No player understands the pressure on PNG-born Storm star Justin Olam quite like Marcus Bai
On Sunday Papua New Guinea will stand still with all eyes on just one man. It’s the kind of intense scrutiny that can bring a man to tears and - win or lose - change his destiny forever.
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Melbourne Storm and Papua New Guinea legend Marcus Bai wants Justin Olam to knock him off the premiership pedestal.
Trailblazer Bai, 48, the first and last homegrown PNG national to play in and ultimately win a premiership in 1999, hopes to be able to share both life-changing mantels on Sunday.
“It is the biggest game of his career, of his life, it will change him in PNG,” Bai told News Australia.
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“I’ll be honest, I’ll be emotional if, if, Melbourne goes and wins, I’ll be very emotional for him.
“No one could feel, I’m talking to you now, I’m very emotional with it, the pressure, the pressure … I know how much pressure he’s going to get now, it’s unbelievable.
“If Justin wins the grand final it will not sink in for the next 10-20 years, trust me.”
Bai sat in his room the night before the 1999 decider and cried for hours after reading only two letters of support from the Governor-General of PNG and Prime Minister of the day.
“It suddenly hit me, I said to myself ‘Holy Jesus’ I’m playing a grand final tomorrow,” Bai said.
Bai was already a household name in PNG as an inaugural Storm star but the premiership elevated the winger to immortal status.
It has led to jobs and opportunities since and, the goodwill of an nation mad for rugby league.
“People value that (premiership), people still value that,” Bai said.
“Even kids who were not born when I won the grand final still come and shake my hand and say I watched it on YouTube.
“To be honest, I want to be forgotten and for Justin to win the grand final.
“It would be something good (for PNG) they could start talking about him.”
The pressure on Bai was palpable then, but nothing like what Olam would face with the rise of social media and close to nine million people riding his every move.
“We play for our immediate families, our distant families, our tribe, our district, our province, and the whole country,” Bai said.
“I don’t care how much the population is, we play for the whole country.
“I know on Sunday Papua New Guinea will stand still.
“You won’t see many cars driving around (Port) Moresby when at 3-4pm, it will be a ghost town.”
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If the reaction of Bai’s sons to Olam’s rise is any indication, the damaging Storm centre could inspire an entire generation of homegrown PNG nationals.
“Justin has opened the door for the young boys now playing Digicel Cup (semi-pro) and Hunters (Queensland Cup) saying ‘this is how Justin did it, I’m going to do the same thing’.
“I know there is another 300-400 or maybe 1000 young Justin Olams around the country and they’re good enough, I know several of them in the junior development coming up.
“Hopefully, it’s not long until we see another young Papua New Guinean to be able to make it.”
Originally published as No player understands the pressure on PNG-born Storm star Justin Olam quite like Marcus Bai