Welcome to Princes Palace

Article Name: Coming to Grips
Magazine: Big League
Writer: Ben Blaschke
Pages: 2 Pages

Scott Prince has emerged from a pressured start to his Broncos stint, and the death of his father, a thougher young man who has gained great respect from team-mates on how he has handled a traumatic period.

WHILE his team-mates celebrated their impressive win against the Bulldogs at the Sydney Showground three weeks ago, Scott Prince sat alone by his locker, silently contemplating the events of the previous fortnight.

    He may well have just played the toughest game of his career - earining the players' player in the process - but such self-appraisal was the last thing on his mind. His thoughts were with his father, Les, tragically killed in a car accident just nine days earlier.

    The way he pushed his emotions aside and led the Broncos to a resounding 34-6 win that night spoke volumes about Prince's character, and he has looked more and more comfortable since against Melbourne and the Roosterrs when the club would have been happy for him to have taken a rest and re-focused.

    "It takes a lot of courage to do what he's done," says Broncos winger Wendell Sailor, who watched the 21-year-old go from strength to strength in the weeks since his father's death.
    "The last few weeks I've just developed that much respect for Scott and the way he's come though - I think his old man would have been very proud of him."

    Prince has had a traumatic six months. He copped flak for abandoning the Cowboys for the premiers Brisbane, focusing instant pressure on his performances. He began the season slowly, was relegated to the bench, was confronted with his father's death and then returned with the added pressure of replacing Ben Ikin for the remainder of the season.

    He handled all those pressures with a quiet resolve that has gained huge respect from insiders.
    Prince could have been forgiven for missing the Bulldogs game three days after his father's funeral in Townsville but he wanted to restore some sense of normality to his life.

    "It was a tough time," Prince said from Mt Isa, where he had returned for the Easter weekend to catch up with family. "It was strange because he was there one day and then he was suddenly gone the next and that was probably the toughest thing to cope with.

    "But the club and Wayne (Bennett) were great. They were still concerned about me even before the Bulldogs game.

    "A few of the boys came up for the funeral on the Tuesday before the game and Wayne Asked me if I was sure I wanted to play. "I said: 'Yeah, I want to play'."

    Prince's resurgence sine then has been nothing short of phenomonal given the adversity that has confronted him this season. But his gradily improving form and steady demeanour have left team-mates somewhat in awe.

    "Given the circumstances, I know that I couldn't do it," admits captain Gorden Tallis. "To go through what he did and come out and play as well as he is - it's unbelievable. It must still be affecting him now but he's just getting better and better all the time."

    Tallis was one of three players - alongside Petero Civeoniceva and Shane Webcke - to join join Bennett and club director Don Nissen at the funeral the following week. They were amazed at the composure Prince showed in reading a 10-minute eulogy. Sadly, they'd seen another Broncos No.6 go through a similar ordeal. Kevn Walters fought through the pain of his wife Kym's death to help his side to the premiership in 1998, in perhaps his greatest season of club and Origin football.
    Insiders believe that Prince is just starting to show signs that his best qualitites are similarly about to emerge. he'll miss the boat for Origin 1 - that position will go to Parramatta's Daniel Wagon - and Prince could probable do without added pressure right now, but don't rule out an Origin debut before the season is finished.

    For the meantime, he wants to prove his worth with the Broncos, where suvvess and weekly performance is expected, virtually demanded - a far cry from his three seasons in Townsville.
    His combination with halfback Shaun Berrigan is starting to emerge and his willingness to run the ball is back. Week by week, his confidence and exuberance noticably increases.

    Sailor has labelled Prince the most naturally talented athlete he has seen since Anthony Mundince and anticipates he will be a regular in the Queensland Origin side in coming years.
    But for the time being, the Broncos are just pleased to see him settling into his role and, more importantly, getting on with the task at hand following the traumas of the past month.
    "I've got a lot of time for him," says Sailor.

    "He's the perfect role model for out club and rugby league."