- Canberra Raider Iosia Soliola was rescued by a young lifesaver on Wednesday
- The forward drifted too far out at Mooloolaba beach, Sunshine Coast
- Lifesaver jumped into the surf and balanced 107kg footy star’s frame on a board
- Soliola joked about the incident with his teammates, who teased him in return
A young lifesaver rescued a Canberra Raider player on Wednesday after a mock surf competition with a group of Nippers took a turn for the worse.
Forward Iosia Soliola said he panicked when he realised how far out he had drifted while swimming at Mooloolaba beach, on the Sunshine Coast.
A lifesaver who spotted Soliola jumped into the water and balanced the 107kg footy star’s frame on a board as he carted the 31-year-old back to shore.
Canberra Raider forward Iosia Soliola (centre), 31, was rescued by a young lifesaver on Wednesday after a mock surf competition on the Sunshine Coast took a turn for the worse
Soliola (left) said he panicked when he realised how far out he had drifted while swimming at Mooloolaba beach
Soliola joked about the incident with his teammates, who teased him in return.
‘When everyone was was gone and I didn’t know how far I had, I just panicked as the buoy was too far back for me to go,’ Soliola told 9News.
‘That’s what happens when you don’t do Nippers…I’m taking my son to Nippers now.’
Later on in the day, a young surfer was rescued by one of the Raiders players after also getting into trouble in the water, according to 9News.
A lifesaver who spotted Soliola jumped into the water and balanced the 107kg footy star’s frame on a board as he carted the 31-year-old back to shore
Soliola joked about the incident with his teammates, who teased him in return