A history of State of Origin comebacks ahead of Josh Papalii's Queensland return

RNZ News

a day ago

By
Nick Campion
, ABC
Josh Papali'i during the Raiders' NRL match against the Warriors in Auckland, July 2023.
Photo:
PHOTOSPORT
Analysis
- Josh Papali'i will play his final State of Origin match on Wednesday night as he returns from a three-year representative retirement to try to help lead Queensland to victory in the decider.
Papali'i was already a seminal figure in Maroons history and his comeback ensures him a unique piece of history - unless Daly Cherry-Evans plays on and earns a recall next year, Papalii, who made his interstate debut in 2013, will be the last active player from Queensland's legendary eight in a row Origin dynasty.
Coach Billy Slater will be looking for inspiration, leadership and muscle up front from the veteran front-rower, who is the latest in a long tradition of Origin stars to return from representative retirement to the game's toughest arena.
Coming back into the crucible of representative football is no easy thing, even accounting for Papalii's strong recent form with the Raiders.
Here's how each Origin returnee has fared upon their comeback to interstate football.
Kevin Walters and Allan Langer after the Brisbane Broncos beat the Hunter Mariners in the 1997 World Club Championship Rugby League final at Ericsson Stadium, Auckland.
Photo:
Photosport / Alan Lee
The gold standard of Origin comebacks, Langer's selection for the 2001 decider while playing for English club Warrington three years after his last appearance in maroon has become the stuff of legend.
At 35, Langer's best years were supposed to be well behind him and there were contingencies in place should he turn down the chance at a recall - Maroons coach Wayne Bennett had also sounded out former Parramatta and Canterbury five-eighth Jason Smith, who was also playing in England at the time.
But Langer opted in and inspired Queensland to a famous 40-14 victory at QEII Stadium, scoring a try on one of his state's most famous nights.
It kicked off a late-career renaissance for Langer, who returned to the Broncos in 2002 and played all three matches for Queensland again that season.
Just a few weeks shy of his 36th birthday, he earned man of the match honours in that year's drawn Origin decider, which ensured the Maroons would retain the shield.
Brad Fittler
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PHOTOSPORT
Langer's Origin return spoiled the party for New South Wales five-eighth and captain Brad Fittler, who called time on his own representative career after the 2001 decider.
The Roosters' mainstay continued his excellent form in the seasons to come and in 2004, with the Blues suffering an injury crisis in the halves heading into Game II, Fittler was asked to return by coach Phil Gould and accepted the chance for one more shot at Origin glory.
Fittler's return ended in defeat, courtesy of Billy Slater's miracle chip and chase try, but the champion five-eighth returned for the decider in Sydney.
At 32, and 14 years after he became the youngest ever NSW State of Origin player to that point, Fittler enjoyed a dream farewell by scoring the final try of a 36-14 New South Wales rout to finally go out on a high.
Josh Morris
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PHOTOSPORT
A stone-cold New South Wales legend for his battles with Greg Inglis and his efforts fighting through a serious knee injury in the 2014 series opener, Morris had a low-key representative retirement following the 2016 series.
Three years later, with Brad Fittler short of options at right centre for Game I, he recalled the then 32-year-old Cronulla flyer for his 15th State of Origin appearance.
Morris acquitted himself well, scoring the opening try of the night at Lang Park, but was dumped for Tom Trbojevic following New South Wales's 18-14 loss and never played for the Blues again.
One of the most underrated Origin players of his time, Sing holds the record for the shortest-lived representative retirement of modern times.
In 2004, nine years after making his Test and Origin debuts, Sing hung up the boots for Queensland and Australia in an effort to prolong his club career and spend more time with family.
However, after a change of heart, Sing made himself available for the 2005 Anzac Test and subsequent Origin series. He played all three matches for the Maroons but gave it up for good following Queensland's loss in the decider.
Izzard's return to State of Origin isn't quite a comeback from representative retirement, but the sheer wait between appearances earns the Penrith stalwart a special mention.
After playing all three games for New South Wales as a youngster in the 1982 series, where he scored two tries, Izzard had to wait another nine years for his second Blues call-up, which came in the 1991 decider at the age of 29.
To this day, Izzard holds the record for longest gap between Origin appearances, a mark that is unlikely to ever be broken.
Cameron Smith and Andrew Johns - the near misses
Two of the greatest players in their respective states' histories retired from rep football a few years before hanging up the boots, but both came perilously close to backflipping on the decision.
For Johns, who made a magical return to the Blue jersey in 2005 after missing almost the entire prior 12 months through injury, it came in 2006 when he seriously considered returning for that year's decider before opting out. Queensland went on to secure a dramatic series win that propelled them to their famous eight-in-a-row dynasty.
As for Smith, who was sounded out more than once after he played his final game for Queensland in 2017, the closest he ever came seems to be 2019 when he was in conversation with Maroons coach Kevin Walters but ultimately decided against returning.
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ABC