Buttigieg to continue Artie legacy as new FOGS CEO
- FOGS
- 35 minutes ago
- 5 min read
John Buttigieg is honoured to be the new Former Origin Greats (FOGS) CEO, and his life on and off the field has him perfectly positioned to shine in the role.
The 49-year-old former North Queensland prop will forever be FOG number 119. There is no doubt he would have played more than three Origin matches had it not been for a severe knee injury that forced Buttigieg to retire at the age of 26.
A proud Indigenous man, he is ideally placed to continue the wonderful work done by the ARTIE program at FOGS.
Buttigieg was coached by the late and great Arthur Beetson in an Australian Aboriginal side in two unofficial Tests against Papua New Guinea and knows from his own experience in the Queensland education system how important the goal of the ARTIE program is, via achieving results through Indigenous education.
“The football side of things with Origin and former players, along with the charitable side of FOGS, gives you real job satisfaction.
“I am familiar with the ARTIE program and the important mentoring in schools for First Nations kids and what we do in schools with the driver licensing programs.
“For any young person today getting their learner license and Ps is a big milestone and is a big help in getting employment.
“Arthur Beetson was really big on making sure our kids were being educated and supported at school.”
After his playing career, Buttigieg was a police officer in Townsville before moving into community support and Indigenous employment and training roles in Mt Isa with state government departments.
He was a manager in the Department of Youth Justice in Rockhampton for four years before moving into managerial and directorship roles, including the Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships and Department of Education.
Buttigieg’s roles have taken him to Queensland regions such as Cape York, Gulf of Carpentaria and the Torres Strait.
That experience has given him a great understanding of the state that has made the Maroons.
The regional tours conducted by FOGS help raise funds for community-based rugby league. Buttigieg understand the importance of regional areas of Queensland as a pipeline to the Maroons and also as hubs of local rugby league that bring communities together when they thrive.
He started his juniors at Souths in Townsville, where he played A grade as a 16-year-old. From there he went to the Cowboys, from where he represented Queensland.
“I am originally from Townsville and have been living most recently in Cairns. A lot of clubs survive on volunteers, so every bit of assistance helps junior and senior clubs on the ground that are doing it pretty tough,” Buttigieg said.
Buttigieg made his Origin debut at a momentous time in Maroons history. Queensland lost the 2000 series 3-0 and Wayne Bennett was brought back as coach after a 13-year hiatus. It proved a masterstroke. Buttigieg played his first Origin game in what was the last match at the old Lang Park before it was redeveloped.
“To get that call and go into camp and play alongside Gorden Tallis and guys who were with me at the Cowboys like Paul Green, John Doyle and Paul Bowman was a great honour and a proud moment in my football career,” Buttigieg said.
“You grow an extra foot when you put that Maroons jersey on. Wayne is a great coach. He had a few words to me in camp and I was ready to rip and tear and not let anyone down.
Bennett had pulled the players in and told them the importance of sending Lang Park off with the farewell it deserved, reminding every player in the squad how the Maroons spirit was born in 1980 when Beetson led a famous 20-10 win.
The players, in front of a delirious crowd, responded from the get-go with Darren Lockyer scoring in the opening minutes to set the scene for what was to come in a 34-16 win.
“It was an opportunity to be part of a legacy,” Buttigieg said.
“Wayne spoke about the importance of that, and we all were committed to make some history and send Lang Park out the way it deserved.
“It was my first and last Origin there but just wonderful to be a part of.”
Buttigieg was on a high but soon hit a hurdle when he was slapped with a lengthy suspension. He missed the 26-8 loss in game two.
“I accidentally slipped up and got Brad Meyers on the chin,” Buttigieg chuckled.
“It was probably a bit of a stitch-up that I got quite a few weeks for a tackle that even today you’d maybe get two weeks for.”
Bennett hadn’t forgotten Buttigieg’s powerhouse debut and he was back in camp for game three at Brisbane’s ANZ Stadium for what turned out to be one of the greatest wins in Queensland history.
The mastercoach recalled Allan Langer from Warrington to play his first Origin match since 1998 in what turned into a 40-14 romp to secure a 2-1 series victory.
“When they announced the side I was really nervous that I may not be re-selected,” Buttigieg recalled.
“Queensland is well known to sticking by their players and I was very happy to get picked again.
“When Alfie got called up I was just honoured to play with one of the legends of State of Origin.”
The match didn’t start well for the rugged prop, but it was all up from there.
“I dropped the ball off the kick-off which my kids keep reminding me about,” Buttigieg said.
“Alfie was good. He pulled me aside and said, ‘don’t worry. It’s done now, let’s get on with it.’
“We ended up giving them a towelling. It was great to be part of it when no-one gave us a chance. It was an underdog story where we all went out there with something to prove, not only to ourselves but everyone that had doubted.
“The recall of Alfie was another masterstroke by Wayne.”
In 2002 Buttigieg played in game one of the Origin series as he continued to battle with a knee injury.
“It wasn’t long after that I had to call time on my career at the age of 26, which was hard,” Buttigieg said.
“My knee was bone-on-bone and the doctor said it was stuffed.
“If there was the medical science available then that we have today, I probably would have been able to push on with different training. The knee reminds me most mornings when I get up why I retired.”
Buttigieg played 101 games with the Cowboys and helped lay the foundation for the success that was to follow for the club.
“I had a number of opportunities to go elsewhere including the Broncos, Roosters and Canberra, but being a boy from North Queensland in Townsville was a great opportunity and something I loved doing,” he said.
“I didn’t have to leave my family. We went through some tough times on and off the field but to see the club do so well is so good, and especially for the young guys to not have to leave North Queensland.”
Buttigieg’s adoration for Beetson’s legacy is fitting on several fronts, due to his personal association and also the work of FOGS. The Australian Aboriginal side Beetson coached in 1999 won 58-12 and 32-10 against PNG and was the forerunner for the Indigenous All Stars.
“Artie was the coach and when he spoke we all understood how proud he was and what it meant to represent our country and our culture as well,” Buttigieg said.
“There is so many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women playing the game, and rugby league brings communities together because there is so much passion for the game.
“It meant a lot back then to us all and now we have the All Stars concept which I hope continues.
“I don’t want the legacy of the games we played to be lost because it meant a lot to Arthur Beetson.”
