Mose Masoe received a memorable send-off from life in England, being given an impromptu haka at his farewell dinner on the weekend.
Masoe, who played for the Roosters and Panthers in the NRL, was playing a pre-season game for Hull KR against Wakefield in January 2020 when he was seriously injured.
The 32-year-old spent nearly three months in a hospital bed and was warned that he may never walk again – before he took his first unassisted steps some nine months after the accident.
Among those to perform the ceremonial Māori dance were his Hull KR teammate Brad Takairangi, and Castleford Tigers forward Tyla Hepi.
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“Wow what a night I’ll never forget!” Masoe wrote on social media.
“Thank you everyone behind the scenes at the Mose Masoe Fund for putting this on for us. Thank you everyone who came and for those that couldn’t thank you for being there through the ups and downs and the slowly getting back up! Grateful.”
https://twitter.com/MoseMasoe/status/1454732335379881985
His farewell dinner, at the Double Tree Hilton in Hull, raised money for his foundation which has been raising money across the past season for rugby league players who experience hardship after suffering severe injuries.
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Earlier this year in the NRL, a ‘Try July’ campaign also raised funds for the Men of League Foundation’s Mose Masoe Appeal. For every try celebration performed by an NRL player, Sportsbet donated $5,000 to the charity, with funds helping Masoe as he battles back from a catastrophic spinal injury.
Masoe and his family will be re-locating to the Sunshine Coast.
“I’ve no qualifications for an office job. Mine are all about working outdoors, so I’ve got to see what I can do,” he told The Sun newspaper.
“Getting involved with a rugby league team is the goal but I guess I’d be down the pecking order compared to people who went to university. It’ll just be a case of waiting and seeing.”
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