Luki scores in dream NRL debut for the Cowboys
Cairns product Heilum Luki made his NRL debut on Thursday night, starting off the bench for the Cowboys. And it was a dream come true for the Central Scorpions junior.
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IT was every bit of the dream NRL debut Heilum Luki has imagined since he was a kid.
Luki, the first Central Scorpions junior to make it to the NRL, had to wait until the final minutes of the first half of the Cowboys’ clash with the Knights to get his taste of the elite rugby league, and the 294th first grader in North Queensland’s history never once looked out of place.
He ended up getting 24 minutes of game time, and in that time he ran for 85m from seven carries, made 19 tackles and broke two tackles (via NRL.com) – and was placed on report for high contact.
In the stands was Luki’s personal support squad: 50 members of his family and friends, all decked out in custom shirts organised via Shirtbox in the 48 hours before kick-off.
“I was up at Mareeba on Wednesday and my brother in-law called and said ‘we have to get some shirts made up’,” Shane said of the personal touch.
“We got on to Shirtbox, explained everything and they said they’d look after it.”
They were ready the next day, meaning every member of Luki’s support squad wore custom printed shirts with “LUKI” emblazoned across the back with the number 294, and the young gun in his Cowboys jersey on the front.
They rode every moment, from when his name and profile photo showed up on the big screen during the pre-game line-ups to when he finally took the field.
“I was nervous as a mum, but as soon as he got that first touch I knew he would be okay,” Shane said.
The biggest moment came in the 77th minute.
He re-entered the game for the final five minutes, as the Cowboys sought another try to put the game on ice.
After two strong carries, Luki charged into the line just metres out, latching onto a Jake Granville short ball and running straight over the top of Newcastle’s Brodie Jones to score a try – and seal the Cowboys’ victory.
The post-try celebration didn’t exactly pan out - he whiffed the kick as he attempted to boot the Steeden into the Townsville sky (coach Todd Payten later joked he might need some extra kicking practice).
He was instantly mobbed by his teammates, Valentine Holmes and Jake Clifford the first of the team to embrace an emotional Luki, as Kyle Feldt encouraged the young gun to soak in every moment.
“I didn’t expect that (try),” Luki told cowboys.com.au.
“It’s always good to have my family here, I wouldn’t be here without them. It’s a dream come true really, it’s all I’ve wanted to do since I was small, so I’m loving it.”
Payten described it as a moment which makes rugby league as great as it is.
“You saw in the close-up vision of him afterwards, how much it meant to him,” Payten said.
“They’re the moments that make our game so good.
“You don’t get to understand how much it means to people around us a lot of the time, but (Thursday night) was one of those occasions, and that’s what makes our game so great.”
Shane paid tribute to Cowboys captain Jason Taumalolo, who presented Luki his debut NRL jersey.
“I’m so grateful, I spoke to JT after the game, but he really helped him out on the field, and it shows just how much of a great leader and captain he is,” Shane said.
Payten will name his team for Round 12 on Tuesday, but with both Taumalolo and Lachlan Burr facing suspension, there is a chance Luki will keep his spot in the side.
LUKI MOBBED IN DREAM DEBUT
A DREAM come true.
It might be cliche, but they’re the words Heilum Luki used to describe his outstanding NRL debut in the Cowboys’ 36-20 win against the Knights.
Luki, the first Central Scorpions junior to make it to the NRL, waited until the final minutes of the first half to get his taste of the elite rugby league, and he never once looked out of place.
In the lead-up to the game. the Cairns product, who has been part of the Cowboys’ development program since he was 15 and came through the Northern Pride’s junior ranks, told the Cairns Post he had two jobs: run hard, and tackle hard.
And that’s what he did.
Luki ended up getting 24 minutes of game time, and in that time he ran for 85m from seven carries, made 19 tackles, broke two tackles - and was placed on report for high contact.
But the moment came in the 78th minute, when Luki crashed over from short range to seal his strong debut with a try.
He tried to kick the ball away in celebration but it shaved the side of his boot and it went nowhere - earning cheeky advice from Cowboys caoch Todd Payten that he might need to work on his kicking.
Then, he was mobbed by his teammates, emotion getting the better of him as North Queensland players came from everywhere.
And in the stands was Luki’s personal support squad: 50 members of his family and friends
“I didn’t expect that,” Luki told cowboys.com.au after the game.
“It’s always good to have my family here, I wouldn’t be here without them.
“It’s a dream come true really, it’s all I’ve wanted to do since I was small, so I’m loving it.”
Payten described it as a moment which makes rugby league as great as it is.
“You saw in the close-up vision of him afterwards, how much it meant to him,” Payten said.
“His whole family is here - 50 of them came down from Cairns.
“They’re the moments that make our game so good.
“You don’t get to understand how much it means to people around us a lot of the time, but (tonight) was one of those occasions, and that’s what makes our game so great.”
HOW LUKI LEARNED HE WOULD DEBUT
HEILUM Luki’s mind swam when Cowboys coach Todd Payten called him into his office on Tuesday morning.
You know the feeling, when you’re being called into the boss’s or principal’s office - the mind starts racing about what might or might not have been done wrong, and the infinite possibilities swim through your mind as you approach the door.
It was no different for Luki, the 20-year-old back-rower who has long been considered among the best up-and-coming talents from Far North Queensland, as he approached the door to Payten’s office at Cowboys HQ.
But this wasn’t bad news - in fact, it was the complete opposite, a dream come true for a young man who has imagined what it would be like to play in the NRL since he was a child.
“He had the team up on the board,” Luki recalled.
“He told me to look at the board and asked ‘do you like it?’ I saw my name at No. 17 and said I thought it looked pretty good.”
Tonight, dream becomes reality when he comes off the bench against the Knights as the 294th man to represent the Cowboys.
It’s been a long time coming for the Luki, who grew up in Cairns.
Luki played his junior footy for the Centrals Scorpion until a move to Brothers in 2017, represented Auckland Niue at the under-16 Pasifika Youth Cup in 2017, and even impressed during a short stint in the FNQ Rugby competition last year when most rugby league competitions were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
He joined the Cowboys Cairns Academy at 15, started to train with the club's NRL squad in November and has been outstanding for the Northern Pride in his first season in the Intrust Super Cup. Across seven games, he has averaged 140 running metres, more than six tackle breaks and averages 22 tackles at 91.9 per cent efficiency.
Luki credits his first full pre-season at the Cowboys for that sharp rise in form, with fitness playing a key role as he more than matched it in with his state league rivals.
“The NRL pre-season helped me a lot fitness-wise, and when you’re fitter it helps with technique and how you run the ball,” Luki said.
The NRL is a totally different ball game, another step up in speed and quality and yet another lesson in his rugby league education.
The Cowboys aren’t expecting a game-changing performance out of the lad, with Luki saying the message was as simple as it gets: run hard, tackle hard.
Luki was once described as being the ‘prototype backrower’ in his teenage years, while Cowboys Head of Football Michael Luck last week told the Cairns Post that Luki had the potential to be a cornerstone of future Cowboys forward packs.
Payten said Luki was perfectly suited to where the game was going.
“He was excited,” Payten said. “Probably more excited than most of the guys I told in the past. He didn’t say much, it was written across his face.
“He’s a kid who’s come through our system up at the Northern Pride, he’s been down here in our fulltime system this year.
“He’s a big athletic body, and he’s aggressive.
“He’s perfectly suited for where the game is going, his leg speed and athleticism through the middle is going to be another bonus for us."
Pride coach Ty Williams had one of the best seats from which to watch the young man’s development as a rugby league player.
He was initially sent to the Pride to get experience playing against men in his first full season of senior rugby league - Luki simply wanted to cement a place in the Pride’s 17 at the start of the year - and he has turned that opportunity into a life-changing night.
“It typifies the development pathway that we can provide for these players, especially at our club,” Williams said. “’H’ going down there eight months ago to fulfil a fulltime contract, you can see he’s put on very good rugby league muscle, his understanding of the game has become a lot better.”
While he has the full support of the Cowboys and Pride organisations, there is one other team who will ride every emotion - his family.
Luki credits so much of his success to his parents Mark and Shane, and five siblings - all of whom will be at Queensland Country Bank Stadium tonight to see ‘Big H’ make his NRL debut.
“I waited until after training to tell them,” he said. “They both started crying, it was one of the best moments.
“It’s going to mean everything to me to have them there, I wouldn’t be where I am without them.”
CAIRNS YOUNGSTER EARNS NRL DEBUT
CAIRNS product Heilum Luki will be the first Cowboys player to benefit from the NRL’s tweak of eligibility rules, with the 20-year-old named to make his NRL debut against the Knights on Thursday night.
Luki was named in Cowboys coach Todd Payten’s 17 on Tuesday afternoon in place of Coen Hess, who failed a HIA in Saturday night’s 30-16 loss to the Roosters.
Tom Gilbert moves into the starting side, with Luki named in the No.17 for the Queensland Country Bank Stadium clash.
The NRL this year allowed for contracted development players to be selected from Round 11, with Luki, who is on a development deal, the first Cowboys player to benefit.
There was plenty of attention on he and fellow Cairns product Jeremiah Nanai when they were allocated to the Pride this Intrust Super Cup, but both have adapted well in the opening months of the campaign.
The initial plan was to get experience against men, and Pride coach Ty Williams has been particularly impressed with how they both adapted.
And Luki has been rewarded with his NRL debut.
“We’re excited for the young fella,” Williams said.
“When he and Jeremiah (Nanai) came into the squad, it was throw them against men firstly, but the development of both gentlemen has been extreme.
“It typifies the development pathway that we can provide for these players, especially at our club.
“’H’ going down there eight months ago to fulfil a fulltime contract, you can see he’s put on very good rugby league muscle, his understanding of the game has become a lot better.
“It’s exciting, and well-deserved.
“The new rule coming in with after Round 10 you can play them (development) players, and Toddy’s definitely taking a gamble on him, but it’s well-deserved, he’s worked very hard to get his opportunity.”
Described as a potential future cornerstone of the Cowboys’ NRL squad, Luki has been in irresistible form in his first Intrust Super Cup campaign.
He has averaged 140 running metres per game, makes 22 tackles at 9.1.9 per cent efficiency, and has been a key to the Pride’s successful start to the year.
While he’s been arguably the most impressive and consistent out of the Pride’s superb forward pack so far, an NRL debut was the furthest thing from the back-rower’s mind.
During pre-season, his goal was to simply lock down a spot at the Pride, with the NRL a distant dream but one he’d take with open arms.
When asked about Luki and Nanai last week, Cowboys Head of Football Michael Luck told the Cairns Post they were long-term projects for the club, but neither looked out of place in at Intrust Super Cup level.
“We won’t throw them in the deep end,” Luck said.
“We’re comfortable in the fact they’re both long-term projects. Both haven’t missed a beat; they’re going really well.”
Luki, who played his junior rugby league at Brothers, will get his first taste of the NRL against the 11th-placed Knights, but how much time he gets on the field will depend on the flow of the game.
Williams, while excited for Luki, said the Pride side’s performances in the first seven rounds of the competition had allowed the back-rower to play his natural game.
“It will be a great experience for a young guy who probably didn’t expect to get the NRL call-up this early on, but Toddy’s seen something in him that he’s been doing well for us, and what minutes he plays will depend on how it unfolds,” Williams said.
“I’m super excited for H firstly, but recognition needs to go to our playing group as well who have helped him earn his debut.
“Our performances have been solid, and credit where it’s due, the boys have done a good job to give him that chance.”
IRRESISTIBLE FORM
The numbers behind Heilum Luki’s epic start for the Pride
Rd 1 v Falcons (44 minutes, bench)
Runs: 12 Metres: 135 (58 post-contact) Tackles: 20 Tacklebreaks: 3
Rd 2 v Capras (32 minutes, bench)
Runs: 10 Metres: 163 (67 post-contact) Tackles: 9 Tacklebreaks: 7
Rd 3 v Wynnum-Manly (58 minutes)
Runs: 17 Metres: 169 (58 post-contact) Tackles: 27 Tacklebreaks: 7
Rd 4 v Blackhawks (80 minutes)
Runs: 14 Metres: 112 (36 post-contact) Tackles: 23 Tacklebreaks: 5
Rd 5 v Norths Devils (80 minutes)
Runs: 10 Metres: 96 (39 post-contact) Tackles: 29 Tacklebreaks: 3
Rd 6 v Magpies (80 minutes)
Runs: 16 Metres: 171 (87 post-contact) Tackles 24 Tacklebreaks: 6
Rd 7 v Tweed Seagulls (80 minutes)
Runs: 12 Metres: 136 (57 post-contact) Tackles: 24 Tacklebreaks: 6
matthew.mcinerney1@news.com.au
Originally published as Luki scores in dream NRL debut for the Cowboys
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