IF only Origin I was held last Thursday.
Sitting inside the NSW Blues team hotel, inspirational hooker Robbie Farah spoke with tears falling into his hands.
And supposedly, Origin still means more to Queensland.
If Farah, the NSW vice-captain, could’ve reached for his mouthguard there and then, he would’ve. Ripped his t-shirt off for a sky-blue jersey there and then, he would’ve.
For Farah, every day since last year’s Origin series loss to the Maroons, the Blues eighth series defeat in a row, has been like last Thursday, full of hurt and heartbreaking memories.
And not only for the personal regret that he still carries each day after being unable to lead NSW, in the absence of injured Blues skipper Paul Gallen, to a series-deciding victory last year - but also for this sorrowful time of the year which marks the two-year anniversary of the passing of Farah’s mother Sonia.
Origin for Farah, is an occasion so bitter-sweet that the 30-year-old pauses to regain his composure, before answering the question; what does State of Origin mean to Robbie Farah?
“This time of year and the timing of which everything happened (to Mum), this jersey has taken on a whole new meaning for me,’’ Farah told The Sunday Telegraph.
“The emotion of that night, game two in 2012 in Sydney, that was the last game Mum watched me play wearing a sky-blue jumper and for me, that’s special.
“When we put her to rest, with her is my NSW jersey with my name on the back and…’’
As Farah respectfully apologises for his emotions coming to the surface, you quickly learn that Farah is the epitome of the player NSW coach Laurie Daley is desperately trying cultivate in the current Blues squad.
A player who, so desperate to be part of Daley’s team, returned from a month out following elbow surgery last weekend for the Tigers against Cronulla with a man-of-the-match performance.
“Obviously after everything I had been through over the previous 12-months, I thought ‘gee, wouldn’t this be a fairytale’.
“24-months earlier, I was not even being considered as an Origin player and now I could potentially lead our State to break the drought.
“Then to lose that game, it hurt pretty bad. It knocked me around, to be brutally honest.
“You never forget it. It still hurts today.
“Until you write those wrongs, it’s always going to be there. There’s always going to be regret.
“That disappointment of failure is something we need to change, its something I’d love to achieve to finally put those bad memories to bed.’’
After five days in camp in Coffs Harbour, the Blues arrive in enemy territory in Brisbane this afternoon. They arrive as a group of men hoping to alter history, aware that they must draw on their every emotion to deliver for their state, just as Farah showed last Thursday.
Link: http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/state-of-origin/new-south-wales-hooker-robbie-farah-says-im-going-to-win-this-for-my-mum/story-fn31yxah-1226930412801
Sitting inside the NSW Blues team hotel, inspirational hooker Robbie Farah spoke with tears falling into his hands.
And supposedly, Origin still means more to Queensland.
If Farah, the NSW vice-captain, could’ve reached for his mouthguard there and then, he would’ve. Ripped his t-shirt off for a sky-blue jersey there and then, he would’ve.
For Farah, every day since last year’s Origin series loss to the Maroons, the Blues eighth series defeat in a row, has been like last Thursday, full of hurt and heartbreaking memories.
And not only for the personal regret that he still carries each day after being unable to lead NSW, in the absence of injured Blues skipper Paul Gallen, to a series-deciding victory last year - but also for this sorrowful time of the year which marks the two-year anniversary of the passing of Farah’s mother Sonia.
Origin for Farah, is an occasion so bitter-sweet that the 30-year-old pauses to regain his composure, before answering the question; what does State of Origin mean to Robbie Farah?
“This time of year and the timing of which everything happened (to Mum), this jersey has taken on a whole new meaning for me,’’ Farah told The Sunday Telegraph.
“The emotion of that night, game two in 2012 in Sydney, that was the last game Mum watched me play wearing a sky-blue jumper and for me, that’s special.
“When we put her to rest, with her is my NSW jersey with my name on the back and…’’
As Farah respectfully apologises for his emotions coming to the surface, you quickly learn that Farah is the epitome of the player NSW coach Laurie Daley is desperately trying cultivate in the current Blues squad.
A player who, so desperate to be part of Daley’s team, returned from a month out following elbow surgery last weekend for the Tigers against Cronulla with a man-of-the-match performance.
“Obviously after everything I had been through over the previous 12-months, I thought ‘gee, wouldn’t this be a fairytale’.
“24-months earlier, I was not even being considered as an Origin player and now I could potentially lead our State to break the drought.
“Then to lose that game, it hurt pretty bad. It knocked me around, to be brutally honest.
“You never forget it. It still hurts today.
“Until you write those wrongs, it’s always going to be there. There’s always going to be regret.
“That disappointment of failure is something we need to change, its something I’d love to achieve to finally put those bad memories to bed.’’
After five days in camp in Coffs Harbour, the Blues arrive in enemy territory in Brisbane this afternoon. They arrive as a group of men hoping to alter history, aware that they must draw on their every emotion to deliver for their state, just as Farah showed last Thursday.
Link: http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/state-of-origin/new-south-wales-hooker-robbie-farah-says-im-going-to-win-this-for-my-mum/story-fn31yxah-1226930412801
