Being named as the 18th man in a State of Origin team must be a great thrill, even though it probably feels like being the 12th man in a cricket team.
Picking an official 18th man is a relatively recent selection trend in Origin history. They usually get selected to cover a player under an injury cloud, or with an eye to the future to allow them to experience the pre-game camp.
They are only another player’s failed fitness test or a training mishap away from getting a start.
18th men who have never played an Origin match must dream of getting their chance to play sooner rather than later. There have been some 18th men who have gone on to great Origin careers, like Cooper Cronk (Queensland 18th man in 2009).
But for some that have been picked over the years, 18th man is as close as they ever came. Chris Houston (NSW 18th man in Game 3 of 2009 and now finishing his career in England) and the retired Ben Lowe (Queensland 18th man in Game 3 of 2010) will have to be content with nearly making it into the Origin arena.
In recent years, 18th, 19th and even 20th men have sometimes been chosen for both Queensland and New South Wales Origin squads. Some have even played for Australia, but are yet to play an Origin game.
Current NRL players who have been chosen as these extra men in Origin squads but who haven’t actually played a game are.
Chris Lawrence (NSW, 2010)
Joey Leilua (NSW 19th man in 2012)
Ben Barba (Queensland 19th man in 2012)
John Sutton (NSW, 2013)
Jarrod Croker (NSW 19th man in 2014)
Ben Hunt (Queensland, 2014)
Jake Friend (Queensland 19th man in 2014)
Tariq Sims (NSW, 2015)
Ryan James (NSW 19th man in Game 1 of 2015)
Alex Johnston (NSW 19th man in Game 3 of 2015)
Dylan Napa (Queensland, 2015)
Edrick Lee (Queensland, 2015)
Korbin Sims (Queensland 20th man in 2015)
Bryce Cartwright (NSW, 2016)
Tom Trbojevic (NSW 19th man in 2016)
Jake Trbojevic (NSW 20th man in 2016)
Ethan Lowe (Queensland, 2016)
Felise Kaufusi (Queensland, 2016)
For some, their opportunity has almost certainly passed and they may soon be joining Houston and Lowe as players that “nearly played Origin”. Others have more time on their side.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
The Parramatta coach was furious with his side after coughing up a first-half lead and going on to lose 44-16 in an embarrassing second-half…
Jamayne Isaako missed five out of nine conversions in a huge win over the Eels - with the Channel Nine team having some fun…
The Eels led 8-4 at half-time. They lost 44-16 in a Dolphins onslaught.
Who is this team and what have they done with the Dolphins? With Wayne Bennett consigned to his sick bed back in Redcliffe, the…
The ball kept falling off the tee for Gutho's penalty kick and the fans were giving him heaps.
The Dolphins were playing with fire on their own line as Kodi Nikorima went for a reckless offload.
