Do you have any aspirations to coach in the NRL one day as well, mate?

Yeah, it's something that I've been asked a couple of times since obviously this appointment.

And I'll probably discuss, like I said, I've got to put my time into coaching as far as just wanting to make a difference and add value.

And the other part to that, I wasn't sure with the coaching side of things for a few reasons, mainly having a young family.

So for me, this position, you know, obviously it's a very prestigious role and definitely don't take that for granted.

But also the...

I suppose the opportunity to be able to stay in Brisbane, not having to move my young family around, see them stay in the same school, all those things are really important to me too.

With that perspective in life that you talked about and those mindset skills that you've had to develop through your own adversity, can you see yourself sharing those with some of the young players that you're going to be exposed to in the near future?

Is that the way it was? And then it blossomed into selections and draft picks everywhere.

Yeah, I think for me, I just need another 12 months to... to grow and get another opportunity.

Rugby league was a big part of my life.

It's probably a bit of a saviour for me in different ways.

I didn't have a lot of family growing up and having my rugby league community, whether it was your volunteer dad or your teammates and your peers, each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday was something that I really looked forward to and it was that consistency that I needed in my life as a young person.

It all happened pretty fast for me.

I obviously went up to Brisbane my year after school, met Koza, met Shane Webke, Petro Sivinaseva, Darren Lockyer, some great leaders.

And Darius, can you explain to us all, Cos knows this, but the difference between the weekly grind of coaching to what you're going to need in a snatch and grab origin series?

Is that the way it was? And then it blossomed into selections and draft picks everywhere.

Yeah, I think for me, I just need another 12 months to... to grow and get another opportunity.

Rugby league was a big part of my life.

It's probably a bit of a saviour for me in different ways.

I didn't have a lot of family growing up and having my rugby league community, whether it was your volunteer dad or your teammates and your peers, each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday was something that I really looked forward to.

It was that consistency that I needed in my life as a young person.

It all happened pretty fast for me.

And Darius, can you explain to us all, Cos knows this, but the difference between the weekly grind of coaching to what you're going to need in a snatch and grab origin series?

Uh, is that the way it was and, and, uh, then it blossomed into selections and, and draft picks everywhere?

Yeah, I think for me, I just needed another 12 months to, to grow and get ano- ano- another opportunity.

Um, you know, R- Rugby League was a big part of my life.

It's probably, said it previously, but it's probably a bit of a savior for, for me in different ways.

You know, I didn't have a lot of family growing up and, you know, having my Rugby League community, whether it was your, you know, your volunteer dads or your, your teammates and your peers, um, each, you know, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday was something that I really looked forward to and it was kind of that consistency that I needed in my life as a young person.

And, um, it all happened pretty fast for me.

Obviously, went up to Brisbane my year after school.

Yeah

Is that the way it was? And then it blossomed into selections and draft picks everywhere.

Yeah, I think for me, I just need another 12 months to... to grow and get another opportunity.

You know, rugby league was a big part of my life.

It's probably, said previously, it's probably a bit of a saviour for me in different ways.

You know, I didn't have a lot of family growing up and, you know, having my rugby league community, whether it was, you know, your volunteer dad or your teammates and your peers, each, you know, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday was something that I really looked forward to and it's kind of that consistency that I needed in my life as a young person and It all happened pretty fast for me.

I obviously went up to Brisbane my year after school, met Koza, met Shane Webke, Petro Sivinaseva, Darren Lockyer, some great leaders.

The forefront of that was Wayne Bennett, who was our coach.

And Darius, can you explain to us all, Cos knows this, but the difference between the weekly grind of coaching to what you're going to need in a snatch and grab origin series?

a couple weeks

later and scrape through a win and realize it's yeah a lot harder than uh my first um time playing in origin so so that was, that's obviously a memory.

Um, Darren Lockyer's last game, uh, I think it was 2011.

So we were on about five in a row at that point.

You didn't want to be obviously a part of the team that was in that, um, losing series to break the drought, but also not, not send off Darren Lockyer, uh, champion.

He is and was, uh, you know, in his last game to send him out a winner.

Um, And then one for me, when I got to play fullback in 2016, Billy was injured, Kevvy's first series as coach.

each

What, what kind of makes him so good at what he does? Like, why is he so, why do so many people, why are they so drawn to him? And why is he like just such a good bloke?

Well, it's just, I think he just keeps it simple.

You know, the thing about on field, it's, you know, bring what you bring, you know, that might be the message, you know, which is, talking about your strengths.

If you're, you know, a fast runner, if you're a good defender, if your game's based on effort, if it's aggression, whatever it is, just bring you because at the end of the day, that's why you're here.

That's why the Broncos have signed you or that's why you're in the Queensland team or, you know, you're playing for your country.

Just be you.

Just bring what you bring.

How did they sort of differ?

yeah in origin

um on my first game uh we won 30 nil at suncorp stadium so i thought how good's this origin tv scored two tries off um off gi just fendon fendon new south wales players like he's playing under eights um and then i've had to go to sydney a couple weeks later and scrape through a win and realize it's yeah a lot harder than uh my first um time playing in origin so So that was, that's obviously a memory.

Um, Darren Lockyer's last game, uh, I think it was 2011.

So we were on about five in a row at that point.

You didn't want to be obviously part of the team that was in that, um, losing series to break the drought, but also not, not send off Darren Lockyer, uh, champion.

He is and was, uh, you know, in his last game to send him out a winner.

Um, And then one for me, when I got to play fullback in 2016, Billy was injured, Kevvy's first series as coach.

you know

Do you remember how you found out you were selected for Queensland and were you expecting to be?

Yeah, definitely wasn't expecting to be.

Justin Hodges was suspended for a spear tackle from memory.

He's at our club of the Broncos and Bruno Cullen, our CEO at the time, gave me a call and said, you know, you're in the Queensland side.

And I thought he was joking, to be fair, just because it wasn't on the radar.

It wasn't something that I'd thought about.

It wasn't really spoken in media circles as me being the next kind of man up.

What are your expectations for game two of the MCG?

Darius, a- and, uh, I've got a bit to say on the Titans in just a moment, but from a Brisbane point of view, uh, this one could come back to, to bite the Broncos.

Yeah, possibly.

I think, you know, you think about, you know, last year, there's a lot of similarities in talking about this game, um, respective to last year.

And, uh, this is where the Broncos went on their run, and they, you know, uh, gave the Titans a bit of a hiding in their mental health and black jersey, uh, round as well.

Um, you know, look, it's, you know, at times they look like they're the premiership team.

You know, when they score some points, they get on a roll, look like they're in a training run at different moments.

And other times, you know, they look tired, they looked fatigued and, you know, probably won out, maybe over trying too, maybe trying too hard.

They've still got eight games to come at home.