Phillip Sami

A product of the Goodna Eagles club in Ipswich, Phillip Sami played for the Queensland Under 20 side in 2017 under the coaching of State of Origin stalwart Justin Hodges.

Sami's hero was Benji Marshall, and, like the Kiwi legend, Sami possesses a mean sidestep.

It was a dream come true and to run out there with my family's name on my back was definitely something I will never forget.

Phil Sami FOG #207 on his State of Origin debut

Sami played rugby league at Ipswich High, under renowned schoolboys' coach Lee Addison and played Mal Meninga Cup club football for Brisbane Easts Tigers.

Sami signed with Gold Coast Titans in 2017, and made his NRL debut in Round 15 against South Sydney.

At the end of the season, he was named centre in the NYC Team of the Year.

He scored 20 tries across his two seasons in the National Under 20s competition.

Sami was part of Emerging Origin squads, before being called on for his debut in 2020. He played wing in Game I and Game II of the series, in Adelaide and Sydney respectively.

His debut game was characterised by strong, bullocking runs from deep in Queensland territory.

Sami has the versatility to play centre and fullback, and he possesses an admirable work ethic.

Going into the 2022 season, he had played 73 NRL matches and scored 34 tries, including a memorable hat-trick against the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium in round 4, 2018.