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 the calibre of Matt Gillett join our staff,” said FOGS Chief Executive, Gene Miles. “Matt was a wonderful player as his record shows but more importantly, he was highly regarded and admired by his peers for being a fine person, on and off the field. “We know Matt will be an asset to the FOGS working with former and current players and in other areas and we thank Joe McDermott for the excellent job he did during his time with us. Gillett’s career was cut short in 2019 when he was forced to “medically retire” one year into a new four-year deal with the Brisbane Broncos. The Broncos kept Gillett at the club firstly as an Ambassador and later employed him in game day, development, sponsorship, and player development one or two days a week. “After that, I worked with the club’s Game Development Department alongside several retired players, Mick Hancock, Jack Reed, Mick De Vere, Darren Burns, David Stagg, and Casey McGuire, visiting schools and local junior clubs, mentoring kids on a number of important life issues, including lifestyle and health. “This is something new for me. Instead of being outdoors I pack my lunch and water bottle and head into the office for the day. “It’s exciting and I am learning as we go. I am a conduit between the players, helping them when they need it. We also help out where we can with the State of Origin players and do whatever we can for them to help the camp run smoothly. “I am also proud to be involved with the Artie program named after the great Arthur Beetson, FOG #1, going into schools and helping indigenous kids encouraging them to attend school and to look after their health so when they finish school, they have more job opportunities. “It’s a great program and it’s getting good results.”