Kaumātua Ike Rakena broke his neck playing rugby league. He spoke to league legend Adam Blair about his league dreams.
"It was pretty hard for me. League was my heart, league was my soul," says Rakena. who played for Manukau and Ōtāhuhu.
Rakena broke his neck two weeks before the Warriors first came into the NRL competition.
"The Warriors were my team, still are my team," he says.
"All of my uncles, our grandfathers, were strong football players, so I followed that line."
Rakena, who played second-row, says he enjoyed the game's physical contact.
"For me, I was all about the contact, I didn't know how to sidestep."