June 12: The King farewells Origin; Benji gets his 'full house'

On this day, Benji Marshall completes a 'full house' of tries against all NRL clubs, while Wally Lewis plays his last Origin, and Sam Thaiday celebrates a birthday.

1985

Maroons favourite Sam Thaiday is born. The winner of two Dally M Second Rower of the Year awards, Thaiday also played 34 Tests and 29 Origins in an 11-year rep career. He was just as proud of the three games he played as a member of the Indigenous All-Stars. Thaiday was a one-club player with 304 games for the Broncos.

1991

Queensland wrap up the Origin series with a spine-tingling 14-12 win at Lang Park. But the biggest news on the night is Wally Lewis announcing his retirement from Origin football after 31 matches for the Maroons, including seven tries.

1992

The 45,000-seat Sydney Football Stadium - the biggest crowd for a Test match in Australia since 1974 - watches the Kangaroos beat Great Britain 22-6, with Bradley Clyde picking up Man of the Match.

1995

Paul Vautin's cobbled together Queensland side completes a stunning 3-0 series defeat of NSW with a 24-16 win at Suncorp Stadium. Due to the Australian Rugby League's conflict with Super League, no SL players were eligible for selection, which ruled out the Broncos star-studded back line for the Maroons. 

2011

Wests Tigers five-eighth Benji Marshall crosses twice against the Warriors to achieve a 'full house' of tries against every NRL opponent. The Tigers fought back from a 22-4 deficit midway through the second half to win 26-22.           

2011

The Broncos hang on to beat the Canberra 25-24 in extra-time after the Raiders had stormed back after trailing 24-0.

2015

2020

St Helens prop Luke Thompson seeks an immediate release from his Super League club to link with Canterbury. Thompson had originally signed for 2021 however the impact of COVID-19 and the indefinite shutdown of the UK competition provided the Bulldogs with an opportunity to snare the Test forward ahead of the original deal.

This article contains information from the official records of NRL historian David Middleton