Gehamat Shibasaki has revealed he’d given up on the idea of playing football at the top level and was content to walk away from the NRL.
The Broncos centre has been parachuted into the Maroons squad for next Wednesday’s Origin decider in Sydney, capping a remarkable turnaround for the 26-year-old.
After making his first-grade debut with Brisbane in 2018, Shibasaki struggled to nail down a regular spot in stints at the Broncos, Knights, Cowboys and Rabbitohs.
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After an injury hit 2023 campaign, Shibasaki decided to return to his hometown to play in the Queensland Cup for Townsville Blackhawks while working full time.
From Maroons camp on Tuesday, Shibasaki recalled the moment which reignited the spark in him to play at the top level.
“I was pretty happy with just working and playing footy, that sort of lifestyle, I was just pretty content with that, but then some of the boys, Paddy [Carrigan] and that came to Townsville to play the Cowboys and had a yarn to them and that sort of just lit the fire again and I thought I need to get back into it,” he said.
“The pressure of being in the NRL, I didn’t really feel like going through that again.
“It was like that until the boys came up north and made me think, ‘Far out, I can really back myself here and go again.’”
Shibasaki eventually returned to Brisbane, where he was given the opportunity to do a pre-season at Red Hill.
After failing to finish the first session due to a lack of fitness, Shibasaki put his head down and was lauded by coach Michael Maguire after coming back from the Christmas break in peak condition.
He’s since gone on to play 15 times this season, scoring 12 tries to have him equal second in the race for the Ken Irvine Medal.
Incredibly, Shibasaki is still on a development contract at the Broncos, but he’s hopeful an Origin berth can extend his time at the club.
“I’m on a development deal so obviously I’ve still got a lot to prove. I just wanted to go out there and play my best footy,” he said.
“Fingers crossed [I can get an upgraded contract]. I love the Broncos, I’d like to give back to them for giving me the opportunity.”