It seems almost a throwaway line to say someone always gave 100 percent but in the case of former Queensland State of Origin forward Chris Phelan, it is indeed appropriate.
Phelan knew no other way but to give his heart and soul to every minute he spent on the football field, even when playing with injury.
"There has not been a tougher footballer than Chris Phelan, and he is a winner," coaching legend, Wayne Bennett said of the man who helped Wayne get his career back on track after a humiliating loss in the 1984 Brisbane grand final.
Bennett realised he needed hard men in the pack if he was to turn things around after Wynnum thrashed the Magpies 42-8. So, in 1985 he signed Phelan; fellow veteran Norm Carr and John Elias from South Sydney.
Phelan had won two Sydney premierships with Parramatta and wanted to end his career with Souths in the Brisbane competition.
Born in Leinster Province in Ireland, Phelan and his older brother Pat grew up playing hurling, but gravitated to rugby league when the family emigrated to Australia and settled in Townsville.
They won a Townsville premiership in 1975 playing for the Souths club and Pat represented Townsville in the famous Foley Shield competition the same year and made the final against Innisfail.
In 1976 he moved to Brisbane to play with Souths. Tragically Pat drowned in the Brisbane River in December 1978.
Phelan played for Townsville in the 1979 Foley Shield final against Mt Isa alongside future internationals Gene Miles and Colin Scott, and then moved to Brisbane to play for Souths, to honour Pat.
With Bob McCarthy as coach, Souths reached the grand final only to be rolled by underdogs Norths.
Souths made amends in 1981 beating the Arthur Beetson-led Redcliffe Dolphins in the decider, with Phelan instigating the blindside move which led to the match winning try by winger Mick Reardon in the dying seconds.
Phelan won the Rothmans Medal as Brisbane's Best and Fairest player in 1981 and played lock in Queensland's 22-15 win over New South Wales in a stand-alone State of Origin game at Lang Park.
He had made his Queensland debut earlier in the year in inter-state games played under residential rules.
Jack Gibson signed Phelan for Parramatta in 1982 and he played in three straight grand finals with the Eels winning in 1982 and '83.
Phelan toured England with the Arthur Beetson coached Maroons in 1983 and won a State of Origin recall in 1984 for Game 3 of the series at Lang Park.
Phelan spent the 1984-85 off-season playing for Oldham in England before returning to Brisbane to finish his career with the Magpies, in the front row.
"We wouldn't have won the grand final without Chris," Bennett said. "He was the rock we built that team around. Wherever Chris went, teams won."
On his retirement as a player Phelan took on coaching roles at the Broncos, Souths and Brothers.
He was named in Souths' Team of the Century as well as being installed as a member of the club's Hall of Fame.
A carpenter by trade, Phelan was involved in the construction industry for many years.
Phelan passed away, aged 70, after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
In a statement on the club's website, Parramatta said their players would wear black arm bands to honour Chris in Friday night's match against the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville.
