The late Arthur Beetson was known for his love of two things - football and pies.
Canberra Raiders prop Tom Learoyd-Lahrs recalls witnessing the Immortal's love for pastry as a teenager.
''I remember one day [at trials] at Coonabarabran when I was about 14, I just bought a pie from the canteen and he walked over and said 'they're no good for you mate','' Learoyd-Lahrs said.
''Then he walked over and bought four himself.''
Learoyd-Lahrs laughed after reliving the tale, but he's serious about the honour of playing for a trophy bearing Beetson's name tonight.
The 26-year-old is part of an Indigenous All Stars side desperate to pay tribute to one of the game's great characters with a win.
Beetson died suddenly last month from a heart attack, and the side discussed the significance of playing for the inaugural Queensland Origin skipper last night.
''I saw him at a lot of junior clinics and trials when I was a kid,'' Tamworth product Learoyd-Lahrs said.
''He used to drive miles and miles to see us when he was scouting with the Roosters and was always willing to offer advice and have a yarn.
''A lot of our guys don't remember his playing days, but they do remember the amount of work he did after his career was finished with the kids.
''It's a great tribute to be playing in this game in his honour.
''You just got used to seeing him around and it feels a little strange he's gone now.''
Plenty of talk this week has centred on the Indigenous All Stars' strikepower out wide, led by superstars Greg Inglis, Johnathan Thurston, Justin Hodges and Nathan Merritt.
Learoyd-Lahrs has played in four Origins and four Test matches.
But he considers the Indigenous All Stars the equal of any back line he's played in front of.
''I rate that as good a quality back line as I've played with, and am very much looking forward to seeing what they can do,'' Learoyd-Lahrs said.
''All the doubts this week have been about our forward pack, but I think it's quite strong with guys like [Sam] Thaiday, Jamal [Idris] and Greg Bird.
''You just know if we do our job in the middle, we have the strikepower out wide to get the job done.''
The Indigenous All Stars have taken on a smaller, but still busy, promotional workload this week in an effort to reverse last year's 26-12 loss to the NRL All Stars.
They have spent a lot of time this week with youngsters from Mornington Island and Doomadgee as part of the Indigenous All Stars Youth Summit.
The players took the children on rides at UnderWater World and helped them pen their own rap songs.
But Learoyd-Lahrs admitted as a vocalist, he makes a great front-rower.
''We had to write rap songs with the kids and recite them in front of everyone, which I was dreadful at,'' Learoyd-Lahrs said.
''I leave that stuff to Jamal Idris and Sammy Thaiday, the guys that are a bit more flamboyant than I am.
''Some of those kids haven't ventured too far from Doomadgee or Mornington Island, so this week's been a real eye-opener for them.''
.gif)
