How a champion Blues fullback put Bostock on the road to Origin

It was fitting that Jack Bostock celebrated his Origin selection on Monday night by joining members of the victorious NSW Blues team from 30 years ago, including Tim Brasher – the champion fullback who played a big role in putting Bostock on the road to the NRL.

Brasher helped recruit Bostock’s father, Josh, to Balmain in the mid-1990s after spotting him play in Jindabyne.

Josh played two first-grade games as a winger for Balmain in 1997. Brasher then did his best to make sure things happened for his boy, Jack.

“I think Josh holds the record for being the only player to get players’ player, then sacked the following week by [coach] Wayne Pearce, and never play first grade again,” Brasher said. “Josh was a big human who was fast and liked to run over people.

“A few years back, Josh asked me to come and watch Jack play down at Cronulla. He was in the under-15s or under-16s, and I ended up putting him in touch with a mate who is an agent, Paul Sutton. It’s amazing how things happen. He’s now playing state of Origin. I can’t wait to have a beer with him.”

Brasher, now 55, sent this masthead a photo of he and Bostock as he enjoyed a cold can of Stone and Wood Pacific Ale at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where David ‘Cement’ Gillespie and Test spinner Nathan Lyon addressed both the 1996 and current Origin squads about the challenges of winning away from home.

Bostock replaces Brian To’o for next Wednesday’s decider, with his height giving NSW an extra attacking aerial threat on the left wing.

He was brought into the squad for game two but did not figure at the MCG, and was delighted he would now get his chance to play against Queensland.

The 22-year-old grew up in Shellharbour on the NSW south coast, and was a member of the same Illawarra Steelers SG Ball team that featured Hamish Stewart, Dylan Egan and Ryan and Toby Couchman. Those four players are now regulars for the Dragons, but Bostock was shown little interest by the Red V and quickly snapped up by Wayne Bennett and the Dolphins.

How the Dragons could let a player like Bostock slip through their fingers – especially when they could do with a top-shelf winger or centre – was a question still being asked by Beau Ryan as he holidayed in the south of Italy on Monday. The former Wests Tigers favourite played with Josh at Illawarra club Western Suburbs Red Devils, and was one of Jack’s favourite players growing up, along with Benji Marshall.

“I still can’t believe the Dragons let Jack go because he was always going to be an Origin player,” Ryan told this masthead on Monday.

“He did his ACL at the wors