Ultra-exclusive Origin checklist expecting 10-game rookie

Roosters rookie Rob Toia enters an unique membership on Wednesday night time when he runs onto Suncorp Stadium for his State of Origin debut.

The 20-year-old shall be a number of the 5 least skilled gamers to ever participate within the blockbuster interstate showpiece of Australian rugby league.

Toia has simplest 10 first grade video games to his title.

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He debuted in spherical one this season for the Chooks, in spite of everything making it to the large degree after years of harm bother.

According to Nine’s league stats guru David Middleton, simplest two gamers in historical past had performed much less first grade after they made their Origin debuts.

Ben Ikin used to be famously a fresh-faced 18-year-old when he used to be known as as much as constitute Queensland in 1995, whilst Willie Carne used to be 5 video games into his profession when the Maroons passed him a jersey in 1990.

Toia will almost certainly be tasked with marking Blues wrecking ball Latrell Mitchell – arguably the hardest process at the box.

“What I have seen from Robert so far this season is pretty impressive. I will say that he is miles in front of where I was as a player at this stage of his career,” Ikin informed AAP this week.

“I think in any industry if you are good enough you are old enough.

Watch the 2025 State of Origin series exclusively live and free on Nine and 9Now.

“The more thing that provides me nice self assurance in Robert is that I’ve nice self assurance in Billy (Slater). Billy watches each recreation each week and is aware of precisely what sort of footy he desires this Origin group to play.

“He knows what he stands for and spends his spare time watching those games and looking for those traits in the players he wants to select.

“So if Robert Toia is in a Billy Slater-coached group, you’ll be able to wager your backside greenback he has earned his spot”.

These are the four other least experienced Origin players in history, and how their careers panned out.

BEN IKIN

Picked for Queensland after four games in 1995

The lanky centre-winger was just four games into his first grade career with Gold Coast when he was called up to Queensland’s troubled 1995 Origin team.

He was so unknown that Maroons coach Paul Vautin didn’t even recognise him when he first arrived in camp, hilariously mistaking Ikin for an autograph hunter.

The 18-year-old played every game of that famous 1995 series off the bench. Ikin went on to represent Queensland 17 times.

At club level, he left Gold coast after just one season to join the North Sydney Bears, where he spent four years.

He joined Brisbane in 2000 and won the NRL premiership with the Broncos that year. He played 150 first grade games – and twice for Australia – before retiring in 2004.

Ikin is now the CEO of Queensland Rugby League.

WILLIE CARNE

Picked for Queensland after five games in 1990

The tough winger from Ipswich had played five games for the Broncos when he was picked for the Maroons in game three of the 1990 series.

He went on to play 12 Origin games for his state and was a one-club player for the Broncos for six years before injuries forced him into an early retirement.

Carne also had 10 caps for the Kangaroos.

The 56-year-old is now a self-employed IT specialist.

PAYNE HAAS

Picked for NSW after 10 games in 2019

He’s often been referred to as the best prop to grace a rugby league field since Glenn Lazarus, and the career of Haas is very much still in progress.

He burst onto the scene with Brisbane as a teenager and was picked for his Origin debut at 19 years old in 2019.

Remarkably he had been fasting for his first Ramadan right up until game day.

Haas also made his Australian debut in 2019 in what was an incredible debut year in top flight league.

On Wednesday night he will run out for his 15th game in the famous blue strip. He’s still just 25 years old.

DALE SHEARER

Picked for Queensland after 11 games in 1985

The guy referred to as Rowdy used to be enjoying for Mackay ahead of packing his automotive and transferring right down to Manly in 1985, which happily ended in his debut for Queensland simply 11 video games later.

He went directly to constitute the Maroons 26 instances, most commonly at the wing but in addition at five-eighth and stale the bench.

His 12 tries left him on most sensible of the Origin tryscoring checklist for a decade after his retirement.

He additionally performed 20 Tests for Australia and gained a premiership with Manly, and is understood through some as probably the most best possible software backs to play the sport.

These days he’s a director for Red Emu Wines.