GREW INTO CAPTAINCY

A lot of people have compared you to Artie Beetson, pictured, as a captain. How does that make you feel?

AI don’t know, to be honest. I’ve had great people around me my whole career. You just take little snippets (from other people) and create your own sense of style. I didn’t think I’d ever be sitting here talking to you as the captain of Queensland or the captain of Souths, it’s just something that I grew into. I just want to keep growing as a person, off the field. Leadership comes in many forms. Hopefully, that rubs off on the younger ones. I’m doing what I always wanted to do and thankful for my second chances.

Do you enjoy the Sunday State of Origin fixture?

They used to do it years ago, where you’d play on a Sun- day. Origin’s all about toughness. That’s why it’s a three-game series. As a player, I like the idea of having a six-or-seven day prep for games. The short turnarounds are mentally draining but that’s what makes it so intense and so intriguing to watch. All the players go back to club land this week and stay injury free, touch wood, and represent their clubs well.

Q ASouths are going pretty well at the moment. Has this got the makings of a premiership side?

It’s interesting you say that because I was having a chat to John Sutton the other day and he saw the club in its darkest days. I think we’ve got the right people here. We keep it pretty simple these days. We play a game, review it and then move straight onto our next challenge. It’s like a tennis player. All you do is think about the next point and that’s what we’re doing.