The FOGS join the rugby league community today in offering their deepest condolences to John “Cracker” McDonald’s family following his peaceful passing overnight, aged 79. McDonald, born and educated in Toowoomba in 1944, was a beacon of Queensland rugby league as a distinguished player, coach, and charismatic administrator. He served as Chairman of both the
In this episode of Life After Origin, we catch up with FOG#106, Jason Hetherington, for an enlightening and entertaining chat about his career and life after rugby league. The “Bushy from Baralaba” lived up to his reputation as a dry and at times deadpan character, speaking openly about a number of topics, including his own
Last week we launched our “Life After Origin” series by chatting with former Queensland forward Dave Brown. This time we catch up with the man named “Horse” -- Bryan Niebling. As a teenager playing in Murgon, a rural country town some 250 kilometers northwest of Brisbane, Niebling attracted interest from a few Brisbane clubs who
Welcome to a new column where we catch up with some FOGS players and talk about life after league and get their thoughts and opinions on the great game. We kick off the series with Brisbane-born Dave Brown FOG #33 -- a tungsten-tough prop who played during rugby league’s wild west days when players were
By Wayne Heming Three-nil clean sweeps are not common on Origin players’ resumes. There have only been seven Origin shutouts in 40 years since the best-of-three concept was introduced in 1982. That’s why it is so important for the 10 players who have the opportunity in Sydney next week to grab the chance to
By Wayne Heming In a strange but inevitable way, a cheeky red-headed kid from Caboolture north of Brisbane was always destined to pull on the Maroon jumper and play for Queensland. Around 8.05 pm on Wednesday night at Sydney’s Accor Stadium in front of a sea of blue, that kid, Corey Horsburgh, will fulfill
By Wayne Heming MAROON MANIA is set to sweep the far north Queensland city of Cairns tomorrow with up to 10,000 people expected to attend a historic fan day with the Queensland State of Origin players at Barlow Park. Coach Billy Slater and his 19-man Maroon squad jetted north today for a mini-camp this week
By Wayne Heming Queensland coach Billy Slater has stuck with the team which wrapped up the State of Origin series in Brisbane last month to inflict the state’s fifth clean sweep on the Blues in Sydney on Wednesday week. Slater and his co-selectors Gene Miles and Daren Lockyer have authorised just two
By Wayne Heming Queensland will be aiming to drastically reduce their missed tackle and error counts in a bid the clinch the two-game Ampol Women’s State of Origin series in Townsville on Thursday night. Under a special points aggregate system designed to split a possible one-game-all result, Queensland could lose by seven points and
By Wayne Heming Eight points are all that stand in the way of North Queensland centre Valentine Holmes joining State of Origin’s elite centurion club of players who have scored 100 or more points for their state. Only three players -- Queensland pair Johnathan Thurston (220 points) and Mal Meninga (162) and NSW dual international,
