NRL great Greg Alexander sports a bandage on his hand on TV after contracting rare ‘Vikings disease’

Footy legend turned commentator Greg Alexander was seen with his right hand bandaged during Fox Sports’ coverage of the Dolphins vs Broncos clash on Friday night in a sign that his battle with a condition known as ‘Vikings disease’ could be flaring up.

The former Penrith, NSW and Kangaroos star’s hand was swathed in a white bandage as he discussed Brisbane’s historic win over the NRL’s newest side with fellow Fox experts Yvonne Sampson and Michael Ennis.

Last year Alexander revealed he’d been diganosed with Dupuytren’s contracture, which is also known as ‘Vikings disease’ because it often strikes people of northern European descent. 

The condition makes the tissue under the skin of the hand harden, thicken and tighten, making the fingers curl back towards the palm and become difficult to straighten.

It can be treated using surgery that involves grafting skin with hair follicles in it over the affected area, in order to stop the disease from reactivating.

‘I’ve had it now on both hands,’ the footy icon known to fans as ‘Brandy’ told the Sydney Morning Herald last year.

‘What they have to do is open you up and then it’s almost like a calcification where they have to cut it all out.’

Alexander’s skin grafts were taken from his underarm when he was operated on.

‘If it’s skin with hair follicles on it, that means the Vikings disease can’t come back … so every now and then I have to pluck a hair out of my hand,’ he explained.

‘I feel a little bit ape-like, but that’s exactly how they stopped it coming back.’

Dupuytren’s contracture is painless and most often affects the ring and little fingers. The condition gets worse over a period of years and the first sign someone has it is usually a lump in the palm of their hand.

It’s more common in men than in women, the cause is a mystery, and it’s most common in people over the age of 50.

An alternative treatment involves sticking a needle into the cord of tissue in order to break it up. Injections of steroids or collagenase can also be used to soften and weaken the tissue.

Even when surgery like Alexander’s is undertaken, relief could still only be temporary, as the disease can return over time.

Alexander starred for Penrith from 1984-94 and 1997-99, and had a stint with the Auckland Warriors in 1995-96. 

Known primarily as an exceptionally gifted halfback and five-eighth, he also switched to fullback and the wing during a stellar career that saw him play six State of Origin matches for NSW and six games for the Kangaroos.

Alexander captained Penrith to their first grand final victory in 1991, with his outstanding kicking for goal and in general play helping the Panthers to a 19-12 win over the Canberra Raiders.

He now works as an NRL commentator for Fox Sports, and was awarded the Australian Sports Medal in 2000, followed by induction into the Panthers hall of fame in 2016.