Welcome to Princes Palace

Article Name: In The Name of The Father
Magazine: League Week
Writer: Robert Rachow
Pages: 2 Pages

Scott Prince's switch from the Cowboys to Brisbane this year was hailed as the next step in his rapid rise to glory. Unfortunately, the season hasn't been kind to him. He struggled with form, then his father's tragic death almost ended his career. But instead of quitting rugby league, the pivot is determined to play on - and play better.

FLASHBACK to Wednesday March 22, 2001. An eerie cloud of silence descended the ridges of Red Hill, trickled down Fulcher Road and split onto the grounds at Gilbert Park.

    Out on the paddock, Broncos players struggled to comprehend the tragic news. Head trainer led 16 of his troops to a spot justbeneath the black dot, while club veterans Wendell Sailor and Shane Webcke showed their distress by punching the goalposts and staring hard at the turf.

    All the while young five-eighth Scott Prince remained 50 metres away, hunched over on the ground, shedding a tear while head coach Wayne Bennett consoled him.

    Just like every other moment of his life, it was a time when Prince wanted to feel his Dad Les' reassuring hand on his shoulder. It fell to Bennett to tell him that would no longer be possible.
    Prince's father had just been killed in a car accident.

    "It's so easy to slip and fall away," the 21-year-old playmaker reflects. "One minute someone is there, and the next minute you're being told you will never see them again."

    Those who know the Prince clan well paint a picture of a family that's nigh on inseperable.
    Les and wife Marcia were the epitome of doting, sports-mad parents. They supported sons Stephen and Scott in all their pursuits, spending countless weekends cheering them on from the sideline as their boys grew from promising juniors at Mt Isa Townies to talented adults in their own right.

    While Stephen, the eldest son, pursued a career as an electrician and continued to show his skills in touch football, Scott went from a Junior Kangaroo to a Cowboy to a Bronco within the space of a few short years. During the last phase of his elovution, the family grew even closer and stronger.

    After making his name as a five-eighth, Prince was handed the half-back jersey at his new club this year. On top of that, he followed in the footsteps of Brisbane legends Allan Langer and Kevin Walters.
    The positional swith and the pressure of emulationg the greats made it tough for the youngster to play to the best of his ability. It's fair to say that, at least in his first month with the Broncos, Prince hardly set the world on fire.

    As Brisban equickly established the best attacking and defensice records in the NRL Competition this year, Prince and fellow recruit Stu Kelly were tagged highly paid "blow-ins" by some sections of the media and general public.   As Wayne Bennett is wont to say, "People will find fault with anything."
    The criticism came just months after his headline-making and controversial move from the Cowboys, so it's little wonder Prince had to rely on family support even more than usual.

    When the news of his father's death came soon after, it could have broken a man of lesser spirit.
    "My oath it was a shock ... a bigshock," says Les McElligot, a family friend who worked alongside Prince's father in the Mt Isa mines and coached Scott at junior level.

    "Those kids lived for their parents and their parents lived for them. You wouldn't see them around town without their mother or father by their side.

    "When Les moved to Townsville last year, he was telling all the guys how it was his main aim to retire and spend time with his boys. It was his life's dreams to be their for his kids and help them out ... that was his priority."

    McElligot reveals it was Scott's brother Stephen who helped him through the shattering affair. He told Scott their father would've wanted him to keep plugging away to fulfil the promise that's seen him earmarked for Origin and Kangaroo honours.

    Thanks partly to that advice, Prince now prefers to view his father's passing as a watershed moment rather than a weight around his neck.

    Although his voice wavers when asked if he considered giving the game away during that traumatic time, Prince says he's determined to make a fist of things and honour the years of encouragement and guidance he received.

    "Dad would be dissapointed if I didn't," he states, "Over the last couple of weeks I've really started to enjoy playing again and I think that's shown.

    "It was a challenge enough to leave the Cowboys and have people saying I was a traitor, but hten you have to adjust to going from the bottom team to the top team and discovering losing is not an option anymore.

    "It's been like starting out at a new school. I've had to learn all the guys' characteristics - Wendell takes a while to get used to - and we've had three or four changes in the halves already. But that's OK. I have no regrets."

    One noticably improved aspect of Prince's play is his effort in defence. After some tutelage from Bennett and team-mate Gorden Tallis, the 80kg pivot has become an almost inpenetrable link between the backs and the forwards.

    Last season Prince's tackling ability was cited as one of the reason North Queensland baulked at his asking price and allowed him to negotiate with other clubs, treating him, in Prince's own words, like a "reserve-grade player".

    "I bet they're kicking themselves now," he smiles cheekily.