Winning the title for Tully – and mum – a fitting finale Wilkie has one last goal
WHEN Colin Wilkie runs out on to Barlow Park tomorrow night, he’ll put his hands on the turf, rub them together and then look to the heavens in honour of his mother.
It’s been five years since Martha Wilkie died after a short fight with cancer, but her son still honours her each match with his pre-game ritual, as well as a black armband.
Wilkie wishes his mum could have seen him play for his home town club at senior level, but said she would have been proud of him regardless.
Caroline Chadwick, Wilkie’s “second mum”, said her late friend would be watching over him tomorrow night.
“She was so proud of everything he did on the football field,” she recalled.
“She was always his number one supporter.”
Wilkie grew up around Chadwick’s family in Tully and she was there when he scored a runaway try for Queensland in an under-19 State of Origin clash with NSW.
“When I got back to the seats after the game everyone told me that mum was bawling her eyes out when I scored,” Wilkie said.
His father John is quietly spoken and doesn’t get too emotional, but was at Tully’s preliminary final win on Sunday night.
“He came up to me after the game and said ‘son I’m proud’, which was a really big deal for me,” Wilkie said.
So why did it take Wilkie so long to play for the Tigers? Many reasons, he said.
“When I did play in the CDRL in 2015 it was for Innisfail because I was good mates with Ty Williams and he was coaching there,” he said.
“I wasn’t even supposed to play at Tully this year.
“I was signed for the Pride but after the round one loss to Wynnum Manly I was on the plane home sitting next to Ty and I told him that I was done.
“I just didn’t care that we had lost and I didn’t play well. I knew it was time.”
At that stage, there were no plans for the veteran to play again.
“I was down at Tully giving a presentation to the boys about their finances and things like income protection and superannuation and I just got a good feeling about the place,” he said.
“I helped out at training and then I kept getting phone calls from (Tigers president) Anthony Emmi about coming down to play.
“I don’t know what his phone bill would have looked like that month because he was calling me every two minutes.”
Eventually Wilkie relented and he now says it was the best decision he has made.
“When I first got to the club it was a bit disjointed in terms of the rugby league structure, but I could see all the guys had this great enthusiasm,” he said.
“Things have changed a lot now and I feel like we are a well-oiled machine.”
Wilkie admitted that he gave Tully no hope of winning a premiership when he first arrived in April. Finals weren’t even on the radar.
“If I’m honest, I didn’t think we had any chance until that Brothers game (on August 18). I felt like we should have won that game and it was only two weeks out from finals.”
Since then, the haven’t lost a match.
They defeated Innisfail 7-6 in a nailbiter in the final round of the season, before backing it up with a 36-28 win a week later against the same opposition in an elimination final.
Then, they dispatched Atherton 36-18 in the minor Tigers
2002-2006:
Contracted to Melbourne Storm but didn’t play an NRL game. Scored a try for the Queensland U19s in a State of Origin curtain-raiser.
Moved back north after signing a contract with the Cowboys. Didn’t play a game and ended up signing with Herbert River after playing mostly Queensland Cup.
Played several seasons for the Herbert River team, captained them to a TDRL premiership in 2010.
Returned to the Far North and played in a CDRL premiership team for Innisfail. That year, he was also named the competition’s best player, winning the CDRL Gold Medal. Returned to elite footy after signing with the Pride.
Was picked in Italy’s squad for the Rugby League World Cup and played one match against Ireland.
Retired from Pride after one match and returned to play for home club Tully. Helped lead the Tigers to an unlikely grand final.
2007: 2008-2014: 2015: 2016: 2018: 2017:
semi-final, before knocking off minor premiers Brothers 20-18 in last Sunday’s preliminary final. In all finals games this year, the Tigers have trailed at one point in the contest.
Wilkie said it was a credit to his teammates’ belief in one another.
“We are not a structured side in attack. We are hard to defend against, particularly when sides are getting tired,” he said. “I would rather play from in front and control the game, but it’s also great to have that belief that we can still win from any position.”
Regardless of tomorrow night’s result, Wilkie will look back on this season as one of his fondest.
And he says that a win would probably bump it to the top of his rugby league achievements, despite the fact he’s played in a World Cup for Italy, been full-time with the Melbourne Storm and Cowboys, won several local footy grand finals and claimed a CDRL best and fairest award.
“I think it would be number one, for sure,” Wilkie said.
“To come back to Tully and play for the club I grew up idolising and win a premiership would be a dream come true.
“I still remember as a young fella being the ball boy and sand boy. They’d give me a bucket and I’d go down to the Banyan Creek and fill it up with sand.
“John Clifford was the goal kicker in those days and he was my idol back then.”
Clifford is the uncle of Jake Clifford, a Northern Pride star who was named the Cowboys’ Rookie of the Year last week.
“I got $10 for being the ball boy and sand boy. Back then. $10, a hot dog and a can of coke was a good paying job.”
Tomorrow night’s grand final will be Wilkie’s penultimate match in the Far North.
He’s going to finish his footy career next month in an exhibition match at Tully for a Queensland Italian team against a Queensland Samoan team.
“It’s going to be a great day. We’ll get a huge crowd I think,” Wilkie said.
The coach of the Samoan team will be none other than Aaron Tongalea, the man who has led Tully to a grand final this year.
Once that game’s done, there will be no more rugby league.
“I’m moving to Brisbane in November. I started a business this year and I need to be down there. But I’ll be back to visit,” Wilkie said.
His mum sure would be proud.