Five months after suffering a stroke, premiership-winning prop Zane Tetevano is hoping his return to rugby league will open the door for him to have one last crack in the NRL.
The former Newcastle, Penrith and Sydney Roosters forward will feature for the Cook Islands in Sunday’s Pacific Bowl clash with Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby.
The prospect of Tetevano stepping foot on a field again was no sure bet when he was taken from a training session to hospital earlier this year.
The 32-year-old, who last played a game with Super League club Leeds in May, was fortunate quick-thinking club staff immediately recognised the symptoms.
“I was trying to communicate in the warm-up and I started slurring my words," Tetevano told AAP.
“My strength and conditioning coach Rich Hunwicks asked ‘have you been on the piss?’
“Then I started kicking my feet and (assistant coach) Chev Walker realised I was having a stroke.
“They tried not to scare anyone at training and then they called for an ambulance.
“I was like, ‘I can’t be having a stroke’.”
Tetevano was taken to a specialist unit in Leeds and it was only there doctors discovered he had a hole in his heart, which they were able to repair with surgery.
The forward said the severity of what happened to him only hit home once he spoke to other patients in his ward.
“There was a guy who had been in there who was a train driver," Tetevano said.
“He had an episode while he was driving a train, he had been in there for six weeks.
"He hadn’t had any family visit him, so I got him a signed jersey to try and brighten up his day.
“That hit me quite deep but that made me think, ‘Where do I go from here’?”
Tetevano is thankful he didn't suffer any permanent mobility loss and has been in New Zealand since released by Leeds last month.
The prop says the Cook Islands' games against PNG and Fiji, where he has the chance to play alongside brother Isaiah Cooper-Tetevano for the first time, will shape his next steps.
“I’ve got a few options to play again, but over these next two games I just want to see if I can still mix it," Tetevano said.
“PNG are one of the most physical teams you can come up against.
“I’ll have one more crack at NRL, bush footy is always going to be there and that’s a happy place to be.
“I’ve got a few plans but after these two games I’ll see where I’m at and if my lifeline comes through a train-and-trial contract that would be pretty cool.”
