- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Opinion
Following on from the NSW squad, set out below is a Queensland Origin team made up entirely of one-game wonders. In some cases we have more single-gamers than spots available, so the tiebreak for making these prestigious teams is as follows:
1. A loss will be considered more favourably than a win, the bigger the better
2. Even better if the player was only on the bench
3. Even better if the player’s personal statistics from the match are underwhelming.
Unlike NSW, who had a healthy selection of one-game losers to choose from, Queensland unfortunately will have to include some winners in their squad, with many of these players never having tasted defeat at Origin level, just a quick subsequent smack down at the selection table.
Fullback
There is only one Queensland fullback to have played a single Origin match. Corey Allan played in Game 3 of 2020, a stirring 20-14 victory for the “worst Queensland side ever”. Allan personally had a pretty good night, after a couple of early errors, running for over 130 metres and making a tackle bust, line break, line break assist and try assist.
After a couple of successful years at Souths, playing in two preliminary finals, Allan, like another outside back I won’t mention, is finding the going much tougher at the Bulldogs. A trip to Redcliffe might be in order. Allan is also the first Maroon in alphabetical order.
Wing
Again, we only have the bare minimum candidates available.
Terry Butler played in Game 2 of the 1983 series, won by NSW 10-6. He stood out in that backline a bit: Scott, Close, Meninga, Miles, Lewis, Murray… and Butler.
As you would expect, Butler was not the focal point of the attack, having just four runs for 24 metres, although maybe his three tackle busts indicates he could have been used more. Butler also made one error, caught a bomb and made three tackles from four attempts. Butler was a stalwart of Wynnum Manly, winning two premierships with the club, and scoring the opening try in their first ever title win in 1982.
Edrick Lee joined Corey Allan in the Game 3 of 2020 team that sprang a major upset to win the series. Lee scored the match winning try and ran for 81 metres. He made three tackles, and missed another three. He is currently in his tenth season of NRL, and is moving from Newcastle to new franchise the Dolphins for 2023.
Centres
Graham Quinn played in Game 2 of 1982, won by the Maroons 11-7. He took nine runs for 54 metres, had one offload, made one error, and effected seven tackles, missing one. This was the sort of game that cemented the “Queensland spirit”, winning with a team including such luminaries as Quinn, John Ribot, Brad Backer, Norm Carr, Paul Khan, John Dowling and Greg Holben.
Quinn first played for Queensland in 1976, losing two close ones, 10-5 and 15-13. So of course he was poached by St George the very next season, winning premierships in 1977 and 1979 and playing over 130 NSWRL games. He also represented Australia in a Test against New Zealand in 1980.
Quinn is one of the Queensland players who actually played for NSW in 1980 in the traditional interstate fixtures before Origin, along with Kerry Boustead, Rod Reddy and John Lang, winning 17-7 over a team that trotted out rookie Wally Lewis as a halfback in his starting debut.
Souths Brisbane stalwart Bruce Astill played his single Origin game from the bench in Game 3 of 1983. Normally a 43 to 22 hammering of the Blues in a decider would get you banned from this team, but Astill’s grand total of two runs for 11 metres and one tackle is too good to pass up, plus the fact that he also sat on the bench for the first-ever Origin in 1980 but didn’t get on the field.
Astill also played one interstate match in 1979, flogged 30-5 by a team that, apart from an injury to Mick Cronin, was the same Australian side that destroyed the English that year 35-0 a month later. He played many years for Souths in Brisbane, captaining them to a premiership in 1981.
Other one-gamers: Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (won), Brenko Lee (won).
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow of the Maroons. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Five-eighth
Following in the grand tradition of Wally Lewis, Darren Lockyer, Johnathan Thurston and Cameron Munster is Corey Norman.
Norman was pivot for the decider in 2019, lost 26 to 20 by the Maroons, with Munster at fullback and Michael Morgan on the bench. Norman did okay, kicking for 231 metres, making three tackle busts and producing a try assist. He did also miss three of ten tackles. Norman turned out for Toulouse in the English Super League this year after a 12-season, 228-game NRL career.
Other one-gamers: Alan Smith (won), Greg Holben (who probably should have made this team, given his contribution from the bench in Game 2 of 1982 was one tackle and nothing else).
Halfback
Greg Oliphant is the only single-game half to have played for Queensland, in their first- ever match, won 20-10. Oliphant had a long career in Brisbane with Wests and then Redcliffe before moving to Sydney with Balmain. He played six other interstate games in the 1970s and two Tests, touring with the 1978 Kangaroos.
Oliphant had a great rivalry with Tom Raudonikis, who famously punched him in an interstate match while Oliphant was on the sideline being treated by an ambulance officer. They also later fought a charity boxing match. In his six interstate matches pre-Origin, four were lost by just six points or less.
Prop
There are two Queensland props who have lost their only Origin match: Danny Nutley and Dunamis Lui.
Danny Nutley played in Game 3 of 2005, convincingly won by NSW by 32-10, and talk of a dynasty was everywhere. Nutley played a good game, running for 116 metres in his 44-minute stint and only missing two tackles from 27 attempts. Nutley played over 150 games in the NRL plus another 130 in England.
Dunamis Lui played in Queensland’s Game 2 flogging in 2020, losing 34-10. He did not return for Queensland’s comeback series win in Game 3. Lui didn’t do a heck of a lot in his 26 minutes, making 37 metres and 13 tackles, missing one. He is currently in his 13th season of first grade with five clubs and has represented Samoa six times.
Other one-gamers, all in winning teams: Scott Tronc, Antonio Kaufusi, Thomas Flegler, and of course Arthur Beetson.
Hooker
Nathan Fien played from the bench in Game 2 of the infamous 2001 series, the greatest set of thrashings in Origin history. Losing 26-8, Fien was called upon for 64 minutes, making 20 tackles and missing three and committing two errors.
Fien played 276 first grade games across North Queensland, NZ Warriors and St George, while representing New Zealand 22 times, after firstly trying to get in via a great grandmother rule (err, no) and then via residency. He scored a try from the bench in the Dragons’ 2010 grand final victory.
Other one-gamers, both winners: John Lang, Matt Ballin.
Second row
Bruce Walker played in Game 1 of 1982, and lost 16-20. He made 12 runs for 56 metres with three offloads, but made one error and missed five tackles while only making 15. He was picked in the twilight of a 13-year NSWRL career after moving from Brisbane Easts in 1971, winning a title with Manly in 1978 but losing a grand final in 1982.
Walker was the last player to represent both Queensland and NSW, having previously turned out for the Blues in 1975. He also toured with the 1978 Kangaroos, but played no Tests.
Nanango-born Gary Smith played only 14 minutes from the bench in Game 1 of 1987, also lost 16-20. He made only three runs for 17 metres and made eight tackles. Smith was one of the last local Queensland players to represent Queensland, as the Broncos joined the NSWRL competition the following year.
(Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
The Brothers player joined North Sydney in 1998 for five seasons. Smith had previously spent a decade playing second division league in England and played for Cumbria against the touring Kangaroos in 1986.
Other one-gamers: Rod Reddy (win), Ethan Lowe, Alan Cann, David Stagg.
Lock
In a tightly-contested field, Adrian Vowles just gets in ahead of Scott Sattler. They both only ran for 18 metres from the bench but Sattler made 27 tackles to Vowles’ four, and Vowles made an error as well, so here he is.
Vowles played Game 2 of 1994 from the bench and had zero impact in the 0-14 loss. To be fair, he was up against possibly the all-time great NSW line-up: Brasher, ET, Fittler, McGregor, Mullins, Daley, Stuart, Lazarus, Elias, Harragon, Sironen, Pay and Clyde. Holy mackerel!
Vowles played nearly 80 matches for the Gold Coast and North Queensland in a pretty unsuccessful period. He was sent off in his first game for North Queensland. But later Vowles had a distinguished career in England, playing nearly 200 games, and winning their Man of Steel award in 1999. He also played four Tests for Scotland.
Other one-gamers: Scott Sattler, Owen Cunningham.
So, who would win the battle of the Origin cameos?
I’ll leave that you to decide, but my money is on the Maroons.
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.