Pogboom
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MAROONS star Greg Inglis has credited a former Brisbane Watchhouse guard for steering him to Queensland and orchestrating the most audacious defection in Origin history.
Inglis will Wednesday night be out to deny NSW a 3-0 rout at Suncorp Stadium - the very location that doubled as the crime scene for Queensland’s great Origin heist.
MAL SAYS TIME FOR ROOKIES TO RUN RIOT
WHITEWASH FEARS KEEP PRESSURE ON MAROONS
TIME FOR INGLIS TO ‘FLICK THE SWITCH’
Inglis has developed into the greatest tryscorer in Origin history, having crossed 15 times in 23 games for the Maroons.
But a decade ago, he was an unknown teen from the NSW town of Kempsey, sent to Brisbane by the Storm to serve an apprenticeship at feeder-club Norths Devils.
At 16, he landed at the doorstep of Adrian Coolwell - and so began the unwitting indoctrination that convinced Inglis to swear his allegiance to Queensland.
“I remember it plain as day ... Greg introduced me to Cooper Cronk when they were teammates at Norths and he said to Cronk, ‘This is the bloke who swayed me to Queensland’,” Coolwell recalls.
“From the moment I laid eyes on Greg I knew he could play NRL. He’s been a fantastic role model for indigenous kids and I know that drives Greg to this day.”
Coolwell has become so influential Inglis refers to him as his “second dad”.
A ex-officer at the Brisbane Watchhouse, Coolwell recalls showing Inglis a jail cell and the teenager’s terror when he said: “I don’t ever want to see you inside here.”
But it was their indigenous links that sold Inglis on the Queensland dream. At home, they watched footage of Maroons pioneer Arthur Beetson, Australia’s first Aboriginal rugby league captain.
Coolwell then took Inglis on a tour of Suncorp to inspect the plaques of Maroons servants. He educated Inglis on one remarkable statistic - how one-third of Queensland’s Origin representatives have indigenous blood.
The kid from Kempsey walked along studying each name: Meninga. Tallis. Renouf. Sailor. Backo. Currie. Beetson.
Inglis saw first hand how Queensland would foster Aboriginal talent. That day, NSW lost the young gun who would become the most lethal tryscorer in Origin history.
“The turning point was the day I took him to Suncorp Stadium,” Coolwell said.
“We walked along looking at the plaques and counted the number of indigenous kids ... Greg really took that in.
“On average, Queensland produces an Aboriginal kid every year. From that day, Greg’s heart was with Queensland and that they could do something for him.”
Yet to score a try in this series, Inglis is primed to break the drought in Origin III and Maroons teammate Daly Cherry-Evans rates him his worst nightmare in defence.
“I find Greg the hardest player to tackle in the NRL personally,” he said.
“He’s very fortunate with the attributes he’s got.
“It’s a (combination) of physical attributes that helps him become the player he is. He is big, fast, strong and he’s also smart, it really does help him out on the footy field.
“I like it when he’s on the same side as me.”
Inglis will Wednesday night be out to deny NSW a 3-0 rout at Suncorp Stadium - the very location that doubled as the crime scene for Queensland’s great Origin heist.
MAL SAYS TIME FOR ROOKIES TO RUN RIOT
WHITEWASH FEARS KEEP PRESSURE ON MAROONS
TIME FOR INGLIS TO ‘FLICK THE SWITCH’
Inglis has developed into the greatest tryscorer in Origin history, having crossed 15 times in 23 games for the Maroons.
But a decade ago, he was an unknown teen from the NSW town of Kempsey, sent to Brisbane by the Storm to serve an apprenticeship at feeder-club Norths Devils.
At 16, he landed at the doorstep of Adrian Coolwell - and so began the unwitting indoctrination that convinced Inglis to swear his allegiance to Queensland.
“I remember it plain as day ... Greg introduced me to Cooper Cronk when they were teammates at Norths and he said to Cronk, ‘This is the bloke who swayed me to Queensland’,” Coolwell recalls.
“From the moment I laid eyes on Greg I knew he could play NRL. He’s been a fantastic role model for indigenous kids and I know that drives Greg to this day.”
Coolwell has become so influential Inglis refers to him as his “second dad”.
A ex-officer at the Brisbane Watchhouse, Coolwell recalls showing Inglis a jail cell and the teenager’s terror when he said: “I don’t ever want to see you inside here.”
But it was their indigenous links that sold Inglis on the Queensland dream. At home, they watched footage of Maroons pioneer Arthur Beetson, Australia’s first Aboriginal rugby league captain.
Coolwell then took Inglis on a tour of Suncorp to inspect the plaques of Maroons servants. He educated Inglis on one remarkable statistic - how one-third of Queensland’s Origin representatives have indigenous blood.
The kid from Kempsey walked along studying each name: Meninga. Tallis. Renouf. Sailor. Backo. Currie. Beetson.
Inglis saw first hand how Queensland would foster Aboriginal talent. That day, NSW lost the young gun who would become the most lethal tryscorer in Origin history.
“The turning point was the day I took him to Suncorp Stadium,” Coolwell said.
“We walked along looking at the plaques and counted the number of indigenous kids ... Greg really took that in.
“On average, Queensland produces an Aboriginal kid every year. From that day, Greg’s heart was with Queensland and that they could do something for him.”
Yet to score a try in this series, Inglis is primed to break the drought in Origin III and Maroons teammate Daly Cherry-Evans rates him his worst nightmare in defence.
“I find Greg the hardest player to tackle in the NRL personally,” he said.
“He’s very fortunate with the attributes he’s got.
“It’s a (combination) of physical attributes that helps him become the player he is. He is big, fast, strong and he’s also smart, it really does help him out on the footy field.
“I like it when he’s on the same side as me.”
