NRL star who suffered gruesome facial injuries during head-on clash reveals he wanted to blend KFC to eat – as he prepares to make incredible recovery

Canberra Raiders forward Sia Soliola has revealed the extreme measures he took to try and eat fast food in his recovery from a horrific facial injury.

The 34-year-old was part of a brutal head clash with St George Illawarra star Blake Lawrie in July, leaving him with seven facial fractures that needed 20 screws to fix.

The former Samoan and New Zealand international took to Instagram to post an x-ray of the damage after the clash, with the caption 'at least my teeth are in tact'.

He was told by doctors he could only eat soft foods in recovery, which lead to an experimental approach to his diet.

Sia Soliola posted this x-ray to Instagram after he suffered seven facial fractures after a head clash on the field in July

'I actually tried to blend KFC,' Soliola told NRL.com.

'It was all soft foods so everything had to be blended. I actually had the idea to blend KFC, pizza, a Big Mac or pretty much anything.'

Soliola was predicted to miss the rest of the season with the injury, but he has been named in the Raiders squad for a dramatic comeback this weekend.

The 208-game veteran set himself the goal of returning to the field in Round 19, where he will join his teammates against the New Zealand Warriors on Sunday.

'It was my full face but given the experience I had with previous fractures I was quite confident that I could maybe squeeze one or two games in so it is nice when you have a vision and it comes to fruition,' Soliola said.

His return gives the Raiders a welcome boost in their push to crack the top four and a guaranteed birth into the second week of the finals.

Soliola said the injury was not too invasive to his fitness and allowed him to keep training while in recovery, with only one disadvantage.

'The only downside was that I couldn't bite, for obvious reasons,' he said.

Soliola will return for the Raiders against the New Zealand Warriors on Sunday

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