CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
With the the State Of Origin decider set to break TV ratings records in Sydney next week, the vast majority of media speculation has been surrounding the elite NSW side.
Queensland clawed back in game 2 to save themselves from a clean sweep, in turn, once again proving that it doesn’t matter who has ‘the best side on paper’ during Origin.
In fact, throughout the entire series, the Maroons have been completely counted out.
But, as is often the case, the dismissiveness of the Sydney-centric NRL media and the cocky Blues supporters have actually turned the Queensland side into an extremely menacing footballing outfit.
And there is nobody more dangerous heading into next week’s match than the surprise Queensland debutant, Gehamat Shibasaki.
With a string of injuries causing a backline reshuffle, 27-year-old Shibasaki has been brought in to bolster the centres.
Just 6 months ago he was ruled to be ‘too unfit’ to make the run-on side for the Brisbane Broncos.
However, after caning himself over Christmas, Shibasaki arrived back at Red Hill ready to play some fucking football.
His late-career glow-up and seen his standing in the playing group increase drastically. So much so, that he will now be taking part in the pinnacle of rugby league on Wednesday night.
Shibasaki’s second wind in the NRL is the stuff of fairytales, after spending the last ten years bouncing between Newcastle and South Sydney as a stereotypical journeyman.
He joins the 32-year-old utility forward Kurt Mann, who made his Queensland debut in game 2 – after a similar multi-club career with both the Melbourne Storm, St. George Illawarra Dragons, and Newcastle Knights.
A recent report by the Brisbane Institute For Football (BIFF) has found that is nobody more dangerous on the football field than a late-career Queensland debutant with their backs against the wall in a Sydney decider.
With all of their family and friends making the trip down from North Queensland and the Outback, both Shibasaki and Mann will be playing like they might not get another shot at this, and there is a fair to reasonably good chance that they will be what makes the difference against an overconfident Blues side of superstars.
MORE TO COME.
