Grant's top five Origin moments

For Queensland Maroons hooker Harry Grant, wearing maroon is a “huge honour”.

“It’s not something that everyone gets to do, so I appreciate it,” Grant said.

“As a playing group, as a team, we’ve got a really good connection to who we’re playing for and what maroon represents… who is represents.

“We never lose sight of that. That’s why it’s special to put on maroon.”

Grant said as a child Origin at home was “always exciting, very competitive” given his dad was from New South Wales.

“You always got to wear your colours to school… then had footy training on a Wednesday afternoon and that was always the funnest session of the year, and then we’d roll into Origin that night,” Grant said.

“It was always a competitive household and we’d always have a list for first try scorer, last try scorer, the scoreline and who was man of the match.

“Every Origin game, that was a little family tradition. If you picked a few of those right, you thought you were a genius. Always special. Pretty surreal doing it now, being in the Origin arena.”

Grant said his dad had never wavered from his love of the Blues and had lost “a fair few cartons over the years making bets with proud Queenslanders during the eight-straight dynasty”.

“It was always competitive because he went for New South Wales and we were always Queensland,” Grant said.

“It made it a little bit more special when Queensland won.”

Grant said he was “a big Darren Lockyer fan” growing up.

“I loved Locky… I was playing in the halves in juniors so I’d always follow him closely and as I transitioned to hooker, obviously Cameron Smith, and just Billy Slater… the way he played for Queensland, he was just a competitor. I loved that. Same as JT. This list goes on. Could name so many.

“I also remember as a kid when Carl Webb shaved the Q into his head and it was just like that full commitment of who he was doing it for. How much the jersey and the state meant to him. I still remember as a kid following suit and getting a Q in my head…. I was a bit of a ratbag at that point and followed suit. I think that’s pretty powerful. A pretty special moment.”

Grant said being able to do what his idols did, and be that person for children making bets in their loungerooms, was “a bit of a pinch-me moment”.

“These times won’t be there forever… you never lose sight of who you’re doing it for, who you’re playing for… it’s about making the most of the time and enjoying it as well,” Grant said.

Grant’s top five Origin moments

1. The 2020 Origin series

“The whole series was massive. It’s kind of two of my top moments in one. I made my debut in Game III of that camp and the try I scored in that game gave me instant goosebumps. I’ve been pretty lucky to experience some series wins and 2020, that series, was up there for me given the fact that it was a one-off at the end of the season, living together for four weeks straight. Apart from the Queensland people, no one gave the Maroons a chance either, which made it much sweeter.”

2. Darren Lockyer's try

“One of the best Origin moments for me was the Darren Lockyer try when he stumbled on the loose ball… I still remember that so vividly. That was the start of the dynasty. I was a big Lockyer fan. That one always plays out in my mind. I just felt like he never gave up on the play, he pushed through and anticipated that something was going to happen and it did. It’s probably not the flashiest of plays or a big play, but for me that’s the one I always think of when I think of Origin.”

3. Billy Slater chip-and chase

“The grubber, chip-and-chase, that’s a a special origin moment. It speaks for itself. Every kid was in their backyard practising that one.”

4. Game III, 2022

"It was the game that had it all. To describe Origin to someone who hasn’t watched before you would show them that match. We faced a bit of adversity through the week with players - Cameron Munster and Murray Taulagi - testing positive to COVID-19. A couple late call-ups to the team. Then within the first 10 minutes or so three players were ruled out of the contest. It was fast, physical and even brought back the biff. Suncorp Stadium was electric that night. And so was The Caxton."

5. Eight-straight for Queensland

"There were so many great memories to come with the eight-straight series wins. Such an incredible feat. As a kid going to school on a Thursday with a spring in your step is special. I still have an eight-straight poster in my childhood bedroom in Yeppoon. It’s a good reminder when I go home of how lucky I am to get the opportunities that I have so far in my career."