Jason Hetherington

Former Ipswich halfback, a University of Queensland RU product, was signed by the G’Coast as an understudy to Wally Lewis in 1992. Hetherington came to C’bury with the view of being a viable replacement for Terry Lamb but moved to hooker at the instigation of coach Chris Anderson. A try-scorer in the club's grand final loss to Canberra in 1994, he went on to play a sterling role in C’bury’s 17-4 win over Manly in the 1995 grand final. While the good form of Penrith’s Craig Gower kept him out of Super League’s representative teams in 1997, Hetherington got his chance at State level in Queensland’s State of Origin series win in 1998. An injury to Brisbane’s Kevin Walters on the eve of the Third Test against NZ in October, which required hooker Andrew Johns to move to five-eighth, resulted in Hetherington getting his chance at Test level. He didn’t disappoint, scoring a try on debut in the 36-16 win, but a one-match suspension in April 1999 for a dangerous tackle robbed him of the chance to retain his Test spot for the ANZac Test. Hetherington was named Queensland’s Player of the Series in the historic tied State of Origin series in 1999 but missed Australia’s Tri-series win at the end of the year because of injury. He made his second Test appearance in the 52-0 thrashing of NZ in the 2000 ANZac Test and was a member of the Queensland State of Origin team that was soundly thrashed by NSW in the 2000 interstate series. At the end of the season Hetherington went to go to England and play with the London Broncos when the Bulldogs could not fit him under their salary cap.