Kerry Boustead was fast. Very fast. So fast in fact, he made it from playing footy in Innisfail – a far north Queensland township known for producing bananas and sugar – to playing for Australia at 18 years and 316 days – the youngest player to ever wear the green and gold on home soil.
Latrell Mitchel doesn’t appear to be a happy man. Why? That’s the puzzle Rabbits coach Jason Demetriou needs to solve before it costs him his job at South Sydney. There’s only one person who knows what’s wrong with Mitchell, and that’s Latrell himself. What’s swirling around in Mitchell’s head is the key but he needs to
By Wayne Heming He hasn’t always been a pin-up boy or the most popular player on the team but few, if any, could deny Manly halfback Daly Cherry-Evans will end his rugby league career as one of the game’s best and most influential players. Cherry-Evans made his rugby league debut for Manly in round one
By Wayne Heming Maroon rugby league great Darren Lockyer is not concerned by an unusual early season spate of injuries that will force selectors to make changes for the first State of Origin game in Sydney on June 5. Coach Billy Slater will be shooting for an Origin hat-trick after series’ wins in 2022-23 in
By Wayne Heming A bold gamble to head to the UK with a few dollars in his wallet and back himself to elevate his game to a new level was the making of a young Tonie Currie. In this expansive interview, FOG # 31 admits he was naïve as a young player, falling into the
By Wayne Heming It was the best coup ever perpetrated in rugby league but it may not have been successful without the late Darryl Van de Velde's love and passion for Queensland. Van de Velde, who passed away late last month aged 72, represented the Maroons in 1977. While he achieved many things as a player, coach,
By Wayne Heming A panel of former players, including one of its greatest, Darren Lockyer, has named five Queensland Origin players in rugby league’s top 10 players. The panel, which also included immortal Andrew Johns and former NSW Origin coach, Brad Fittler, was named just before Queensland coach Billy Slater gathered his 2024 squad of
By Wayne Heming FOG #55, Joe Kilroy, was a charismatic showman, entrepreneur and a damn good rugby league player. His sheer speed, evasiveness, and ability to bounce off players, combined with his try-scoring ability from either fullback or wing, saw fans dub him “Smokin' Joe”. He was electrifying. Even to this day, it remains one
By Wayne Heming Journalist, rugby league commentator, player, coach, mentor, husband, father, and grandfather, Michael Hagan, has done it all. That’s why he was such an ideal subject for our latest FOGS Life After Origin series. However, just a few minutes into our 40 minutes phone interview, Michael, asks: “can I call you back?” A
The FOGS can officially confirm its latest “signing” with former Brisbane, Queensland, and Australian forward Matt Gillett joining the staff full-time. Gillett, who played 200 games for Brisbane, 20 Origins for Queensland, and 12 Tests for Australia, replaces Joe McDermott as the organisation’s head of Operations and Development. “We are excited to have someone of
