56 SPORT SUNDAY MAY 24 2015 Concern over Inglis CONCERN is growing for after medical staff ordered blood tests for the virus-hit Maroons Long ride to the top centre. What was first de- scribed as tonsillitis has be- come a chest infection that ROBERT CRADDOCK - WEDNESDAY stints with the Queensland still love it. It “When I was playing at the simply won’t go away in a Reds (2010-11) and Munster in was a great life Reds I struggled a bit with a major headache for the Ma- WILL Chambers comes from a Ireland and a battle with a rare (in NT). It was shoulder reconstruction the roons ahead of Wednesday land of bush, buffalo, beaches blood clotting disease. a pretty chilled second year,’’ he said. “I battled night’s State of Origin opener and bauxite and when he first Nhulunbuy is a long way out little town. to come back from it and did in Sydney. Maroons players left all he wanted to do was go from anywhere. Chambers’ fa- “It was a not play my best football but I and staff had been adamant all back home. ther fully appreciated that safe little town still enjoyed it.’’ week that Inglis would play, The fly’s footprint of Nhul- NSW V when he watched his son play and great childhood. Very crui- It was always the Storm but changed their tune after unbuy on the Northern Terri- QUEENSLAND in his first Test against the sy. It was a good childhood. who valued him most and Inglis underwent blood tests tory’s Gove Peninsula has a ANZ STADIUM, SYDNEY, 7.30PM Kiwis in recently. “I still go back there as often wanted him back for a second on Friday night. Inglis has reputation for wrapping its All up he spent a full day in as I can. I played stint. There are times in Mel- been quarantined and on anti- tentacles around people who WATCH REPLAY ON a car just to get from Nhulun- up there and came down here bourne when he appears like biotics since going down with live there and State of Origin buy to Darwin for the flight to and played , then I Ringo Starr in the background the virus earlier in the week. winger Chambers (pictured) school. I missed my family a lot Brisbane. Regular flights on was picked up by the Storm of the Beatles while Billy Slat- Doubts also surround the con- knew the feeling. but they said ‘stick at it’. the Nhulunbuy-Darwin route and went through their pro- er, Cam Smith and Cooper dition of (shoulder) “I left home and went to “It was not until rugby came were shut down when the alu- gram with Norths.’’ Cronk are the front men. and (foot). Nudgee (College in Brisbane) around second term that mina refinery was closed last Chambers is now a Test His profile is growing and and when I first came I just school became a bit easier. year and 1100 jobs were lost. winger so it is difficult to be- will grow even more next sea- Merrin backs Dugan wanted to go home,’’ Cham- “I wasn’t very good at crick- The region still claims lieve the same player was son if he is Justin Hodges’ bers said. et and volleyball, which was Chambers, as evidenced by the squeezed out after two years long-term replacement in the looked up to “I used to ring home three the first term.’’ fact the local fishing club is with the . centres. Queensland coach NSW forerunner Jar- or four times a day. Even in Sport has taken Chambers touting “come and watch Will Chambers had some im- reckons he fits ryd Hayne but is thriving on any break at school. from one end of to and the Maroons’’ on its big pressive moments in rugby but the mould nicely suggesting the challenge of making the “After first term I got used the other and across the world, screen on Wednesday. with the magic of Will Genia Chambers’ debut last season position his own, according to to it and got into it but it was from the far flung north right “I think there are 1500 to and Quade Cooper in full cry, was one of the best first games . Merrin said all always hard at leaving mum down to chilly and 2000 people still there,’’ the Reds wanted a certain style he had seen from anyone in a signs were pointing to Dugan and dad and going back to on to Europe. It included rugby Chambers said. “Mum and dad of “stopper’’ outside them. Maroon jersey. putting in a special perform- ance in Wednesday’s State of Origin opener in Sydney when he will assume the Blues No 1 jersey. With Hayne in America chasing his NFL dream with the San Francisco 49ers , Dugan, the former Canberra fullback, has been handed the custodian role and Merrin said filling the shoes of the former Parramatta star was the kind of challenge his St George Illa- warra teammate relished. Tamou ready to go says he has erased his mental demons and has backed his surgically-re- paired neck to withstand the rigours of State of Origin. After a timid opening to the season, the NSW front-rower has been a tower of strength for North Queensland over the past month and appears to be building nicely for the State of Origin opener. Tamou ad- TIGERS mits to being down on form 0 and confidence in the opening rounds after undergoing sur- COWBOYS gery on his neck in the off-sea- 8 son. The 26-year-old suffered NORTH QUEENSLAND the injury against Canterbury Tries: A Winterstein last year and at the time com- Goals: E Lowe 2 plained he could not feel his left arm. He returned after a Tries: Nil month for the Cowboys’s finals Goals: Nil run, only to rule himself out of Crowd: 8,267 at Campbelltown ’s Four Nations cam- Referees: M Cecchin, G Morris paign to have further surgery. Raiders are cautious

Ethan Lowe on the attack for the during last night’s dour NRL premiership clash at Campbelltown Stadium in Sydney Picture: MARK EVANS CANBERRA are bracing themselves axed NSW five- eighth Josh Reynolds to take Cowboys bore their way to record winning streak his State of Origin omission out on them when they host Canterbury today. Reynolds TODD BALYM For all the latest With their Test props Matt apart with his pinpoint kicking Granville, an error by the full- was controversially left out of news, scores and Scott and James Tamou plus game and leading the way with back fielding ’s NSW side after IT WAS club history for North highlights, visit halves 225m from 20 runs. the kick, a loose offload in a a tumultuous start to the sea- Queensland and for all but and Michael Morgan on Ori- made a tackle by and son that has included two sus- three minutes it looked like gin duty, the Cowboys were shock return from a knee in- then div- pensions and a major injury. being a slice of rugby league expected to be cannon-fodder jury to be impressive up the ing across the line. Second-rower Tony Williams, history too. for the young Tigers outfit. middle while It meant that the Cowboys who played one game for The Cowboys last night reg- But just like the Baby Bron- and both led the secured a deserved win, but NSW last year, was overlooked istered a club record eighth ments in last night’s cos that came to Campbell- pack well in the absence of they missed out on the history as well. Raiders skipper Jarrod straight NRL win with an 8-0 Campbelltown encounter. town in 2002 minus nine their Test engine room. that had statisticians franti- Croker hoped a couple of his win over the Wests Tigers but Thankfully for Cowboys Origin stars and walked away It wasn’t until the 77th min- cally searching through their own teammates will also be the manner and scoreline will coach Paul Green most of the upset winners, the Cowboys ute that the Cowboys broke record books. extra motivated by their rep- be remembered long after this ugly football came from the were determined to snatch a the tryless deadlock with a Had it not been for that try resentative snubbing. Five- winning streak is surpassed. home side, with his men simply memorable win. piece of play that was just as it would’ve been just the fourth eighth , who is There have been some ugly grinding their way to an im- And they did it the hard ugly as the rest of the game but 2-0 final scoreline in 107 years eligible for NSW, has been wins in rugby league, but some portant victory and a special way, by tackling themselves to somehow came up with points. of rugby league with those one of the in-form players this of those look like Elle Mac- moment in the club’s 20-year a standstill and with fullback It started with a spilled ball other results coming in 1914, season, while was Pherson in comparison to mo- history. slicing them at the play-the-ball by Jake 1931 and 1965. left out of the Maroons squad.

NTNE01Z01MA - V1