Harry Grant will start for just the second time for the Maroons in Origin on Wednesday night
Billy Slater has backed Harry Grant to revel in a starting Maroons’ spot, with the Melbourne man named at No.9.
The Maroons will unleash midfield magician Harry Grant from the opening whistle in Wednesday night’s Origin finale to inflict maximum pain on the bumbling Blues.
Grant will make just his second starting appearance in a State of Origin match when he dons the Queensland No. 9 jersey at Accor Stadium in the series finale.
Grant, 25, has been biding his time behind veteran utility Ben Hunt, playing six of his seven Origin matches from the bench.
But the time has arrived for Grant to become Origin legend Cameron Smith’s long-term successor at hooker for the Maroons.
With back-to-back series wins secured, Queensland coach Billy Slater will let Grant rip from the opening kick-off as the Maroons hunt a 3-0 whitewash for the first time since 2010.
Grant’s only previous Origin starting appearance came in the 2021 series-opener when the Maroons were flogged 50-6 – the heaviest defeat in Queensland’s 43-year history.
Grant was coming off a hamstring injury in the Townsville massacre and playing just his second Origin game, having made a stunning debut in the 2020 decider.
But he is now better prepared to dominate in league’s toughest arena according to his super coach at the Melbourne Storm, Craig Bellamy.
“When he started that game, he didn’t have a lot of match practice under his belt and was a young Origin player then,” he said.
“He will be a lot better prepared to start this time than he was back then. He has done a great job off the bench for Queensland but he won’t let anyone down starting.
“I could see what Billy was doing starting Ben. Harry plays 80 minutes strong for us every week, but playing him 50-60 minutes gives him more energy and he can do a bit more with the footy.
“Harry will be happy to be starting. It’s a 17-man game but most of them prefer to start than be on the bench so he will be happy about that.”
Grant has looked sharp in Camp Maroon this week and if he gets time and space on the back of quick play-the-balls from Queensland’s forwards, the Blues could be in for a torrid night.
Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans said it was scary to think how dominant Grant could be given his performances in limited Origin opportunities.
“We know how crafty he is, he’s a fantastic player,” he said.
“You could argue his best days are in front of him, which is crazy to think.
“I really enjoy playing footy alongside Harry. He thinks a lot about his footy and he is really good at bringing other people into the game. I’m looking forward to the opportunity he’s got.
“We’re not disappointed in what Ben’s done. Ben’s done a fantastic job, it’s not a demotion for Ben Hunt.
“It’s about giving Harry an opportunity to start. This is our coaches thinking ahead with an eye to the future.”
“With Harry starting, it’s going to give it a different look to start the game. Make no mistake, we’re just trying to improve on what we’ve been doing, which is good but not elite just yet.”
Grant proved he is an Origin player with a match-turning performance in his high-stakes debut, scoring a try from the bench as Queensland conjured an upset 20-14 victory.
His Origin elevation came on the back of being loaned to the Wests Tigers for the 2020 season as the Storm looked to get NRL games into him in preparation for the retirement of Smith.
Since Smith hung up the boots at the end of 2020, and Brandon Smith moved to the Roosters this year, Grant has taken his game to another level.
“He has been playing really well for us for a couple of years now,” Bellamy said.
“He went to the Tigers for a year and got a full year of first grade under his belt. Before that he was a first grader playing Queensland Cup for us. It was hard to fit him into the team because we had Cameron.
“The year he had at the Tigers really helped him understand what the NRL is about.
“He’s had a couple of injuries but we couldn’t be happier with what he does for.”
The new Alfie: DCE poised to overtake Maroons great
Origin’s most-capped player Cameron Smith has urged Daly Cherry-Evans not to retire from the Maroons as the Queensland skipper prepares to snatch a halfback record from the legendary Allan Langer.
Queensland are chasing a ruthless 3-0 clean sweep of the embattled Blues and Cherry-Evans will celebrate a slice of State of Origin history when he leads the Maroons onto Sydney’s Accor Stadium on Wednesday night.
For the past 30 years, Broncos icon Langer has held the record for most consecutive starting appearances by a Queensland halfback, playing 15 consecutive games for the Maroons between 1990-1994.
The Langer benchmark seemed unbreakable.
Not even recent champions Johnathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk have threatened it, but Cherry-Evans will conquer the Langer summit with his 16th consecutive starting appearance in the Queensland No.7 jumper as he plots a 3-0 Blue Rinse at Homebush.
The achievement is made even more remarkable considering Cherry-Evans was on the Origin outer for three years between 2015-18, an exile that sparked speculation he was on the nose with senior Maroons Smith, Thurston and Cronk.
Smith, now an assistant coach to Billy Slater, insists that was never the case and he lauded the leadership of Cherry-Evans, who will hoist the Origin shield for the third time from five series as skipper.
Cherry-Evans turns 35 next February, but Smith urged him to play on for Queensland in 2024 and says the skipper’s 70-metre sprint to run down Steven Crichton in Game Two is proof ‘DCE’ is not a spent force at Origin level.
“If Daly keeps playing the way he is, why shouldn’t he keep playing at Origin level,” said Smith, who retired from the Maroons in 2017 with a record 42 Origin appearances.
“Daly just keeps getting better. He is remarkable.
“Daly is playing as well as I’ve seen him.
“The performances he has put in and the leadership he has shown these young players has been outstanding.
“When he chased down Steve Crichton, that’s as good a play as you will ever see in State of Origin.
“He is 34 years old and sprinting 70 metres across the field to run down one of NSW’s quickest players.
“Why should he walk away … I hope he doesn’t and keeps playing on.”
Cherry-Evans plays his 22nd Origin game on Wednesday night and if he sees out his Manly contract, which expires at the end of 2025, the veteran halfback could conceivably chalk up 28 matches for the Maroons.
Since his return to the Queensland fold in 2018, Cherry-Evans has been the one leadership constant.
While the Maroons have rolled through four coaches – Kevin Walters, Wayne Bennett, Paul Green and Billy Slater – in the past five series, Cherry-Evans will hoist the Origin shield for the third time on Wednesday night.
Thurston, who played 37 Origin games, declared 297-game NRL veteran Cherry-Evans is now in the same league as Langer and Queensland’s greatest playmakers.
“He’s going in the record books for most consecutive games in the number seven jersey so he’s right up there with the best,” he said.
“He spent a bit of time out of the side but didn’t drop his lip. He got on with the job. He improved his game.
“Since he’s been back he hasn’t dropped that jersey at all. Now he’s gone on to lead the state to back-to-back wins.
“Anything you say to him, he takes it on-board. At 34, he’s still wanting to learn, which is a great sign, especially for the young boys we’ve got coming through.
“It’s a hell of a resume he’s got … he’s probably in career best form.”
At his current rate, Cherry-Evans could play for Queensland beyond his 36th birthday and become the oldest halfback in Origin history, but admits he is driven by the fear his next game in Maroon could be his last.
“I only have to look back at the time when I was watching it on TV and that’s now given me perspective,” he said.
“You can fall off a cliff quickly in this game and when your time is up it’s up.
The Greatest State of Origin Editions
“I won’t argue when that moment comes, but right now I still feel I am the right man for the job for Queensland.”
It’s been 15 years since a Queensland team won an Origin series 3-0. Cherry-Evans is desperate to turn the screws on the Blues.
“I’ve been involved in dead rubbers as a side trying to salvage the series, so I know how desperate this NSW side will be,” he said.
“This opportunity (to savour a 3-0 clean sweep) has taken me and my teammates our whole Origin careers to be involved in, so we won’t waste this opportunity.”
How ‘Raging Redhead’ went from NRL scrap heap to Origin star
Corey Horsburgh was stacking shelves at Woolworths and on the verge of being axed by the Cowboys before resurrecting his NRL career to become Queensland’s latest Origin enforcer.
The son of a prison guard and one of the NRL’s new breed of firebrands, Horsburgh will realise a childhood dream when he makes his State of Origin debut in Wednesday night’s series finale in Sydney.
While it may be a dead-rubber at Accor Stadium with Queensland holding a 2-nil series lead, this is the biggest game of Horsburgh’s life.
The ‘Raging Redhead’ has fought back from the brink of losing his blossoming NRL career due to injuries, poor behaviour and a lack of professionalism coming through North Queensland’s under-20s system.
Instead, he will become Maroons FOG No. 230 and is ready to prove why he belongs in the Origin arena.
“It’s been a massive dream of mine since I was a little boy,” Horsburgh said.
“It’s a very proud moment for me and my family.”
TAKE NO PRISONERS
Horsburgh, 25, was born in Caboolture and raised on the northside of Brisbane.
His father Rick has been a prison guard at Woodford Correctional Centre for the best part of 20 years and mother Sandy works in a Caboolture chemist.
Horsburgh played cricket, rugby league and Aussie rules as a kid, once featuring in grand finals in both footy codes on the same day while he was part of the Brisbane Lions’ Academy.
“I played cricket as a (fast) bowler but had to give up because of back injuries,” Horsburgh said.
“I also played AFL and was better at it and was in the Lions Academy when I was 14. I stopped playing AFL when I was 16.
“I was a hard worker so I guess you never know (if I could have made it).
“When I was 16 I was starting to play two games on the one day and knew I had to give one up. One year I had two grand finals – in AFL and league – on the one day.
“I played both – AFL for Caboolture then for Redcliffe in league after that. We won both of them.
“I had to leave at three-quarter time in the AFL grand final to make the league game for Redcliffe.”
But league is where Horsburgh’s heart truly was and he was signed by the Cowboys as a teenager.
ON THE BRINK
Horsburgh was one of the Cowboys’ bright prospects coming through their development system.
But he walked a fine line in Townsville, admitting his off-field standards weren’t up to scratch, and North Queensland bosses grew tired with his behaviour.
“Corey did it tough in Townsville,” said Horsburgh’s manager Jeff Jurotte.
“He was in the under-20s and the only job he could find away from footy was stacking shelves at Woolies.
“The Cowboys under-20s had an incident at the casino at the presentation night. It was nothing too serious. They were young guys having a few drinks.
“They got a slap on the wrist for it but the Cowboys were going to place Corey with the Northern Pride.
“It was hard for Corey to break through at the Cowboys. They had a nucleus of older fellas in the NRL.”
That’s when the Raiders reached out to Horsburgh through late recruitment manager Peter Mulholland and current coach Ricky Stuart.
“Ricky Stuart and Peter Mulholland called me from the Raiders and said they had some interest in Corey,” Jurotte said.
“Peter asked me what we were doing and I said ‘Corey can‘t see a future at the Cowboys, so he is open to a move’.
“There was no work for him in Townsville. He wasn’t earning a lot of money, he was trying to get by on $10,000.
“Corey had just played in an under-20s grand final and the Cowboys wanted him to prove himself in the Queensland Cup, but then the Raiders came into the picture and it was a great opportunity for Corey.”
FROM HOT TO COLD
Horsburgh packed his bags in humid Townsville and made the move to the nation’s freezing capital Canberra.
He made his NRL debut for the Raiders in 2019, playing 22 games in his rookie season, including Canberra’s grand final loss to the Roosters.
His 2020-21 seasons were crippled by numerous injuries and Horsburgh admits he questioned his future in the game.
“I wasn’t the same for a bit there and thought I’d never get to where I was again. I ran into a few more injuries after that,” he said.
“One year I thought I’m going to work really hard in the off-season and that’s when my body started to come good. I’m happy I stuck at it.
“I’m a pretty dedicated person so I wasn’t going to give up.”
Horsburgh responded with 22 games last year and started this season like a house on fire to rocket into the Origin selection debate.
He missed out on the series opener, was 19th man for game two and an injury to prop Tom Flegler opened the door for him to debut in Queensland’s bid for a 3-nil clean sweep.
Jurotte said Horsburgh’s injuries could have crushed him, but he fought back with incredible mental strength.
“The foot injury was horrendous,” he said.
“It was so bad I didn’t think he would play again and mentally it really affected him.
“He tore a ligament in every toe in his foot. He was flat out walking, but he rehabbed and rehabbed and came back and did his shoulder in his second game back.
“Corey has found a home at Canberra. He is really settled. He owns a house there and has just bought a block of land which he wants to develop. He is in a really good headspace.”
WAYNE’S WORLD
With Horsburgh on the rise and his junior club the Redcliffe Dolphins being admitted to the NRL, a return to Brisbane seemed like a logical move.
But Wayne Bennett’s Dolphins didn’t jump at the chance to sign Horsburgh and he is now set to remain at the Raiders for years to come.
“He was a Redcliffe kid. I rang Wayne and said I have a young kid, he is the perfect story for the Dolphins, he is a Redcliffe junior and is open to coming home,” Jurotte said
“Corey was struggling with his injuries at Canberra, but I never heard back from the Dolphins.
“Then at the beginning of last year, Corey was playing great footy for Canberra and the Dolphins suddenly called me, but by then they were a week and a half late. We had just done a three-year extension with Canberra, so the Dolphins just missed their chance.
“Corey definitely would have gone there, because at that stage he was out of favour at Canberra and Corey is one of those emotional kids.
“He and Ricky clashed a bit at the time, but now he has a great relationship with Ricky and he has been sensational for the Raiders over the past 18 months.
“I’m having talks with Canberra to extend him. He has another year and he can talk to someone for 2025, but the Raiders want to upgrade him. We’ll wait until the Origin period is over and we’ll do a deal to keep him at Canberra for the long haul.
“He is perfectly made for Origin. He doesn’t take a backward step and is just fearless. He has matured too. He won’t get caught up in the crap.”
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