Ben Ikin

G’Coast junior became the youngest player in State of Origin history when he was chosen as a replacement back for the Maroons during the troubled 1995 season. A promising centre/five-eighth, Ikin did not disappoint when he got his chance with the underdog Queensland team which won the series 3-0. Ikin’s debut season ended prematurely when he was injured and he signed with Norths in 1996. While he was not required for the 1996 State of Origin series his efforts with the Maroons in 1997-98 marked him as a Test player of the future. At the end of 1998 Ikin went someway toward fulfilling that potential when he was chosen as a reserve in the final two Tests against NZ in September. He then tried to gain a release from his contract to play with premiers Brisbane in 1999 but his request was refused. Reluctantly playing with the Bears he suffered a broken jaw in an off-field incident that kept him sidelined for eight weeks. Ikin finally got the chance to link with Brisbane when the Bears merged with Manly in 2000 and he finished his first season with the Broncos by playing five-eighth in the club’s grand final win over the Roosters. It was later revealed that he played the latter part of the season with a shoulder injury that required surgery during the 2000 off-season. A mainstay of the Queensland State of Origin team a further knee injury limited him to just 6 matches in 2001 and ruined any chance of extending his Test record. Ikin made a successful return from his injury, even returning to State of Origin duty, but he had lost a lot of his speed and decided to stand down from the Broncos’ elite squad at the end of 2003. Playing for Broncos’ feeder club Toowoomba, Ikin was recalled into the Brisbane team during the 2004 representative season and played in 11 games in the latter half of the year.