Origin legend Brent Tate has watched the rise of Kyle Feldt and knows he is ready for it

Unfit and frustrated, the first couple of pre-seasons for Kyle Feldt weren’t easy. But there was a lightbulb moment which has steered him on a six year path to the big dance. READ MORE>>

WHEN Kyle Feldt first joined the Cowboys ranks there was something about him that was special.

Physically he was big and tough but had the agility and aerial ability to match the best high flyers in the competition.

Kyle Feldt. NRL; North Queensland Cowboys Vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville. Picture: Alix Sweeney

But he lacked the mental edge; the professionalism and attention to detail that set the NRL’s best apart from the rest.

Still there was something about Feldt that was undeniable.

The man who played inside the winger in his NRL debut against South Sydney in 2013, and Maroons Origin legend, Brent Tate, believes Feldt was always destined to play in the game’s biggest arena.

It was just that the winger had to believe that himself.

“I can remember him as a player. To be honest it has taken a long time for him to mature and become the player we know he is today,” Tate said.

“He always had the potential that was obvious. It was a matter of him believing in himself and understanding what it took to play in the NRL.

Early in his career there was a lot of frustration, he would come back to pre-season and he wouldn’t be fit or he would be behind the eight ball.

“But the club has always seen his potential and he has really lived up to it. We all saw what he was capable of, Blind Freddy could have seen the potential he had. There was always an Origin player there.

Kyle Feldt and Brent Tate during the Round 23 NRL match between the North Queensland Cowboys and the Gold Coast Titans at 1300SMILES Stadium.

“I remember one season he came back for pre-season and he was in fantastic shape, it was as if the penny had dropped for him. Finally, he understood what he needed to do to stay at that level.

“The last couple of seasons he has worked his a--e off to turn himself into a premier winger. He is a genuine representative level player.”

Feldt, a 144-game NRL veteran, has been on the cusp of wearing the maroon of Queensland plenty of times now.

Included in extended squads and emerging Maroons camps since 2016, the Cowboys cult hero has been banging on the door.

At the end of last season, finally the position was his only to be robbed by a groin injury that required post-season surgery.

Kyle Feldt during training with the Queensland Origin team at Sanctuary Cove ahead of game 2 in 2018. Pics Adam Head

But in 2021, his desperate wait appears to be over.

With Kalyn Ponga succumbing to injury, Paul Green appears likely to move Valentine Holmes to the back and gift Feldt a debut on the flank.

It will be a poetic moment for the winger, doing it front of his friends and family, and the loyal fans who have followed every moment of his career in his hometown.

And Tate will be there, watching on proudly from the stands.

Tate is a genuine Maroons legend playing 23 games for his state including a miraculous return from a neck injury to help spark a Queensland fight back in 2006 which kick started the Decade of Dominance.

He believes Feldt has the right tools of the trade to potentially cement himself in the Queensland backline.

“He deserves every chance he gets and he will thrive in that arena if handed the opportunity,” Tate said.

Kyle Feldt of the Cowboys scores a try during the round 12 NRL match between the North Queensland Cowboys and the New Zealand Warriors at QCB Stadium. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

“He is a big body, he is strong out of dummy half. When you play Origin on the wing, I don’t think people truly understand that it is a real tough position to play at that level.

“A lot of time you are taking the hard carries into the meat of the defence. It’s like an extra forward. If Feldty gets his chance he will thrive.

“He has been knocking on the door. It is about getting an opportunity. Queensland are loyal and there have been great names playing on the wing in front of him. But it was always going to be a matter of time.

“The growth he has ahead of him, if he plays well and does a job, he has the chance to be there the next few Origin series.”

Originally published as Origin legend Brent Tate has watched the rise of Kyle Feldt and knows he is ready for it