By Wayne Heming If you commissioned a coach to create a quintessential warrior with all the qualities required to play Origin for Queensland -- extraordinary courage, passion, heart, and pride -- then the chances are high that Brent Tate could emerge as the perfect prototype. Tate fought ferociously for every metre he made on a
By Wayne Heming Carl Wilson Webb was as tough as they come. Sadly, a brave and determined Webb lost the biggest battle of his life against a cruel invisible opponent â Motor neurone disease â passing away following a fall at his home overnight. He was aged 42. An aggressive, at times fiery forward, FOG
By Wayne Heming By his own admission, Gary Belcher never wanted to be a rugby league fullback. As a teenager, he had a crack at five-eighth, centre, and even lock, The one position he never wanted to play was fullback -- a position he didnât rate as too exciting or that important. As it turned
By Wayne Heming Rugby League icon Mal Meninga took less than 30 seconds to realise the old adage âsport and politicsâ donât mix is true. At least it was in his case anyway. Thankfully though for both Queensland and Australian Rugby Leagueâs sake, Big Malâs brief foray into politics in Canberra on September 24, 2001,
By Wayne Heming Anyone who played with or against Gavin âJedâ Allen will tell you he played mostly on heart. So it was ironic that 14 years after helping an underdog Queensland to State of Originâs greatest upset in 1995, Allenâs big heart had to be replaced in a life-saving transplant operation. A raw, dry,
Twenty-one players, including 12 Queensland Origin stars, have been selected in Kangaroo coach Mal Meningaâs Australian squad for the six-nation Pacific Championships which kick-off on Saturday. The 12 Maroons in the Meningaâs squad are Patrick Carrigan (Brisbane), Daly Cherry-Evans (Manly), Selwyn Cobbo (Brisbane), Lindsay Collins (Roosters), Reuben Cotter (Cowboys), Tino Faâasuamaleaui (Titans), Thomas Flegler (Brisbane),
By Wayne Heming Brisbane-born journeyman Chris McQueen has called an end to his first-grade rugby league career at the age of 36. Fog#175, McQueen has blown the whistle on a career that included a drought-breaking NRL Premiership with South Sydney in 2014 and six State of Origins matches for Queensland. He was a member of
By Wayne Heming FOG#148 Johnathan Thurston has joined such rugby league luminaries as Dally Messenger, Clive Churchill and fellow Queensland legends Arthur Beetson, Wally Lewis, Allan Langer, Mal Meninga and Darren Lockyer in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. Thurston joins sporting icons such as the first male and female inductees in 1985, cricketer, Sir
By Wayne Heming Billy Slater will continue to guide Queenslandâs State of Origin fortunes until 2026 after agreeing to a three-year coaching extension with the Queensland Rugby League today. A proud Queenslander, who represented his state 31 times, Slater understands what wearing the Maroon jumper means to all Queenslanders and what it should mean to anyone
North Queensland Cowboys forward and FOG#223, Reuben Cotter has captured a special Origin awards double adding the Ron McAuliffe medal as the Queensland playersâ player to his Wally Lewis medal as the player of the 2023 interstate series. The QRL awards were held at the Brisbane City Hall on Friday. Roosterâs power forward and Queensland
