This week, we chat to North Queensland Cowboys and Queensland Under 20’s representative forward, Thomas Gilbert.

Gilbert has loved rugby league his whole life but for a long period didn’t think he had what it took to make the NRL. Growing up in Brisbane, he was surrounded by the sport but missed out on the opportunity to be a part of his beloved Brisbane Broncos’ academy as a junior.

It motivated him to take rugby league more seriously and the move has paid off after he made his NRL debut for the Cowboys this year against the Sharks.

In between, he’s been named the Queensland Cup Rookie of the year, was in the Q-Cup team of the year and was also the 2019 vice-captain of the Queensland U20s side.

In this chat, Gilbert talks about his journey into rugby league and why he is so grateful for the chance the Cowboys have given him. This episode was also recorded prior to Paul Green departing the head coaching role, and Gilbert spent a lot of praising his now-former mentor. We also spoke about his three-week suspension in just his second game of first grade and how he's dealt with the pressure of already being on the sidelines.

With a representative forward pack around him in Jason Taumalolo, Josh McGuire, Coen Hess, Gavin Cooper and others, Gilbert is set for a huge career in the NRL that he hopes will one day propel him to his dream of playing State of Origin for Queensland.

Before we get into today’s episode, make sure you subscribe to the podcast, leave a rating and a comment and share it with your friends and family.

Now let’s get into the chat with Tom Gilbert.

Lachlan McKirdy - @lmckirdy7 on Twitter

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