gonna put it in a big jar and leave it on the bar in formaldehyde. She goes, oh, that’s a bit gory, isn’t it?
‘It’s my bloody leg, I can do whatever I wanna do with it can’t I? So I got the leg, got home that afternoon, my mum picked me up, took me home.
‘And I wanted to see what my leg looked like, so it was in this brown box about this big. So when I got home, I had to look at it.
‘I thought, oh, shit, that looks a bit gory. I don’t know if I’m gonna put that on the bar in the jar, so I just got a big rubbish bag and I wrapped it up and I put it in the freezer at home in the garage
‘About two weeks later, we had a barbecue at my house.
‘True story, true story. My mate Shane, the butcher, comes over. I said, bro, can you go in the shed and grab that leg of pork off the top shelf?
‘So he goes in the shed, unwraps it, opens it up and he throws the leg in the air, it was my leg.’
It wouldn’t be until a family tragedy years later that Nikau finally decided on what to do with his leg.
‘Not long after, about two years later, one of my nephews passed away,’ Nikau said.
‘There is a place in Maori culture where we bury all our dead.
‘And one of my nephews passed away and I buried it upside down on top of my nephew, so he could have something to play around with. But that’s what happened to my leg, mate.’
