From the CT:
Wiki stars with supporting cast
By Chris Wilson Rugby league
Monday, 13 September 2004
As Canberra coach Matt Elliott put it: the Raiders got their last pound of flesh out of Ruben Wiki yesterday. And Wiki was only too happy to give his heart.
The inspirational forward made an astonishing return from injury to play his final match for the Canberra Raiders.
Unable to run all week, Wiki jogged on to Aussie Stadium yesterday with his battered left ankle supported by a plastic cast.
Ignoring an injury that should have sidelined him for a month, Wiki played all but six minutes of the elimination final against the Roosters.
He made 25 tackles and 10 hit-ups. It certainly wasn't the best of the 225 games he has played with the Raiders, but it was one of his most inspirational.
"I don't think any other player would have played today, but Ruben felt he owed it to the guys," suspended Raiders captain Simon Woolford said. "It was an unbelievable effort for him to play."
It was only a little more than a week ago that a teary Wiki sat on the sideline at Canberra Stadium, convinced he had played his final game for Canberra.
Sitting in the changeroom after yesterday's match, his ankle resting in a bucket of ice, Wiki seemed much more content with this ending.
Adrenalin had kicked in, he said, to mask any pain. But he revealed the miracle behind his recovery.
"I did some overtime, some extra kava sessions this week," he said, laughing.
"I just had to be part of this game. I worked pretty hard in rehab. A few needles here and there. It's how much this club means to me."
The Raiders didn't know Wiki would play until Saturday. When Elliott announced it to his team, he said it sent a ripple through the room.
The Raiders hid the news from everyone outside the squad. They even went as far as putting Wiki's name down for a seat at the pre-game corporate lunch in the members stand.
Wiki played in the number 22 - only a coincidence that it was double his usual number 11. He had cut his long locks during the week, his new short-back-and-sides making him look like the young New Zealand centre who arrived in Canberra and made his first grade debut in 1993.
Elliott took Wiki off between the 61st and 67th minutes, but injuries within the squad and sentiment meant the powerful second-rower would always be on at the end.
"I was torn between getting him off and letting him finish. I think we went the right way," Elliott said.
"That was his first run this week so it was a phenomenal effort. Because of the injuries we had, I left him out on the field a lot longer than I would have liked. But I guess we got our last pound of flesh out of him."
At the end of the game Wiki hugged each of his teammates, took off his boots and he jumped into the crowd to farewell a small band of Canberra supporters.
Wiki said he hadn't felt nervous playing with an injury.
"If you feel tentative you shouldn't be out there playing. There's only one way to go. You don't die wondering," he said.
"We stuck it to them in the first half and the bounce of the ball went their way in that last couple of minutes, but that's footy. It can be cruel to you. But we kept battling on until the final hooter went.
"I just so much wanted to be part of it. I'm just glad I got to put the jersey on one more time."
