League: Sick Lowe defies doctors

Lowe had a heart attack last month. Photo / File

Former Kiwis coach Graham Lowe defied medical advice to play his own small part in the Kiwis' Four Nations victory on Saturday night.

A jubilant Manu Vatuvei and Greg Eastwood after the game. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Lowe, who has been plagued by serious health issues over the past two decades, had a heart attack last month.

At the time he described it as the "most frightening" health episode of his life. The 67-year-old is still under observation and supposed to be resting at home but flew to Wellington to present the jerseys and give a speech at the team dinner the night before the test.

"Stephen Kearney rang me last week and I was absolutely flattered," said Lowe. "I knew it wasn't something I was supposed to be doing but I didn't tell anyone. I just went. I knew there were people down there that could look after me if anything happened."

In an emotional speech Lowe, who coached the Kiwis to two famous victories over the Kangaroos in the 1980s, told the players they would have to play the game of their lives to win the final.

"I asked them to look back individually to their best game of their career and go to sleep that night knowing they had to play better than ever before."

Lowe was the latest in a line of Kiwis luminaries to be involved in the team dinner on the eve of a test, with Mark Graham (Brisbane), Ruben Wiki (Whangarei) and Mark Broadhurst (Dunedin) also called in.

"I could feel the want and desire among the boys," said Lowe. "Every single thing about them impressed me. Stephen [Kearney] and his staff have done a pretty amazing job and I was thrilled to spend some time with them."

Lowe, who took 11-year-old son Sam along, wasn't able to stay in Wellington for the match. He says being at the ground and all the excitement might have been too much, but he was thrilled with the team's performance as he watched on television in his Auckland home.

"They were brilliant and the future looks very bright. Australia will bounce back but we have so many young players that will only get better."

Lowe's blows

• 1991 - Blood clot - leg
• 1991 - Brain haemorrhage
• 1992 - Stroke
• 1992 - Deep vein thrombosis - both legs
• 1993 - Triple heart bypass
• 1994 - Heart surgery
• 1996 - Heart surgery
• 2000 - Stent installed in coronary artery
• 2007 - Arterial bypass surgery - left leg
• 2009 - Double heart bypass
• 2011 - Aggressive coronary artery disease
• 2014 - Heart attack