Rookie Update: Neville Costigan
by
Monday July 12, 2004

Rookie Update: Neville Costigan

For my forth, and long overdue rookie spotlight I’ve chosen Neville Costigan. I’ve decided to review Neville because of his ‘man of the match’ effort against the Dragons. Costigan represented the junior Kangaroos at Lock and looks set to eventually take over the role once players like Toni Carroll and Gorden Tallis retire. He also won the Broncos ‘Rookie of the Year’ award last year and is known at the club as one of the biggest hitters. But it’s his technique which amazes me. “It’s all in the shoulder” remembering my coach would shout at me when the tackling bags came out at training. Neville uses his shoulder to great effect as he drives it into the rib cage of his unsuspecting opponent. Enough of my reminiscing, lets get started:

Name: Neville Costigan.
Birth Date: 16th of March 1985.
Birth Place: Papua New Guinea.
School: Mirani State High School.
Height: 181 centimeters.
Weight: 96 kilograms.
Preferred Position: Lock.
Nickname: Nev.

Junior Club: Mackay West’s Tigers

For a guy who hits like ‘The Raging Bull’ does, you’d expect him to be strongly built. But as I stood next to him and had a chat about State of Origin I noticed that we were about the same height and that I was and about the same build. Ok maybe not as built as him, but you wouldn’t guess he was a professional football player. Neville started out this year playing for the Toowoomba Clydesdales, but forced his way into a bench position. Costigan played really well off the bench and made an impact when brought into the battle. But on Friday night Wayne Bennett was expecting a real tough battle, an arm wrestle, which the Broncos revel in, and started with Costigan at hooker. Neville supplied a ‘toughness’ quality to the defensive line, exceptional service from dummy and slick ball playing options in attack. The try which he set-up for Craig Frawley on Friday was all class, and to show maturity for a try like that, playing out of position against a top class side in the wet impressed me and most people who follow league.

‘Nev’ can play in the back row, hooker, five eight and his preferred position is lock. The Broncos questions to a ball playing lock seem to be answered with Costigan. The Broncos had two talented ball playing locks; Ashley Harrison and Phil Lee. Harrison left Brisbane for the chance of a starting position and more money with South Sydney. While Lee retired after two horrific knee injuries and lack of form following rehabilitation. I have a soft spot for Phil Lee, a talented player who won a Premiership with the Broncos in 1998, and was the long term replacement for Kevin Walters, a player with magnificent vision and ability. But I view Costigan as our savior and from the reports coming from inside the Broncos this is one to watch. I think we will see more of ‘Nev’ this season as his form will keep him in the team, and with more games like the one he had on Friday night, our charge to the Grand Final will be made a lot easier.