Prince of halves shone in Origin arena
A modest Scott Prince looks back on his initial Queensland selection as “ a Steven Bradbury moment”, but he proved why Maroons selectors showed their faith in his immense talents.
The dazzling halfback played his NRL career in an era where Maroons legends Darren Lockyer, Johnathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk were in their pomp.
There is no doubt that in another decade, Prince would have played more than his five Origin matches but he displayed the guile and skill in the toughest arena to help give the Maroons the edge in three key victories.
Most famously, in 2008 Prince stepped up in the absence of the injured Darren Lockyer to play a key role in a comeback 2-1 series win.
That series was remembered for the incredible aerial feats of Israel Folau, but it was Prince’s kicks to the leaping marvel that were just as lethal.
The Mount Isa-born halfback debuted for the Maroons in 2004 during the first of three wonderful years at Wests Tigers, after three seasons at Brisbane that may well have ended the career of a player with less intestinal fortitude.
“I came down from the Cowboys and had three up and down seasons at the Broncos,” Prince recalled.
“The first year I came down in 2001, I had lost my dad (Les). Then not long after that, I broke my leg for the first time. It was hard, grieving for my old man and trying to get my head around a long-term injury.
“I couldn’t weight-bear for about three months after the titanium rod was inserted.”
The Broncos had been flying in second position with Prince at half in 2001 and they faded when he was injured.
“I worked extremely hard to get back in the team the next year. Then Parramatta prop Michael Vella’s knee connected just above where I’d broken the leg bone the first time,” he said.
During the 2003 season, Prince was in and out of the NRL side with soft tissue injuries. Wayne Bennett wanted to re-sign him but couldn’t guarantee he’d be in the 17 every week.
Tim Sheens, his old coach from the Cowboys, called and wanted Prince to be the starting half at the Tigers. It was a move that paid off.
“I’d played just 28 NRL games in three years at the Broncos and had this reputation as being injury prone,” Prince recalled.
“There were some Tigers legends who said, ‘why are we signing Scott Prince?’ which I could understand.
“I knew I still had something to offer, and all I needed was someone to put faith and trust in me. Tim, my old coach, did that.”
Prince established himself as one of the game’s best halves after a tough start at the Tigers. He hadn’t wanted to leave the Broncos and Sheens called him into his office.
“Tim said, ‘I see you walking around with your bottom lip dropped. If you want to go back to Queensland, I will let you’. That was a wake-up call with a bit of reverse psychology,” Prince chuckled.
Prince found his groove but was stunned when the Maroons came knocking.
"In game one, Darren Lockyer and Chris Flannery were named in the halves. I got called in as back-up and Locky was ruled out with a rib injury.
"I got the call from coach Michael Hagan. At the time, I didn't think I was ready but once I got into camp you couldn't wipe the smile from my face. I was that happy.
“Michael mentioned it and I told him I'd been dreaming of the moment. I never thought it would come. It wasn't as though I was playing bad footy, but not that well that I should have been in the team."
Prince had a blinder on debut and would have been man of the match had it not been for an 83rd minute golden point field goal by NSW’s Shaun Timmins.
He was nervous but also determined not to be the weak link and let the team down in any way. He did his state, family and himself proud.
Prince had spoken to his captain Gorden Tallis and was told to expect a faster paced game than he'd ever experienced.
"It was that and more. The hits were harder and 20 minutes went in a blink of an eye,” he said.
Prince scored the first try when he was on the short side down near the NSW tryline. He threw a dummy and snuck under a couple of defenders to score. In the second half he received the ball from Flannery and again threw a dummy and was able to slice through and saw centre Brent Tate looming up.
"I launched it. It was a bit of a Hail Mary pass that hit Tatey on the chest and he was able to score in the corner,” Prince said.
The match stayed locked at 8-all for the final 18 minutes and went to golden point for the first time in Origin history.
"Then Timmins snapped this thing, the ugliest field goal ever that snuck over the cross bar,” Prince recalled.
Lockyer returned for game two in Brisbane but it was winger Billy Slater who starred in a 22-18 win for the Maroons.
“The highlight of that game was when Locky put the grubber through, Billy Slater did a shimmy, chipped over the top and scored one of the great Origin tries,” Prince recalled.
Prince converted the Slater try and had a great game alongside captain Lockyer in the halves.
"It was such a wonderful Origin experience," he said.
"To play alongside Locky was awesome. He isn’t a massive talker, but he leads by actions. When you have a player of his calibre in your football side you are a good chance of winning."
The decider was not what Prince or Queensland wanted, a heavy 36-14 loss.
"We got pumped," Prince said.
When the Maroons team was named for game one in 2005, Rhys Wesser and Prince weren’t in it.
"The ironic part about that was that we were roommates,” Prince grinned.
“I remember thinking, ‘I don't recall stealing anything from the room or not paying my bill, unless Rhys did’.
After a four-year absence from the Origin arena, Prince got his chance in game two in 2008 after Lockyer had been ruled out of the series with an ACL rupture. In the interim years, Prince had captained the Tigers to the 2005 premiership and won the Clive Churchill Medal. He was now Gold Coast Titans skipper and at the peak of his powers.
Master tactician Neil Henry was the assistant Maroons coach and Prince, a great student of the game, had watched game one closely where NSW had taken a shock series lead with an 18-10 win.
Karmichael Hunt had played in the halves in game one but switched back to fullback for game two in Brisbane, allowing Prince to partner Thurston in the halves.
"I came into camp with a good idea of NSW’s weaknesses and I pitched a bit of kicking plan," Prince said.
"I love breaking down opposition teams, so I said to Neil that kicking in behind their aggressive up-and-in defence we would probably expose them.
"And anytime you kick for Izzy Folau, who was on our right side, you are half a chance."
Prince had noted two short wingers, Anthony Quinn and Steve Turner, and was set to expose them.
Quinn was on Folau's side.
"Izzy was Melbourne's strike weapon at the time and I’d never seen anything like it,” Prince said.
"I remember kicking for him in our Origin ball sessions and it was like he was about to jump out of the stadium. He was leaping higher than anyone I had seen before.
"I did a lot of work on my kicks. We identified NSW's weakness and we had the best guy at jumping over people and scoring with his skill in Izzy.”
Prince caught Quinn napping with a beautifully judged lobbed kick for Folau to chase through and score in a brilliant 30-0 win in Brisbane.
“That win is a great memory. I did my job and Greg Inglis ran riot that night,” Prince said.
"I just felt I was comfortable in my surrounding and with the speed of Origin, which was another two or three gears.”
The next match in Sydney, Prince once again landed a high bomb perfectly early for Folau to score.
Quinn dropped it and Folau was there to pounce.
"The Izzy try was always part of the plan, but then the old injury curse struck,” Prince said.
Prince went in hard to tackle Braith Anasta and broke his left arm.
“I got caught on the ground at marker and all I could hear was Tatey screaming at me to get back in the defensive line,” Prince recalled.
“I was trying to but I was in that much pain I couldn’t. They scored that play or the one after and then I had to go up the tunnel with the trainer and the doctor took over from there. The doctor looked at it and it was broken.”
At that moment Prince had a moment in his Origin career that he will never forget.
“I could hear someone pacing behind me and I turned around and it was Wally Lewis,” Prince recalled.
“He had followed us both in and he was most upset about the injury. The doctor put my arm in a cast straight away, wrapped it up and I was done for the night.
“I was upset. It had taken me ages to get back in the Queensland team and I wanted to stay in that arena. I started watching the game on TV in the sheds. I was trying to take my shoes off and Wally came over and said, ‘mate, let me do that for you’.
“I said, ‘Wally. I can’t let you take my shoes off’. Wally said, ‘No. I insist’.
“So here I am in my locker area and I have got the King of Origin, Wally Lewis, taking my shoes off after I broke my arm. I felt embarrassed but it typified what sort of bloke he is.”
Prince went and sat on the bench and watched the Maroons win 16-10 . He celebrated on-field and due to the strong pain killers he was on cloud nine.
He couldn’t sleep that night and just as the sun was coming up he went and opened the team room door and Sam Thaiday was the last man standing after a night of karaoke and fun.
“Sammy was there by himself. He sung one final song and went to bed,” Prince recalled.
Prince was Dally M halfback of the year in 2010 and led the Titans to a preliminary final but was unable to break into the Maroons side that won the series 3-0.
Lockyer and Johnathan Thurston were in their prime as Maroons halves and Cooper Cronk was about to come into the team when Lockyer retired at the end of 2011.
Prince had a great attitude. Even though he didn’t play Origin again he continued to set the bar high for the Titans.
“My attitude was that if any of them fell over I wanted to be the next one up,” he said.
“I was determined to perform to put pressure on them. I always supported and loved Queensland. It is part of my DNA.”
Prince played four Tests for Australia and won them all. He finished his career at the Broncos and played exactly 300 NRL games in his career.
Post-playing, he maintained his high fitness levels.
Prince has won several World Cup titles in his touch football division for Australia and still plays competitively
As a coaching mentor, he has thrived.
Prince remains head coach of the Brisbane Broncos NRLW team after guiding the club to the 2025 title, its fourth premiership. In 2026, he has again led the defending premiers into the NRLW finals.
“I have a close connection with the Broncos,” Prince said.
“My dad was a Broncos man. I had some really good times and shit times here as a player but it was a great club I always wanted to give back to.
“I worked in the community department post-career in an Indigenous program, trying to inspire the next generation.
“Coaching now is all about me giving back to the game that gave me so much. I love helping the women’s game get to the great heights that it is and also assisting young players improve and get better. That is why I love coaching.
“I got more out of coaching a premiership win than I did playing in one because you see the players go through the journey. You ride the roller-coaster of emotions as well.
“I say to the girls that life will give you what you deserve if you stick with it. It took a while, but we got the title in my third year as a coach.”
Prince stuck with his own Origin dream and despite the setbacks he prevailed to play a part in the Maroons’ rich State of Origin history.
“I have kept all my jerseys, all the training jerseys from Origin and the warmup hats with your number on it,” he said.
