Hodges tips Inglis to return

FORMER Queensland Origin player Justin Hodges says Greg Inglis will not quit the NRL as Broncos skipper Darius Boyd emerged as a key figure in the troubled star’s decision to enter rehab.

The rugby league fraternity is rallying around Inglis, with Broncos coach Wayne Bennett praising the Queensland Origin ace for seeking professional help in his battle with depression.

Well-placed sources yesterday shed more light on Inglis’s battle, saying the thought of missing Origin I, which begins Wednesday week, was the final straw for the Souths skipper.

Inglis would have entered camp with the Queensland team but for the serious knee injury in March that has ruled him out for the 2017 season.

There are fears Inglis, who turns 31 in January, may not return to the game, especially with wife Sally and their two children having moved to Brisbane to be closer to her family.

But Hodges, one of Inglis’s closest mates, is adamant the veteran of 30 Origin matches and 39 Tests for Australia will not walk away from rugby league for good.

“Greg will be back playing again,” said Hodges, who spoke to Inglis on Wednesday night, one week into his threeweek stint in a mental-health facility.

“This is the break he needs. He’s been in the game for 12 years in the spotlight and you can lose your identity.

“Greg has a beautiful wife and a beautiful young family. It’s great that he has acknowledged his problems and I hope he can rehabilitate himself.

“I’m confident we’ll see him back playing again in the NRL when he sorts himself out.”

Broncos coach Bennett said Boyd’s renaissance was evidence NRL players could bounce back from depression to play a leading role in the game.