Max Plath has been handed the surprise job of starting at lock for Queensland in State of Origin Game 1, with Billy Slater naming the 24-year-old Dolphins forward in his 20-man squad ahead of Broncos premiership winner and Kangaroos Test star Patrick Carrigan.
The call puts Plath, who returned to the NRL in Round 2 this year after an ACL injury, into one of the most watched roles in the game. Harry Grant said he was looking forward to lacing up with him in the middle against the Blues, while Slater said Plath was one player who could not be left out of the team.
Plath's path to this point has been anything but straight. He arrived at the Broncos as a five-eighth, but found himself behind Ezra Mam and Adam Reynolds in a crowded halves setup and began to think differently about where his best chance lay. “It was a wake-up call when I went to the Broncos,” he said. “Ezra Mam and Adam Reynolds were there, and just some really quality players coming through. I said, 'oh, shit'. I was playing five-eighth at the time, and I was like, 'you know what, maybe move to the middle, might help me a fair bit'.”
That shift changed everything. Plath moved into the forwards and played lock for Wynnum Manly Seagulls, one of the Broncos' feeder clubs, and Redcliffe signed him after seeing him play there in his first game at the position. “I got that opportunity and as soon as I played there Redcliffe saw me playing for Wynnum at lock in my first game and scooped me up,” he said. “I was a lock from then.”
He has also shown he can cover more than one role. Earlier this season, Plath played at hooker when Jeremy Marshall-King was unavailable, and his comeback from a knee injury in Round 2 underlined how quickly he has re-established himself in the Dolphins side. To Dolphins fans, he has long been known as “Mad Max” and “Psycoplath,” nicknames that speak to the energy he brings rather than the path he was supposed to take.
Slater's decision also carries a family echo. Plath is the son of John Plath, the four-time Brisbane premiership winner, but his selection has been earned through a very different route from the one many expected when he first arrived at the Broncos. The move to lock became the turning point that led to his Dolphins opportunity and now to an Origin debut that has pushed a familiar name into a new place.
Grant said he had watched Plath develop over several seasons and believed the reward fitted the player. “Max Plath is one I have watched over the last few years and I love the way he plays the game,” he said. “Now he has got the ultimate reward for his efforts and game style. I am looking forward to lacing up with him in the middle.” Slater was just as direct about what Plath brings. “He's one player that's just said, 'I can't be left out of this team', and I love what he brings,” he said. “This Queensland team values the things that Max Plath does. I can't wait to see him play Origin.”
Queensland has chosen form, versatility and edge over reputation for State Of Origin Game 1, and that is what makes Plath's selection such a sharp call. The next test is whether the rookie who remade his career in the middle can turn that faith into a first night that holds up under Origin speed.
