It was the day that sealed Max Plath’s fate and set him on the path to a Maroons call-up.
On a stunning day at Kayo Stadium on April 2, 2023 playing Hostplus Cup for Wynnum Manly Seagulls, Plath adorned the No.13 jersey for the first time – and a monster was created.
He entered a train-and-trial in Brisbane Broncos pre-season as a budding half.
He finished that game with two tries, three line breaks, eight runs for 117 metres, five tackle breaks and 22 tackles as well as acting as the classic link-man crucial to a modern footy side, in a losing cause.
The next day Plath received a call from recruitment guru Peter O’Sullivan asking if he wanted to be a Dolphin, no doubt ruffling a few feathers in the Seagulls’ famed ‘Chook Pen’.
“Once you realise you're not good enough to make it in the NRL as a halfback, you’ve got to figure it out,” Plath said of the roadblock.
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“It was a ‘wake-up call’ when I went to the Broncos, you’ve got Ezra (Mam), we had Reyno (Adam Reynolds) there and just some really quality players coming through and I said ‘Oh, shit'.
“I was playing five-eighth at the time and I said, you know, a move to the middle might help me a fair bit and I got an opportunity and as soon as I played there, Redcliffe saw me playing for Wynnum at lock in my first game… and there you go, I was a lock from then on.
“Looking back now it wasn't for me trying to play (halves) and think of the game as a halfback, that helps me so much now.
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“I know what halves need and how to give them space and I think that's what has really helped my game growing up as a halfback.
“Growing up I've always just been told, you know, it's all about competing hard and tackling hard and running hard and that's your fundamental baseline of the game.
“Getting pushed into the middle, all of a sudden you don't have to think about defensive structures, how they're going to attack you, where you're kicking, all that sort of stuff.
“You don't have to worry about it, all you’re worried about is your job and I feel like it just came a lot easier to me.”
It was a 78-game NRL halfback and Wynnum Manly Seagulls coach Mat Head who was part of facilitating the switch.
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“When he came back to us at Wynnum, there was probably a conversation around what I thought could potentially get him where he wanted to go as an NRL player,” Head said.
“That discussion was around trying to get some more versatility into his game, and that had the potential of being a hooker, being a 13.
“I knew there was a bit of interest around him from Peter at the Dolphins around the potential switch and he played really good there at lock and from back then – the game has evolved so much more now through the years – that vision has come forward now.
“Pete O’Sullivan’s a smart guy obviously, he’s been around for a long, long time… and when he made the phone call to see what needed to be done to get Max over there, it wasn’t a hard conversation for either of us to have.
“(The Dolphins) was a place he could play NRL and that might have been the day that sealed it, but certainly he would have been watched by Pete for a long time before that and I’m glad our club the Seagulls played a part in where Max is today."
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Plath, who returned from an ACL injury just this year, was "checking his phone every two minutes” in between playing cards with his brother Jordan when he learned he would be following in the footsteps of his Origin heroes Johnathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk, Darren Lockyer and Cameron Smith.
“Yeah, I was lost for words when Billy called me. He’s a very articulate bloke and I know how much work he puts into this video and how he really knows his players, so to get acknowledged for my game by him, it’s such a great compliment," he said.
“He just gave me a wrap about how I'm playing and he's just really stoked with everything I do with my game and how hard I’ve worked to get back to where I am today and he gave me the news that I’m starting so I’m just lost for words, so grateful. It gave me goosebumps.”
Plath said dad John, who played 149 first grade games for the Brisbane Broncos, was ecstatic at the news and he was looking forward to representing him and the people of Queensland.
“Just rugby league in general in Queensland, State of Origin, it's everything for my family at least. I've got a pretty rich history of rugby league in my family,” the 24-year-old said.
“We’re from country Queensland, Barcaldine. Out there it’s just red dirt and rugby league and they just love it.
“It's everything, your childhood growing up, it's all the memories and… you're just trying to make the next generation proud.
“It's going to be surreal, I know that. I'm going to be ready to go and it's going to be fun.”
Head – firmly a Blues supporter – will be silently hoping Plath has a strong individual performance on Origin debut, confident he will more than match it with his Blues adversaries.
“What he’s doing at the Dolphins is unbelievable. He’s playing good footy and he deserves a spot in the Queensland jersey and he’s one of those guys who you would always want to be in your team
“From a New South Wales point of view, you look at Cameron Murray and Isaah Yeo, Max isn’t as tall as those guys, but he’s certainly got the same amount of skill,” he said.
“(Queensland) has picked Max Plath over Pat Carrigan, but they’re probably going to use Patty as more of a middle player and use Max with his ball skills. It will be good to watch.”
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