Indigenous All Stars 16 NRL All Stars 12
GOLD COAST - A piece of Jonathan Thurston magic contrived a gripping 16-12 victory for the Indigenous All Stars against the NRL All Stars at Skilled Park last night.
Thurston's instinctive, one-handed-around-the-corner pass for Jamie Soward's 75th-minute try snatched victory after NRL All Star centre Michael Jennings had grabbed the lead back 12-10 in the final quarter.
Thurston was named Preston Campbell medal winner as man of the match.
However Indigenous All Star winger Wendell Sailor stole the show ensuring his final game of rugby league was almost as memorable as his career, celebrating his try in the third minute by using the corner post to mimic playing the didgeridoo as his teammates danced around him.
Reviving memories of his early days with the Brisbane Broncos, Sailor swooped onto a perfect Scott Prince grubber to score in the corner, igniting the sell-out crowd.
His try saw the first attempt in rugby league at an experimental double try play.
His side had one tackle from 15m out in which to score with the opposing team's fullback forced to leave the field of play.
The gamble to score in one tackle play failed but like Sailor's try-scoring antics, the fans loved it.
The clash had everything: huge tackles, spectacular attacks, a gridiron quarterback pass, a pitch invasion and even a return of "the wall" on a double-try play by the NRL All Stars.
It may not have matched the ferocity of the first State Of Origin at Lang Park in Brisbane back in 1980.
But it had the same desperation with players turning up with some incredible last ditch defence and also the same unwavering commitment to each other.
Brisbane's Israel Folau brought the crowd of 26,687 to its feet when he burst into the clear from inside his own 20m in the first quarter.
But Indigenous All Star centre Blake Ferguson showed he had rockets on his boots running him down in spectacular fashion.
The Indigenous All Stars led 10-nil at halftime after Roosters teenager Ben Jones stole a try from dummy half at the 30-minute mark.
This time however Thurston opted to take the conversion.
Those who doubted the clash would be tough and hard forgot to tell Newcastle forward Cory Paterson who revived the Arthur Beetson-Michael Cronin incident by smashing his Knights' teammate Kurt Gidley 10 minutes into the second quarter.
Gidley, who could be in doubt for Newcastle's opening game of the season against the Bulldogs, had to be assisted from the field with what looked to be a knee injury.
Brisbane skipper Darren Lockyer left the field in the first quarter with an elbow injury that will be of a major concern to the Broncos so close to the start of the NRL season.
Canberra' Travis Waddell was knocked out in the third quarter.
The stars of the game had a tough act to follow after a stirring pre-game display of Aboriginal dancing by acclaimed cultural group Nunukul Yuggera in full costume.
Their performance was followed by a war dance in which the NRL All Star players were confronted by spear-waving Aborigines.
The game was a significant occasion, not just for indigenous people but a celebration of the second anniversary of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd saying sorry to the Stolen Generation, seen as the first step towards reconciliation.
- AAP
