Closing the gap: How Selwyn Cobbo inspires generations

His exploits on the rugby league field are legendary, but then Selwyn Cobbo comes from something of a sporting dynasty. The pride of his great great grandfather’s achievements, however, are marred by what he had to endure just to play for his state.

Cherbourg sensation Selwyn Cobbo has realised his dream of playing for the Brisbane Broncos. Picture: Adam Head

Selwyn Cobbo didn’t realise he was making a difference until he saw the difference with his own eyes.

He only celebrated his 21st birthday two months ago, but being a Broncos rugby league star has forced him to grow up quickly and appreciate the power of flying the flag for his Indigenous people.

The kid from Cherbourg with the 1000-kilowatt smile once idolised Queensland Origin legend Greg Inglis and dreamt of playing for the Broncos.

Now Cobbo is living his dream. And beyond the trappings of NRL fame, Cobbo has a greater purpose – to emulate Inglis and South Sydney superstar Latrell Mitchell by being an Indigenous influencer.

While he charges through gaps on the football field, he wants to close the gap off it: a living, breathing example of homespun success, driven by sacrifice and self-belief.

“I think sometimes Indigenous kids lack confidence or might feel some shame to go for things in life, but I’m trying to make a change for Aboriginal people,” he said.

“Growing up I idolised Greg Inglis. The way he played on the field and also how he carried himself off the field, he’s done a lot for his mob.

“It puts a smile on my face every time I go home and see the little kids. They come up to me saying, ‘you’re my hero’. That makes me proud.

Selwyn Cobbo in action as an Under 10 in the Cherbourg Hornets

Selwyn Cobbo has enjoyed a meteoric rise.

“I would love to follow in the path of Latrell and do the things that he does for communities and Indigenous people.

“He does a lot for our people, he is passionate for his people, and I would love to be like that at the Broncos.

“It means a lot to me. I see myself as a young leader.”

Before he even understood the term, Cobbo has been a trailblazer.

He attended Murgon State High, 6km from his hometown, and in the school’s 75-year existence, no Indigenous boy had ever been school captain.

Then Selwyn Cobbo broke the mould... made history... closed the gap.

Since his ascension, two other Indigenous kids have followed suit.

“That achievement, becoming school captain, did a lot for me as a person,” Cobbo said.

“I actually went for the sports captain, but everyone said I should put my hand up to be school captain.

“They said I had the ability and the leadership to do it, so I applied and I got it.

“It was a huge shock for me. I didn’t think I was good enough for that position, but I feel that role helped prepare me for life after school.”

To understand the meteoric rise of Cobbo, who made his State of Origin debut three days after his 20th birthday, you need to spool back to explore the hardships his own flesh and blood were forced to endure.

The Broncos rookie’s family tree extends to Queensland cricket icon Eddie Gilbert, who is the great great grandfather to Cobbo.

Selwyn Cobbo has realised his life’s dream.

During his 23-game first-class career for Queensland, Gilbert famously dismissed Don Bradman for a duck in a Sheffield Shield game at the Gabba in 1931.

Bradman described the five balls from Gilbert, who took 87 wickets at 28.97, as the fastest spell he faced in his decorated career.

In a quirk of fate, Cobbo played his first ever game at the Gabba in July, some 92 years later.

Sprinting on the same blades of grass as Gilbert, he scored a hat-trick in a man-of-the-match performance to inspire a 24-16 defeat of expansion rivals the Dolphins.

Cobbo’s magic was a world away from Gilbert’s adversity of the 1930s, when the Aboriginal population was viewed as a “dying race”.

Under the Aborigines Protection Act, Gilbert needed written permission to travel from his Indigenous settlement in Cherbourg each time he played for Queensland in a first-class match.

The dark-skinned fast bowler was banned from rooming with his white teammates.

Instead, he was made to sleep in a tent on a nearby practice pitch. Gilbert died at age 72, having battled alcoholism in his later years.

Such a tale has driven the Cobbo clan to bury the pain of segregation and strive for betterment.

“Everything starts at home,” says Cobbo’s father Shamus.

“Sitting around the dinner table, we taught all our kids, including Selwyn, what’s right from wrong.

Selwyn Cobbo has played for the Maroons too.

Selwyn Cobbo in action for the Broncos

“We taught respect and discipline.

“We always told Selwyn, you treat people how you want to be treated. I’m so proud of the man Selwyn has become.

“When I drive to work, kids will be singing out to me, ‘where’s Selwyn Cobbo, when’s he coming home?’ I say he’s training at the Broncos.

“I can’t put into words what he is achieving for Indigenous kids out here in the bush. Just his encouragement.

“Kids say they want to be like Selwyn Cobbo. The attendance numbers at school are higher because kids want to do what Selwyn is doing.”

Cobbo’s appeal is just as powerful in the rat race in Brisbane.

“When he goes back to Cherbourg, he is royalty. In Brisbane, I’ve never had a player that’s in demand like Selwyn,” says his manager Tas Bartlett.

“Whether it’s a 10-year-old Indigenous kid to an 80-year-old grandmother, they flock to him.

“It’s that cheeky, disarming smile that he’s got, he is an engaging guy, he has a special warmth about him.

“He is genuinely proud about being an Indigenous role model.

“Every conversation we have now is how does he build a legacy, create influence, mentor the younger generation and create opportunities for younger Indigenous kids?

“It might not be a sporting career, but how do we educate that person to keep their dream alive and chase their dreams?

“He wants kids to know there is a pathway to a better life … if you want it.”

Selwyn Cobbo with family

Originally published as Closing the gap: How Selwyn Cobbo inspires generations