Football great Wendell Sailor reveals how he nearly died on a boys’ trip gone wrong in Bali during his NRL days with the Brisbane Broncos
- Talked about a memorable year in 2000
- Had won the title with the Broncos and was king of the world
- Everything went sour very quickly after a drunken evening
Former NRL and Wallabies double international Wendell Sailor has revealed the day he stared death in the face during a boys’ trip to Bali.
Speaking on Triple M’s Rush Hour with Wendell Sailor, Candice Warner and Jude Bolton, the former soccer star recalled the time he traveled to Indonesia with his Brisbane Broncos teammates.
‘Let me tell you that in 2000 it was a very good trip to Bali. The Broncos 2000 team after winning the Grand Final and just before the World Cup,” he said.
“If we think we are the kings of the world, imagine what I think.
Bolton asked, “It quickly became a failed overseas episode?”
Sailor was at the height of his powers in 2000 and thought he was bulletproof after winning the NRL premiership with the Brisbane Broncos
Speaking on Triple M’s rush hour with Wendell Sailor, Candice Warner and Jude Bolton, Sailor revealed that he discovered in Bali that he was definitely not bulletproof.
As the trio laughed, Sailor began detailing the boozy adventures the players went on to celebrate their NRL title.
“So we had about three or four days on the p***, we hadn’t slept much, I’m rooming with Lote Tuquiri, it was great,” he said.
“We were staying at the Hard Rock Café. Anyway, we’re at this nightclub that’s turned into a day club. “It’s around six in the morning and I’m going out with the boys. There was Ben Ikin, Darren Lockyer [and myself].’
Needing a ride back to their accommodations, players suggested taking tuk-tuks, small three-wheeled motorized taxis due to their ability to navigate congested urban areas and narrow streets.
But Sailor had bigger plans.
“Man, we won’t have tuk-tuks. I said boys, leave it with me,” he said.
“I saw that Mercedes there. I said, “Oi mate, you know who we are? Come on mate, take us.”
‘So this guy standing next to the Mercedes looks at me and says ‘what?’
‘I said, ‘You heard me mate.
“As he approaches, he points a gun at my head.
“And at this point, can I tell you, I may have been drunk for four days, but I sobered up pretty quickly.”
Sailor would go on to play for Australia at the World Cup after the infamous trip to Bali and has never returned to the Indonesian holiday destination since.
Sailor was also a star player for the Queensland Maroons with Broncos teammates Darren Lockyer, Ben Ikin and Lote Tuquiri also traveling to Bali for the boys’ trip.
Warner and Bolton couldn’t decide whether to laugh or gasp at this revelation.
Fortunately, Ikin, who recently resigned from his role with the Broncos to become managing director of the Queensland Rugby League, had a gift for small talk at a very young age.
“Ben Ikin steps in and says mate, mate, sorry mate, we’re from overseas, I didn’t mean to disrespect you,” Sailor said.
‘Dude, can I tell you that I haven’t been back to Bali since.
“So when you’re abroad, just respect the culture and the country.
