Back from a fractured neck and nursing a broken nose, Matt Gillett appears to have earned the Dick “Tosser” Turner Medal for joining the elite 20-game State of Origin club.
But ahead of his landmark match, the Queensland back-rower admitted he felt uneasy being considered in the same company as the Maroons greats.
Gillett has been heaped with praise from teammates before running out in Sunday’s game two in Perth and becoming the 30th Queenslander to earn the Medal in Origin’s 39-year history.
Not a bad effort for someone who feared he may never play again after breaking his neck last year playing for NRL club Brisbane.
He will also defy a badly broken nose suffered in the Broncos’ last round loss to Parramatta.
Yet Gillett admitted he felt “out of place” joining the likes of his former teammates, legendary Maroons forwards Nate Myles (32 Origins) and Sam Thaiday (29), in the elite club.
“Those boys that have done it before me have been great players and they have shown the way on what it means to be a Queenslander,” Gillett said.
“It was pretty humbling to achieve it (Medal) and I feel a bit out of place.”
Gillett, 30, was just happy to be wearing the Maroons jersey again after his 2018 neck fracture.
He played 18 straight games for Queensland before his Origin run came to an abrupt halt last year.
The Broncos workhorse sat out the series after suffering the fracture in the 2018 NRL opening round.
Remarkably he played another four games before it was discovered by club medical staff.
“There were tough times there but you always expect the worse when you get such a serious injury,” Gillett said.
“A few times I had thoughts about whether I would play football again or do things with my family.
“So to get back in this representative side was a very proud moment for myself and my family.”
While a modest Gillett may have his reservations, Maroons teammate Josh Papalii has joined the chorus of approval for the back-rower becoming the next Medal recipient.
“It is so good to see him back in camp after what he had gone through,” he said.
“He hasn’t made a big deal out of it. He’s just come back like it is normal.
“I am very excited that he gets to receive the Tosser Turner Medal – it is a great achievement.”
Frustrated after missing the 2018 series, Gillett now wants to make up for lost time in the Maroons jersey.
“It (playing for Queensland) is a special feeling you don’t want to let go of,” he said.
“And we have a great bunch of blokes who will get to this point and play 20 games for Queensland so I want to show them right from wrong.”