Older and wiser, Gehamat Shibasaki is relishing his second chance with the Broncos and has been repaying the faith of his coach Michael Maguire with career-best form.
Starting the 2025 season with a train and replace deal with the Broncos after linking with Hostplus Cup affiliate Wynnum Manly Seagulls before being upgraded to a development contract, Shibasaki starred in Brisbane's derby win against the Dolphins, claiming the Battle medal after posting 187 run metres and two tries.
“I am truly honoured,” Shibasaki said after the match.
“It was my first Redcliffe derby. I has been part of a couple of Cowboys derbies and that has always been good because I am from Townsville, but a Redcliffe derby was good.
“I was surprised with my performance tonight, but I just wanted to do my job.
“I did it at training and knew I was going to do it again in the game.”
The great-great-grandson of Japanese pearl divers who settled in the Torres Strait in the late 19th century, Shibasaki’s rugby league career so far has been quite the journey in itself, but he is finding his feet thanks to the faith instilled in him by Maguire.
Maguire surprised many by picking the 27-year-old centre in his Round 1 side and again when he selected him for the derby match over rising youngster Deine Mariner, but he has proven to be one of the team's best in the opening rounds.
“It is a fair story,” Maguire said post-match.
“I’ve got to say, on day one when we had him run on the first day, I wasn’t quite sure.
“(But) I sat down with him and you could actually hear what he wanted to try and do and he’s just got himself into good shape. It’s a credit to him, he got himself in shape to be able to play at this level.
“People probably don’t see what he’s done in the background, but the players and I have seen that and he really committed.
“He obviously left his family up north and came down and he wanted to take an opportunity and he’s definitely taken that.
“He’s been around a lot of the boys in the past, so he probably watched with envy of what the boys were doing and he wanted to be a part of it, so he’s been able to achieve that and I think he’s going to improve even better the more he plays.”
For Shibasaki, Maguire’s faith in him has instrumental in his new-found form.
“He can see the hard work I am putting in,” Shibasaiki said.
“He looks at hard work. He doesn’t see how many games you’ve played or what rep teams you have made. If you put the hard work in at training and buy into the culture he is going to give you a chance.
“He has given me a chance and now I am going to try and keep going and be consistent.”
Growing up in Townsville and developing into a Queensland junior representative in their Under 18 and Under 20 teams, Shibasaki – who also has Torres Strait Islander and Malay heritage – seemed like he was on track build with the Broncos since making his debut in 2019, before life intervened.
Stints with the Knights, Cowboys, Japanese rugby followed and last year, he spent a season with Townsville Blackhawks that also resulted in him making an appearance for the Rabbitohs in Round 10 last year. However, a change in mindset and maturity this season has helped him to make the most of his return to rugby league.
“I was in Japanese rugby in COVID, I was getting homesick and wanted to come back,” Shibasaki said.
“When I did come back, the game had got too fast and the prep to come back into first grade was too different.
“I got injured and was lucky to be back home (in Townsville) when I was injured to get my head space right.
“I had a year off and I thought I’d give it one more crack. From ringing Wynnum up and getting a train and trial to getting selected for Round 1 (for Brisbane) was a long shot.
“I knew if I worked hard I could be fit for the Cup season and I was hoping to get something for the follow year.
“Everything just fast-tracked forward and Madge saw all the hard work I did and now it is paying off.
“(This time) I am a bit older, I have realised the change (needed) in my preparation, my responsibilities at home and at training.
“I am one of the older ones now. We have a lot of young boys at training, so I want to show a good example with my prep and what it takes to be a professional athlete.
“I am truly grateful for coming back. I took it for granted when I was younger.”
Next week, the side is at back at Suncorp Stadium as the home team for their Round 5 Multicultural Round match against Wests Tigers, who have shown vast improvements in their opening few games.
"It’s a long turnaround; Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday is going to be tough, but we have to get through it because that's what the game is is going to be like as well, tough," Shibasaki said.
"We're pretty much going to do the same thing at training (as we did for this game)."
NRL.com
