Ballina NRL fans look forward to seeing the ‘next big thing’
Local rugby league fans will be hoping for a glimpse of ‘the next big thing’ in the NRL when the Melbourne Storm take on Parramatta Eels in the National Rugby League trial at Kingsford Smith Park, Ballina, on February 11.
He is Greg Inglis, an 18-year-old who last week was invited to attend an Australian Test camp in Sydney.
And a future Kangaroo centre pairing could be on show at Ballina, with Inglis set to join Matt King in the centres this season.
King, of course, is well-known to local fans. He is a former Casino junior player and last season was a star for the Kangaroos and New South Wales in State of Origin.
Inglis started playing rugby league with the Bowraville Tigers, and from an early age it was clear he was a player of some ability.
He was signed by the Storm at a junior carnival on the NSW North Coast at age 15, before moving to Brisbane to complete his schooling.
He was selected for Queensland and Australian schoolboys sides and then Under-17s and Junior Kangaroos. Inglis also was a member Brisbane Norths Under-19s Colts premiership winning side last year and he also made his senior debut as a 17-year-old with the Devils in 2004. He scored a total of six tries in his first two games.
Meanwhile, King’s road to the top has not been so easy. He did not make his first-grade debut until age 23.
He started playing league with the Casino Cougars Under-8s side and was a solid performer through the junior ranks.
He was picked up by the North Sydney Bears in 2000 where he played the majority of the season in Jersey Flegg and reserve grade. He enjoyed a strong 2001 season before suffering a serious shoulder.
King played a handful of games in 2002 before quitting football, citing disinterest. He returned in 2003 with Cronulla, but couldn’t make the starting side in reserve grade, so offered his services to Brisbane Norths.
King was offered a start by Storm in 2003 and he finished the season as a first grader. In 2004 he was one of Storm’s most potent attacking weapons and 2005 proved a watershed year for him.
He was selected in the NSW 2005 State-of-Origin side, and led the try-scoring for the series, including a hat-trick in the decider at Suncorp Stadium. His year was capped off with selection in the Kangaroos squad for the 2005 Tri-Nations Series.
