It seemed all but certain that the Brisbane Broncos would sign Greg Inglis after he left the Melbourne Storm in 2010. But instead, he slipped through their fingers, and on Thursday night he and the South Sydney Rabbitohs made them pay.
The Storm’s salary cap breaches saw them stripped of two premierships, three minor premierships and their right to play for points in the 2010 season.
Players like Inglis, Billy Slater, Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk were no longer considered premiership players. Their achievements as a team had been taken away from them, and “by the harshest of penalties” in the words of Craig Bellamy.
The scandal forced Inglis to leave the Storm and join the Rabbitohs, where he has continued his good form under the coaching of Michael Maguire.
However, he could so easily have signed with the Brisbane Broncos, as his partner, Sally Robinson, was working and living in the Sunshine Capital at the time.
Additionally, the club had released Israel Folau, who was signed from the Storm before the 2009 season as he sought to return closer to home. His departure for an ill-fated stint with the Greater Western Sydney Giants, en-route to a successful stint in rugby union, cleared the way for Inglis.
It seemed all but certain that Inglis would join the club, which would have been a major coup given they had missed the finals for the first time since 1991, finishing 10th.
However, due to an assault charge incurred from August 2009, the Storm could not release Inglis, who reportedly owed the club $113,000 in legal fees. Additionally, he failed to sign with the Broncos by a set deadline early in November, leaving him with the possibility of being club-less for 2011.
This is when the Rabbitohs made their move. Club owner Russell Crowe, close friend Anthony Mundine, cousin Beau Champion and billionaire Andrew Forrest were the key decision makers, and by Christmas Inglis had officially signed.
To accommodate Inglis’ arrival, however, the Rabbitohs had to release Champion to the Storm, though two years later he would find himself back at Redfern playing alongside his cousin.
Almost four years on, the Rabbitohs’ investment in Inglis has been vindicated, and the club is now well placed to end a 43-year premiership drought dating back to 1971.
Inglis initially started his career at Redfern in the centres, but the arrival of Michael Maguire, who he knew very well from his time at the Storm, resulted in a switch to fullback. The move has seen him regain top form and the Rabbitohs become true premiership contenders.
Meanwhile, Broncos fans and management are still wondering what could have been, with Inglis again tormenting them with not only a hat-trick of tries on Thursday night, but also the best team try you will ever see this season.
This comes after he stunned the Suncorp Stadium crowd with the best individual try this season, a length-of-the-field effort in a narrow Rabbitohs victory on Anzac Day back in Round 8.
It could have been a whole lot different for the Broncos, but as it stands the club are currently enduring their longest premiership drought, their last success coming in 2006.
While the Rabbitohs seek their first premiership in 43 years, the Broncos look set to miss the finals for the second year in a row, despite the off-season acquisition of 2012 Dally M Medallist Ben Barba and several other key players.
Their underachievement in recent times formed the basis of the club’s recent decision to move Anthony Griffin on for Wayne Bennett ahead of the 2015 season, which will see young Canberra fullback Anthony Milford join the club.
In contrasting fortunes, the Rabbitohs’ 42-16 victory sees them claim provisional top spot on the ladder, with the Sea Eagles still to play the Titans on the Gold Coast this Sunday.
And who knows, maybe this year will finally be the breakthrough year for the red and green faithful, who have seen their team bow out at the preliminary final stage in each of the last two years.
In 2012, a hamstring injury to halfback Adam Reynolds conspired against them as they went down heavily to the Bulldogs, while last year they raced out to an early lead against the Sea Eagles, only to lose 30-20.
There are also other factors that will play a role in the Rabbitohs’ push for the premiership. It will be the final year for Sam Burgess and Ben Te’o before they leave Australia for stints in rugby next year.
Te’o may have played his last NRL game for now, as it has emerged he could face a five-match ban for a chicken wing tackle on former teammate Sam Thaiday. However, an early guilty plea will see him miss four matches and return in at least the second week of the finals.
It’s the last thing the club needs as they try to advance to their first grand final since 1971, having endured limited success in the intervening 43 years with exclusion from the competition, reinstatement, wooden spoons and the like.
But is this finally the year? Rabbitohs fans must be hoping so, while their Broncos counterparts continue to ponder the deal that could have been.
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