Tony Hearn

A fiery front row forward, Tony Hearn was always ready to step up for his Maroons' team mates.

Known for his aggression, Hearn also had great off-loading ability, which was a factor in his rise to representative football.

A former Keebra Park High School student on the Gold Coast, Hearn made an Australian Schoolboys rugby league merit side in 1987. His first junior club was Tuggeranong Buffaloes in Canberra, the city of his birth.

After playing his first senior club football with Southport Tigers, Hearn signed for North Sydney, making his first grade debut in 1992. He quickly built a rapport with fellow Queenslanders, Gary Larson and Billy Moore, in the Bears' pack. These partnerships blossomed during the 1995 Origin series when Hearn made his debut in Maroon, helping Queensland to a whitewash of the highly fancied Blues.

I don't think there's ever been bigger outsiders than we were that year. It was something really special and I think it means more to us.

Tony Hearn FOG #87

Suspension ruined his chances of selection in the Australian side for the three Test series against New Zealand.

Hearn signed for South Queensland Crushers in 1996, as the replacement for his Queensland team mate, Mark Hohn, who had retired. Hearn kept his place in the Maroons' team, despite the availability of players from Super League aligned clubs.

He signed with St George in 1997, and was chosen for Game I of the Origin series. He played two seasons with the Dragons, before looking to life after football, which has taken him into the land development business, while later working for Queensland Corrective Services.