KEY POINTS:
What would rugby league be without Peter Leitch aka the Mad Butcher? Given the patchy performance record of his beloved Warriors, the discount meat king turned league ambassador adds an edge of entertainment that is often missing from the on-field action. His irrepressible enthusiasm is such that he can make an ignominious defeat sound like a famous victory and a narrow win sound like the Second Coming.
The madcap footy fan seems ageless, which must say something for the quality of his barbecue steaks, but just this week he was looking uncharacteristically mortal after emergency surgery to clear a blood clot in a coronary artery.
The health scare did what even the Warriors' sorry win-loss record could not: it turned the genial and well-loved loudmouth into a quiet and sober chap.
Fortunately, the outcome of the surgery was good and, after a convalescent period in which he must watch the games on the telly while doing his best to stay "very, very calm", he'll be back on vociferous duty.
But he took the chance to underline the need for men to visit the doctor rather than just soldiering on if they are feeling crook. "Often us blokes tend to push it aside," he said.
It is good advice. Study after study has shown that men present later than women for medical treatment. As a result they are often much sicker than they need to be by the time they seek help. They recover less easily and less often and they develop complications - of which death is only the worst - in greater numbers.
It's the ugly side of the tough Kiwi-bloke mentality - and it's killing them.
So the Butcher's done his mates a favour again. Let's all take a leaf out of his book - and at the same time wish him a speedy recovery.
