Three weeks ago, Ethan Strange was soaking up the sun on a Thai holiday, resting his mind and body ahead of another gruelling pre-season in Canberra.
Then Mitch Moses went down injured in Australia's World Cup opener against New Zealand and an SOS came from Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters for Strange to join his squad.
The Raiders five-eighth cut his off-season trip short and join the Aussies in camp ahead of their clash against Fiji in Brisbane.
By the time the team got to Townsville to prepare for their final pool game against Cook Islands, the 22-year-old was ready for to rumble if called on.
And last Saturday his moment arrived, Kangaroo #869 running on to Queensland Country Bank Stadium just after half-time to debut at lock, a position he had played for barely five minutes in his career.
“I was in Thailand two weeks ago, and now I have played for Australia, so I’m pretty happy,” Strange told NRL.com.
Ethan Strange Try
“It was sort of like Origin. It happened so quickly and unexpectedly, so I didn’t have much time to think about it. But reflecting on it now, it was pretty cool. I’m so happy for me and my family.”
The Raiders’ early exit from the season meant a longer break, but the 22-year-old hadn’t let his fitness slip while he was away.
“I was training over there anyway. It’s actually probably hotter up in Townsville than in Thailand, so I acclimatised well,” he said.
“I flew straight in and into camp, had a week of training to get the legs moving again and then into the game.”
Starting on the bench in Townsville, Strange had no idea where he would be used until Walters gave him the nod at half-time and told him he'd be replacing skipper Isaah Yeo at lock.
“He told me to be prepared for anything. I thought I might be coming on in the centres or the halves," Strange said.
“But then at half-time, Kevvie told me, ‘I’ll put you in at lock'."
Strange made an immediate impact, setting up a try, landing a conversion and making 13 tackles in 36 minutes of game time.
“I really enjoyed it, it was really fun, but I was definitely gassing out because it’s a lot more work, especially in defence,” he said.
Yeo, one of the best locks in the game, found the situation amusing.
“He was laughing at me because he tossed up the idea before the game, and he wished me luck,” Strange said.
Tom Trbojevic 2nd Try
“I didn’t really have many questions to ask him before the game because I’ve never played there, so I wouldn’t even know what to ask. But there’s definitely a few I could ask him now. I was a little out of place at times.”
The moment that hit hardest came before kick-off, when dad John presented him with his Australian jersey in the sheds at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
“My dad’s not a very emotional person, so to see him in that state, it caught me off guard,” he said.
“It was really cool. It means a lot to my family, so seeing them like that is pretty special.”
Strange could have chosen a different jersey. Eligible for England and New Zealand, and with sister Jasmin pledging her allegiance to England, he always backed his gut to pull on the green and gold.
From the field: Ethan Strange
“I was born and raised on the NSW Central Coast. I don’t know if it would have felt right to play for another country,” he said.
His debut capped a breakout year. Strange made his Origin debut alongside Nathan Cleary in the halves in Game One, then came off the bench in Games Two and Three as NSW claimed the series. Now he’s soaking up Kangaroos camp with the best in the world.
“Munster is still the best five-eighth in the world, so seeing him getting around training is cool. I always learn a lot just through watching guys like him and Tommy [Dearden] and Sammy [Walker],” he said.
“They’re such good players, so being on their team this time around is definitely a bit easier than trying to beat them.”
Strange has retained his spot on the bench for Sunday’s semi-final against Samoa but when and where he bobs up is anyone's guess - and that suits him fine.
“Footy’s footy at the end of the day. Just go out there and try your hardest.”
- All matches will be broadcast live and exclusive in Australia on Seven and 7plus, on Sky Sport in New Zealand and Digicel in Papua New Guinea.
