‘Fight tooth and nail’: Flegler’s emotional return for Maroons
- FOGS
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Thomas Flegler’s return to the State of Origin arena for Queensland is a tribute to self-belief, determination and immense resilience through tough times.
When the 26-year-old prop runs out for the Maroons in the State of Origin series opener it will be 1071 days since he last represented his state back in 2023.
Flegler’s absence for almost two years from the NRL arena due to a shoulder nerve issue tested the core of his being.
It is no surprise that the Tully banana farmer passed that test with flying colours.
His comeback for the Dolphins this year has been brave and powerful and resulted in the fiery prop putting himself back in the Maroons mix.
Flegler has never let Queensland down and has won all three Origin matches he has played.
Coach Billy Slater gets to make a lot of positive phone calls on the Sunday night after he and fellow selectors Darren Lockyer and Gene Miles meet.
The call to Flegler was emotional and uplifting.
“Big Tommy, it's a great story, isn't it? I had a few phone calls with players making their debuts, but Tommy was probably the most emotional on both ends of the phone call,” Slater said.
“Everyone knows his journey with his shoulder. Prior to getting that shoulder injury, he was one of the best front-rowers in the game.
“What he was doing for the Broncos and then for the Dolphins was outstanding and the way he played for Queensland previously.
“He was brought up on a banana farm, he's a tough lad and we're going to need that toughness.
“I love what Tom Flegler brings to this footy team.”
Flegler is a tough, uncompromising character but even he admitted Slater’s news tugged on the heart strings.
“It obviously means a lot for me. I’ve been dreaming of this ever since I was a kid and dreaming of this since the last time I played for Queensland so I'm really happy to be back,” he said.
“Billy obviously just rings up and lets you know you're in the team and we had a brief chat about what played out over the last two years. I didn't cry, but I was a bit emotional too myself.”
The inner strength displayed by Flegler has been nothing short of extraordinary. There was a lengthy recuperation period, plenty of testing and periods where his future was far from unclear.
There was light at the end of the tunnel always in his mind’s eye but just how long that tunnel was remained an unknown.
“The hardest thing was the uncertainty at the beginning,” Flegler said.
“Obviously I had so much time off, we didn't really have a clear direction of where we were going. I took six months off and we were just hoping that it would get better.
“Once we had the surgery, there's still another six to eight months for you to know if it's even worked. So there's probably a year period where you're kind of just treading water.
“You don't know if it's going to get better or when it's going to get better but we did everything right and the timelines worked out well … and here we are now.
“I didn't see a psychologist or anything like that. It's just part of life. You’ve got some hurdles you’ve got to get over and some hurdles are bigger than others and mine maybe was at some point in time. But you’ve just got to crack on with it.”
For a long period of time Flegler did no contact work at the Dolphins. He turned up each day after he was given the green light and worked on his fitness. The streamlined, but still strong, figure he now boasts is a silver lining that emerged from his ordeal.
“Having been out for so long, it's not really about what you've done in the past,” Flegler said.
“You’ve got young up and coming players that are looking to take your spot.
“Obviously I couldn't do much contact when I was coming back, so I wasn't really able to show any sort of dominance there, but one thing I could do is come back fitter than I ever have. I came back in good shape this year and that was my goal going into the pre-season.”
Retirement was never on the mind of the resilient Flegler throughout his trials and tribulations.
“I don't think I was that close,” he said.
“Obviously I had to have those discussions and be a bit realistic but I was being optimistic the whole time.
“We stuck strong with the whole rehab process and the Dolphins medical staff have been unreal throughout all of it.
Playing Origin again was not as clear cut, however.
“Well I guess as athletes you've always kind of got to have that bit of self-belief and a bit of confidence too, but to get back to this level probably not,” he said.
“Obviously the most realistic thing was just getting back and playing NRL, so we ticked that one off and now we're getting a bit better.”
One thing that never changes with Flegler is his modus operandi. It is run hard, tackle hard with no quarter given.
“It's obviously good to be back in here playing with all the great players, but I won't be doing anything different to my usual game,” Flegler said
“I’ve been selected because of the way I play at club level and hopefully I can just bring that to the Origin arena.
