A couple of weeks ago Kyle Laybutt was preparing to be part of the crowd at Friday night's NRL Harvey Norman All Stars, but a surprise call-up means he is instead set to take centre stage.
Laybutt, a Wakka Wakka man, gets the opportunity to represent his culture on his mother’s side at Queensland Country Bank Stadium after being included in the Indigenous All Stars squad.
It has left the 28-year-old halfback with a couple of spare tickets, which he'd initially planned to use himself, but which will now be scooped up by family or friends who will come along to witness the cultural showpiece.
It's also effectively a home match for Laybutt, who originally hails from Bundaberg but plays for the Townsville Blackhawks and has called the city home for the past nine years.
“It's pretty surreal, I actually bought two tickets to the game, so it's pretty cool to be playing in the game now and I am looking forward to it," Laybutt said.
Match: Indigenous v Maori
Round 1 -
home Team
Indigenous
away Team
Maori
Venue: Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville
"I actually woke up Saturday and (assistant coach) Matty Bowen gave me a call and he said, ‘You fit?' I said ‘Yeah, I guess’, and he said, ‘How do you feel about playing in the All Stars?'
"I obviously jumped straight at the opportunity.
"It's pretty cool to do it in front of what I guess this is my home town now."
It continues a golden run for Laybutt, who captained Papua New Guinea to victory in the Pacific Championship Bowl competition at the end of 2023.
“The past few months have been massive honestly; probably two things I didn't really expect to do," Laybutt said.
“I didn't expect to captain my country of heritage in Papua New Guinea and I got the opportunity to do that and had a good series, and then this one [All Stars] I really didn't expect either.
“I am just pinching myself and trying to make the most of the opportunity.
“I'm getting to that age now where I'm just happy to be playing footy and happy to be healthy, so if anything comes, I'll still take it, but I’m happy doing what I'm doing at Blackhawks.”
- Tickets are available via Ticketmaster from $35 for adults and $95 for families (2 adults and 2 children). Secure your tickets here!
