‘The doctor said I’d won the lottery’: Appendicitis may have cost Jack Howarth an Origin debut, but the health scare was a blessing in disguise

Jack Howarth could have made his State of Origin debut this year if not for two setbacks, one of which led to something else being discovered.

Storm centre Jack Howarth probably would have made his State of Origin debut this year had it not been for two separate setbacks, but he says everything happens for a reason after doctors told him he’d “won the lottery”.

Howarth was in the mix for the series opener but was ruled out of contention due to a dislocated shoulder that opened the door for Roosters rookie Robert Toia to make his Maroons debut after just 10 NRL appearances.

The powerful Storm centre returned and was part of Queensland’s extended squad for game two, with Howarth expected to eventually get his shot given he represented his state in the under 18s and under 19s.

Jack Howarth was expected to make his senior Origin debut this year before he suffered two separate setbacks. Picture: Adam Head

The door was open for him to get his crack when Kalyn Ponga went down with a foot injury, but it wasn’t meant to be for Howarth, who was struck down with appendicitis just days before the game three squad was announced.

Broncos bolter Gehamat Shibasaki was picked at left centre and did a fine job for Billy Slater as the Maroons clinched the series in Sydney, but it could have easily been Howarth celebrating in the sheds with his teammates.

“It’s hard to tell. There were a few conversations but there was no definite call (from Slater),” Howarth told the NewsWire.

“I was just happy that I was in the picture to be selected. Everything happens for a reason and maybe it wasn’t my time to play. I’m just glad they went out and won, and Shibasaki has been playing great footy and he has an unreal story, so he deserved it.

“As much as it sucked at the time, it worked out that I was able to get my issues fixed, so it wasn’t a big loss.”

Those issues could have become very serious, with Howarth revealing how quickly things turned for the worse after initially feeling unwell on Monday, June 23, before he had his appendix removed the next day and was out of hospital on the Wednesday.

Howarth is fully fit after the bout of appendicitis and scored a crucial try in the win over the Roosters last week. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

“Mine was instant,” he replied when asked about the pain, with the Maroons side for the decider named a week later.

“I was lying in bed and I thought I had eaten something off and it was just stomach pain. But it started to get a lot sharper, so I drove myself to emergency that night.

“It was too much of a big line, so I thought ‘stuff it’ and I just went home.

“I went and told the club doctor my symptoms and she decided to get me checked. They did a little ultrasound, saw it and told me I had appendicitis and needed surgery that day.

“It was such a fast process but I just had to wait for the wounds to heal.”

While appendicitis is nothing new for footy players, Howarth says there were other concerns that showed up after the initial ultrasound.

He only missed two club games, but it could have been a lot worse if he hadn’t been checked out.

Jack Howarth is out this week after requiring surgery to have his appendix removed. Storm expect him to miss at least a few weeks (+ Origin 3).

Return time can vary, but most are in the 3-5 week range. Quickest - Adam Reynolds returned just 2 weeks post appendix removal in 2017. pic.twitter.com/lZk8sLzA7X

— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) June 25, 2025

“I missed a bit of footy, which sucked, but they also found a bit of internal damage while I was there, so it was a blessing in disguise that I had my appendix checked,” he said.

“I don’t know exactly what the other stuff was, but the doctor said I’d won the lottery and that down the track it could have been a lot worse if they hadn’t spotted it.

“Everything happens for a reason and I’m just lucky that they found that problem.”

Originally published as ‘The doctor said I’d won the lottery’: Appendicitis may have cost Jack Howarth an Origin debut, but the health scare was a blessing in disguise