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he just doesn't seem a great winger but seems a fantastic centre.
Badel reporting that Gem actually initially knocked back our T&T offer, fearing that the $1200-a-week deal would not be enough to sustain his young family if he moved from Townsville to Brisbane. but he had a change of heart.
Broncos recruitment boss Simon Scanlan said:
“He actually pulled out after we offered him the train-and-trial deal,” Scanlan revealed ahead of Shibasaki’s Origin III baptism.
“He said to us he couldn’t do it.
“He told us it would be too hard to do with his family commitments.
“Gehamat would have to leave his partner and young child up there (in Townsville) initially to come down and prove himself.
“But then, after further discussions, he recommitted.
“Since then his family have made the move to Brisbane, so it’s a credit to ‘Gem’ for sticking at it and working so hard.
“All he is doing now is fulfilling the potential that he always did have, but he just knew this was his last chance and he had a responsibility to his young family.
“It was bigger than just Gehamat, he took a risk and it’s paid off for him which is wonderful.”
Shibasaki’s manager Wayde Rushton said
“No-one deserves this more than Gem. He honestly has hit the jackpot,” Rushton said.
“Who would have thought six months ago that Gehamat Shibasaki would be playing State of Origin? He is definitely the lowest-paid Origin player this year.
“We didn’t even put any Origin bonuses in his Broncos contract because at that stage we were just hoping he could play some first-grade games.
“When you meet a person like Gehamat, you hope good things happen.
“We know nice guys don’t always get what they want, but Gem is a good person first and foremost and that’s why I decided to take him on.”
Before Christmas last year, Shibasaki didn’t even have an agent, let alone hope of an NRL comeback. But Rushton praised Broncos coach Michael Maguire for giving him a chance to prove himself:
“’Madge’ (Maguire) needs a huge wrap for turning Gehamat around,” Rushton said.
“He is a man’s man and his training might not be for everyone, but Gem has thrived on Madge’s culture.
“He came down and lived with an uncle and tried his luck on a train-and-trial deal.
“When it came close to whether Brisbane were going to keep him or not, two or three clubs started to show interest.
“They were Sydney clubs, but Gem wanted to stay at the Broncos because that was the club where it all started for him in the under-20s with Patty Carrigan.
“In December, he didn’t have a club, contract or manager and six or seven months later he is an Origin player.
“It’s remarkable.”
Scanlan is not exactly shocked by Shibasaki’s resurrection.
“Gehamat had been in our program before so I knew what he was capable of,”
“The way he played in the juniors is how he plays now. He was always very good defensively and a very good size for a centre.
“Gem always had the talent, but I think seeing his mates he played with (such as Carrigan) go on to play regular NRL and representative football, that gave him the motivation and confidence that he could do it also.
“He just had this burning desire to make it. The only thing that changed was his mindset … this was his last shot at it.”
Shibasaki said
“It was pretty crazy to get a call from Billy, he was one of my heroes as a kid,” Shibasaki said ahead of his Origin debut.
“This means a lot to me, especially for all the Indigenous kids out there, some guys come down (to Brisbane) for boarding school and get homesick and go back home.
“I’ve shown those kids it’s possible if you work hard.
“I have played against a few of the NSW boys (in junior representative teams), but this is a more senior level.
“I will be prepared for this. I’ve done the hard work.”
omg dr pls inject it into my veinsMadge won a series for the Blues, then came to us and has helped create this beast that just made their best centre look average for us to win the next year.
Game high 7 tackle busts and apart from some early jitters contained him really well
Serves Latrell right after putting the Hammer in a dangerous position. If that was QLD doing that, you’d know the whinging Blues would have demanded a send off.Improbable series win AND got to see Latrell take a kick to the nuts… what a dream come true
I’m trying to figure out how to thumbs up and thumbs down this at the same time.I'm a NSW fan but my God i was so proud of Shibasaki.
Phenomenal debut after getting skinned on his first defensive effort.
Composure, IQ, skill. He showed it at the highest level
Absolutely from the clouds! HUGE