Murwillumbah Colts junior coaches, high school teacher reflect on Reece Robson’s Origin selection
While Reece Robson’s selection in the NSW Origin squad for game two may have caught some by surprise, his junior coaches and high school teacher reveal why his inclusion hasn’t shocked them one bit.
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When the NSW State of Origin team was announced last week, there was plenty of praise across the rugby league world for the selection of rookie Reece Robson.
While the 24-year-old was considered somewhat of a bolter, analysts and experts largely welcomed his inclusion in the Blues team, however perhaps nowhere were the cheers as loud as in Robson’s home town of Murwillumbah in NSW’s Northern Rivers.
“I was extremely happy for him and his family,” said Ross Campbell, who coached Robson in the under-15s at the Murwillumbah Colts.
“He always had the ability and was just a through-and-through footballer as far as I could see. After that season I predicted he’d play NRL. I said, ‘I think this kid will go all the way.’”
“He was just a level above the others: he was tough, had football smarts and was always a good nine.”
Indeed, Robson’s toughness has led many to claim that he is built for the Origin arena, and it is an attribute that didn’t go unnoticed by his junior coaches all those years ago while playing for the Colts.
“He was very hard. He wasn’t a real big kid, but very hard,” said Tim Gilliland, who coached Robson from the under-9s through to the under-13s at Murwillumbah.
“I could run full steam and he’d bring you down as a 10-year-old kid – and I was a front rower,” he laughed.
It was this love of contact and defence that saw his junior coaches put him in the number nine jersey from an early age – and is something that has remained the same to this day.
“He was always going to be a hooker. He was a natural hooker – that was the only place he wanted to play,” said Gilliland.
“He loved tackling, just loved it, being in and around the ruck.
“We weren’t a great side, we didn’t win many games, but he never stopped trying, he just went hard. If the biggest bloke ran on the field he’d be into them.”
Footy is in their blood as both Robson boys and Robson Senior thrive in the sport.
Growing up in Murwillumbah the boys played every sport they could get into while adhering to a solid Catholic education, attending Mt St Patrick’s primary school and again at Mt St Patricks Highschool.
Tim Whitney, Mt St Patricks Highschool Sports Co-Ordinator told the Northern Star Reece was the youngest of the Robson family that came through the school.
“Whatever was going on he was involved in. He was quite the athlete even then.”
Playing in junior rugby outside of school with the Murwillumbah Colts Reece also secured a spot in the Mt St Patrick’s U13 and U14 representative team.
“The family left Murwillumbah to chase sporting opportunities in Sydney,” Mr Whitney said.“Dad was a builder so there was work – but they did chase sport.”
“Obviously he excelled at the junior schoolboy level to make the open Australian team,” Mr Whitney said.
“Brian Battese was his coach and coached him in the tri-series against New Zealand and England up here at Redcliff.
“We only had him at Mt St Pat’s for two years.”
A “fantastic sport” and “talented at everything” Robson impressed and continues to do so.
“As a kid he wasn’t intimidating or anything like that, physically,” Mr Whitney said.
“He wasn’t a big unit, like he is a massive unit now but back then he was a 13 and 14 year-old boy just trying to fit in with everyone else.
“He’s done a hell of a lot of work to build himself up into playing elite football at that level and back it up week after week.”
“I’m just amazed,” he said, “and it’s not a man-crush (laughs) but he is a big unit.
“My office mates are laughing at me here ... from what I remember him as a weedy little year 8 kid to the man he’s become ... God, I wouldn’t want to mix it up with 120 kilo blokes running at me week after week.”
And while Robson has developed into a skilful representative footballer over the years, there are still some fundamental aspects of his game that Gilliland can immediately recognise.
“Around the ruck and around dummy half, he’s still the same. He always had a quick ball off the ground,” he said.
It’s a sentiment his under-15s coach Campbell agrees with.
“He wasn’t scared to take the line on. I never had to coach him too much. I think he taught me more than I taught him,” he laughs.
“The only advice I gave him was: ‘don’t be scared to take the line on, just make sure you’ve got runners with you.’ And that’s basically what he’s doing today,” he said.
“He also didn’t cut corners. If you asked him to do a 100-metre sprint he wouldn’t pull up short. He always did what was asked of him and was a pleasure to coach, actually.”
Not only is it a great personal achievement, but Robson’s selection is a fantastic shot in the arm for the Murwillumbah Colts, who in recent times have also produced the likes of NSW and Australian representative Anthony Laffranchi and New Zealand international Luke Covell.
“It’s really great for the club,” said Gilliland.
And with the series on the line in game two in the cauldron that is Suncorp Stadium, Gilliland even has a couple of words of advice for Blues coach Brad Fittler.
“I’d have him start to soak up the pressure, because he’s just such a hard nut,” he said.
“Man of the match and a win would be good.”
The sentiment isn’t exactly the same for Robson’s under-15s coach Ross Campbell. While immensely proud of his former player, he says this is a case where the ‘state against state, mate against mate’ mantra rings true.
“I’m a Queenslander, so I’ll be going for Reece but not for NSW.”
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