Latest news with #GehamatShibasaki
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Telling new footage comes to light after Reece Walsh's clash with teammate
Fan footage of the Brisbane Broncos celebrating a try-saving play from Gehamat Shibasaki against the Titans shows how tight-knit the playing group is. And it flies in the face of suggestions about a heated on-field clash between Reece Walsh and Kotoni Staggs. Walsh was seen spraying Staggs after his teammate dropped the ball in good attacking position on Sunday night. Staggs initially apologised, but when Walsh kept going he appeared to snap back and tell his fullback to knock it off. Some commentators thought it showed there might be fractures in the playing group, but it looks like it's completely the opposite. Fans have pointed out that Walsh's clash with Staggs simply shows they care, as you hardly ever see disinterested players call out their teammates' mistakes. And vision of how the players reacted to a try-saver from Shibasaki dispels any thought of a fractured group. The State of Origin player knocked the ball out of Jaylan de Groot's grasp when he looked destined to score a certain try. Most players wouldn't have bothered, but Shibasaki showed his desperation and commitment to save the four-pointer. The on-field referee sent the decision to the Bunker official, who confirmed it wasn't a try. Fan footage is doing the rounds on social media of the moment the players saw the replay of Shibasaki's effort, and they immediately got around their teammate to celebrate. Walsh and Staggs were among a number of players who went straight to Shibasaki to hype up the star centre, and fans were loving what they saw. I love that — Matthew__Tabet (@tabet_matthew) July 13, 2025 This is beautiful to see man — 🌟 (@JBroncosEra) July 13, 2025 As for Walsh's clash with Staggs, Broncos captain Adam Reynolds and coach Michael Maguire both stated it was completely normal in the heat of the moment. The players patched things up when Staggs set Walsh up for a try not long after. "We're trying to be perfect out there," Reynolds said after the game. "It's not always going to go to plan, but we're adults, we talk about a situation when it happens. Sure enough, they fixed it up and scored a long-range try so they're working hard, and it's always good to have that feedback on the field." Pete Badel has labeled this a 'Heated Reece Walsh-Kotoni Staggs on-field confrontation' 😂 — NRLCentral (@centralNRL) July 13, 2025 Maguire added: "Reece, he loves his footy and he's striving to continually be the best, and that's all the boys and that's the perfection they're chasing. Whether or not it's him trying to get the ball to him early or not, Reece does wear his heart on his sleeve and that's why we love him and the boys love playing with him. At times he's going to execute something and other times he's going to be working out how he gets it done. So I think as long as he keeps competing the way he is, the boys love playing with him." RELATED: Knights offer contracts to two Origin players amid Ponga blow Jett Cleary takes massive step out of brother Nathan's shadow The majority of Broncos fans actually saw the positives in Walsh and Staggs jawing at each other, as it shows they're so close that they feel comfortable doing that. One person wrote on social media: "If you've ever played footy before you know this is normal. This is good for the Bronx." Another commented: "Two passionate players who love the club. Good to see." While a third added: "Fans want to see that, it means they have standards and are accountable to them."
News.com.au
10-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘I had to pay them back': Gehamat Shibasaki completes incredible comeback story
Gehamat Shibasaki says his stunning rise to the State of Origin ranks came down to a desire to not 'piss away' his career and to repay the faith shown to him by family members and the Broncos coaching staff who took a punt on a man who is now part of Maroons folklore. The 26-year-old started his career at the Broncos but had stints at the Knights, Cowboys, Rabbitohs and in Japanese rugby before he returned to Brisbane on a train and trial deal. He wasn't expected to be a major factor in their plans this year, but Shibasaki is the club's leading try-scorer thanks to three consecutive doubles, and he's now an Origin winner in what is one of the more remarkable rugby league stories of the year. 'It's been a whirlwind. If you asked me this six months ago, there's no way I would have thought that I'd be playing here,' he said after the game. 'Through all the hard work in the pre-season to getting here now (it's all wild). At the start of the week, I thought I was in the squad. That would have been good in itself, but to play in it and win is a dream come true.' Shibasaki was a star coming through the ranks, with the powerful centre representing the Queensland under-20s three times to go with one appearance for the Junior Kangaroos. But that feels like a lifetime ago for a guy who struggled to keep up in his first few training sessions but quickly developed into a round 1 bolter under Michael Maguire. 'Playing in the juniors is nothing compared to this,' he said. 'This is a childhood dream. Those juniors games were a stepping stone on my path here, but my path took me elsewhere. To come back, fight for my spot and then get here with Billy (Slater) putting his trust in me is unreal. 'Everyone helped me get here – my family, the coaching staff at the Broncos and Madge (Maguire) played a part in my journey. 'For them to work hard and for me to not piss away my career (is why I'm here). I thought it'd be disrespectful to them because they all put in the hard work to help me. 'I had to pay them back. 'But in saying that, it was a gamble coming down to Brisbane. I only came down to work and get fit for the Cup season, but to then get the call from Madge and for him to have the trust to play me in round 1 was unbelievable. 'I went through the ringer in the pre-season, but I stuck at it.' The Blues were encouraged to go after the debutant in defence and they tested him early, with Stephen Crichton beating him twice before the ball stopped coming to the right edge. By the time Crichton eventually scored, the damage had already been done, with Shibasaki laying on the first try of the night when he beat Zac Lomax and found Xavier Coates in space. 'I was so nervous,' he said. 'I missed Crichton twice at the start and that was all because of nerves with me wanting to do something early. 'I took a few deep breaths and then just focused on my next job. When 'X' (Coates) scored in the corner, all the nerves went away.'
Perth Now
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Turning point in Origin rookie's staggering revival
Gehamat Shibasaki says his stunning rise to the State of Origin ranks came down to a desire to not 'piss away' his career and to repay the faith shown to him by family members and the Broncos coaching staff who took a punt on a man who is now part of Maroons folklore. The 26-year-old started his career at the Broncos but had stints at the Knights, Cowboys, Rabbitohs and in Japanese rugby before he returned to Brisbane on a train and trial deal. He wasn't expected to be a major factor in their plans this year, but Shibasaki is the club's leading try-scorer thanks to three consecutive doubles, and he's now an Origin winner in what is one of the more remarkable rugby league stories of the year. Gehamat Shibasaki capped an incredible return to rugby league by helping the Maroons win the Origin decider. NRL Photos Credit: Supplied 'It's been a whirlwind. If you asked me this six months ago, there's no way I would have thought that I'd be playing here,' he said after the game. 'Through all the hard work in the pre-season to getting here now (it's all wild). At the start of the week, I thought I was in the squad. That would have been good in itself, but to play in it and win is a dream come true.' Shibasaki was a star coming through the ranks, with the powerful centre representing the Queensland under-20s three times to go with one appearance for the Junior Kangaroos. But that feels like a lifetime ago for a guy who struggled to keep up in his first few training sessions but quickly developed into a round 1 bolter under Michael Maguire. Shibasaki has been a revelation at left centre for the Broncos this year. NRL Photos Credit: The Courier-Mail 'Playing in the juniors is nothing compared to this,' he said. 'This is a childhood dream. Those juniors games were a stepping stone on my path here, but my path took me elsewhere. To come back, fight for my spot and then get here with Billy (Slater) putting his trust in me is unreal. 'Everyone helped me get here – my family, the coaching staff at the Broncos and Madge (Maguire) played a part in my journey. 'For them to work hard and for me to not piss away my career (is why I'm here). I thought it'd be disrespectful to them because they all put in the hard work to help me. 'I had to pay them back. 'But in saying that, it was a gamble coming down to Brisbane. I only came down to work and get fit for the Cup season, but to then get the call from Madge and for him to have the trust to play me in round 1 was unbelievable. 'I went through the ringer in the pre-season, but I stuck at it.' The Blues were encouraged to go after the debutant in defence and they tested him early, with Stephen Crichton beating him twice before the ball stopped coming to the right edge. By the time Crichton eventually scored, the damage had already been done, with Shibasaki laying on the first try of the night when he beat Zac Lomax and found Xavier Coates in space. 'I was so nervous,' he said. 'I missed Crichton twice at the start and that was all because of nerves with me wanting to do something early. 'I took a few deep breaths and then just focused on my next job. When 'X' (Coates) scored in the corner, all the nerves went away.'
ABC News
09-07-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Amidst grief and sadness, Cameron Munster plays another iconic State of Origin performance after his father's death
Cameron Munster only cracked 20 State of Origin games in Perth three weeks ago, but about a quarter of them have been in the "iconic" category. Think his 2017 decider debut when he replaced Johnathan Thurston and the team didn't miss a beat. There was the 2020 miracle, the blond-haired 2022 stunner, and his man-of-the-match effort in his first outing as captain to level the series. As potentially the best player on the park in every game, Munster always shoulders a heavy load, but nothing like he did in Queensland's 24-12 victory in enemy territory. When he led his state out for just the second time, he found a patch of the Stadium Australia turf to take a moment of solitude amongst all the chaos. Eyes cast skyward, it doesn't take a psychic to know what he was thinking about. Days after the death of his father, Steven, this footy larrikin who always seems to have 10 things running around his mind at once, found a way to refocus on the task at hand when the outside noise was at its loudest. Munster said he was asking his dad for whatever energy he could impart. He didn't score a point or lay on the final pass for any of tries. He didn't break the line and barely bent it back. Never did he slip a pass or make a tackler miss. But, like so many captain's knocks before it, the numbers in this game could not have mattered less. It was littered with moments like storming over to Gehamat Shibasaki to hype the 26-year-old debutant after his composure and hands set up the opening try. Five minutes after half-time, with every Queenslander wary of another comeback by the Blues, Munster was the first man down the ground to hit and stick on NSW fullback Dylan Edwards. There'd be no repeat of Perth. "Playing for Queensland means so much to him," halves partner Tom Dearden told ABC Sport. Munster's captain at Melbourne, Harry Grant, was similarly emotional about his great mate. "So much love and appreciation to Cam for the way he showed up tonight to play and how he handled this," Grant told ABC Sport. "The only way we could repay him was through our actions to give him something to remember through this time. "We played for him tonight." For a man whose NRL career has run the gamut from unbelievable acts at both ends of the spectrum, on and off the field, maybe it's fitting that Munster turned the worst moment of his life to a famous victory. He's played better games and probably will in the future for state, club and country, but nothing will match what he did when he could have so easily taken time away. Instead, after some coaxing from coach Billy Slater, he spent time with his family to sit with sadness and grief, then got back together with his teammates to get on with the job at hand while finding time to keep processing. He found his moment before the game and after it too. With cameras searching for him, he was lost in a crushing cuddle from 12 other maroon jerseys. Every player on the field spent a little extra time embracing him, and the tears flowed when during a lengthy hug with Slater, who lost his father in January. On the stage, he paused towards the end of his victorious captain's speech to take a deep breath and gain his composure and speak directly to mum Debbie and wife Bianca. "It's been a tough time, but yeah, I guess at the end of the day, that's life," he said. "I just want to appreciate everyone that's been around me and make this week so special." His voice cracked and wavered briefly — he'd be inhuman not to — but he promised to enjoy the celebrations. "I love him and I'll grieve and deal with what I have to deal with tomorrow," he said. "I want to soak it up tonight with my family with the team." That family and team got him through the past few days, dozens more will help get him through the next few years, and Munster said, despite all the pain, he will look back on this time and smile. "I'll be sitting there when I'm 80 years of age remembering 2025," he said. Another quiet moment for the kid from Rocky to remember his dad, his "big heart" and the pain that showed Munster how much love he has around him.
News.com.au
09-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Fans fume as forward pass controversy erupts during State of Origin
Queensland entered enemy territory on Wednesday night but quickly flipped the script on their State of Origin rivals. In a blistering first half display, the Maroons decimated the NSW as they poured in 20 unanswered points. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. The foot was never taken off the pedal by Billy Slater's men in the Origin decider as they ran in three tries to leave the Blues shell-shocked. But fans watching on believe the scoreboard shouldn't be as lopsided with referee Ashlee Klein missing a forward pass. Two NSW penalties gave the Maroons ideal field position and they quickly made it count with Gehamat Shibasaki finding Xavier Coates who crossed in the corner for the opening try of the contest. 'They're over in the corner Queensland, they're humming,' Andrew Johns added. As replays began to roll however fans were convinced the pass from Shibasaki to Coates had gone forward and the score should've been disallowed. One wrote on X: 'Terrible defence by the Blues but that forward pass missed by the touchie is even worse.' A second added: 'Pass thrown before the line then caught after the line hmm. I see the calls are still an absolute joke.' A third wrote: 'Just another blatant forward pass leading to a try. Almost penalty worthy it was so blatant.' A fourth posted: 'So … forward passes are not a thing I see.' Despite the potential oversight from those in charge, the Maroons were in complete control of the contest with Tom Dearden and Harry Grant adding more misery for the Blues. Dearden pounced on some slack efforts from the home side to scoot over untouched in the 26th minute. Grant then worked his way through multiple defenders as he crossed next to the posts in the 38th minute. The Blues almost came back from 26-0 down in the first half in Game 2, they'll need to produce a similar effort if they're hoping to lift the Origin shield in the decider.
