Where on earth was Gene Miles’ name when it came to the expert selection of the greatest ever Queensland State of Origin side?

He was at worst equal to big Mal Meninga, but astonishingly high praise now eludes one of the Queensland State of Origin’s greatest players following the naming of the Maroons best ever side.

Where on earth was Gene Miles’ name when it came to the expert selection of the greatest ever Queensland State of Origin side?

He is rated by many at worst to be equal to big Mal Meninga, but astonishingly high praise now eludes him.

Only Miles’ old team mate from the 1980s, Paul Vautin, placed the former Wynnum-Manly premiership winner in his greatest Queensland side of the last 40 years which was announced on Channel 9 last week.

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Mercifully Phil Gould and Johnathan Thurston had Miles on their reserves bench, but other Wide World of Sports experts Peter Sterling, Billy Slater, Andrew Johns, Wally Lewis, Darren Lockyer, Paul Gallen and NSW coach Brad Fittler failed to select Miles at either centre, second row or as an interchange player.

Wally Lewis being chaired off field by (L-R) RL players Martin Bella, Sam Backo and Gene Miles after the NSW v Queensland State of Origin match at SFS 14/06/89.

This is despite him at one stage being the best centre in the world and, when he moved to the forwards in 1988, the best second rower in the game.

Blues’ great Steve Roach only stated last month that Miles was the best centre he played with, NSW ironman Geoff Toovey is an unabashed fan of the stampeding Miles while the great Michael O’Connor remains in awe of Miles’ deeds on the 1986 Kangaroo tour.

The legendary John Brass, a dual international who won back-to-back premiers with the Roosters in 1974-75, always believed Miles helped Wally Lewis on the path to greatness.

Miles’ former Origin team mate Gary Belcher said “there had to be a spot for him’’ in the Queensland best ever 17.

Wynnum-Manly's 1982 rugby league premiership team at Kougari Oval, with Gene Miles front row on the far left. Pic taken in 1997.

Belcher said while there was a rational argument for why he might miss the starting side behind Inglis and Meninga, “he would have to be on the bench at least to cover centre or the forwards’’.

“Because don’t forget he moved to second row.

“He was outstanding. There has to be a spot for him.

“I played a lot of club football against him,’’ added Belcher, now an SENtrack afternoon sports show radio presenter.

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“He was like the big kid on the basketball court.

“He was a foot taller than everyone and while you were tackling him around his ankles, he was working out which way he was going to pass the ball, to the left or to the right.’’

Old team mates Gene Miles and Gary Belcher in 1997.

Some of the younger Channel 9 experts like Slater, Johns, Lockyer and Gallen may have little or no memory of Miles playing, but it is remarkable that Lewis and Sterling, his Australian teammates, did not have Miles, at worst, as one of their bench players.

Captain Gene Miles near end of Canberra v Brisbane final at SFS in Sydney, 09/90. Pic Martin Johnston. Rugby League P/R

The solution to acknowledging Greg Ingles, Miles and Meninga in the one side was simple - put Miles and Meninga in the centres and Inglis on one wing ahead of team selection Wendell Sailor. Don’t forget Inglis made his Origin debut as a winger.

The great coach Jack Gibson had a theory of somehow getting his best 13 on the field - regardless of where they played.

The Lewis-Miles, five-eight-centre combination is probably the best in history of the game. Pic Ex Brisbane Sun. Rugby League A/CT

Belcher said if you adopted that theory to the modern game, the then Miles simply had to be the best 17 Queenslanders.

Yet time is now diminishing Miles’ greatness.

Just as it is very, very important that the younger generation know many brave Queenslanders did their state proud pre-State of Origin, they must also know that Miles is one of our greatest ever players who should be entrenched in Queensland teams that carry the “best ever’’ tag.

FOOTNOTE:

After the experts had their say, the players who received the most votes from viewers in each position made the final 17-man team. The team comprised from the names provided to them from the experts was: B Slater, W Sailor, G Inglis, M Meninga, L Tuqiri W Lewis, J Thurston, B Lindner, G Tallis, T Gillmeister, A Beetson, C Smith, S Webcke. Interchange: A Langer, D Lockyer, P Vautin, P Civoniceva.

Originally published as Where on earth was Gene Miles’ name when it came to the expert selection of the greatest ever Queensland State of Origin side?