It was among the most fearsome sights in rugby league during the mid-to-late 1980s: Sam Backo, at 188 centimetres and 115 kilograms, charging at the defensive line with a full head of steam.
"Slammin' Sam" as he became known, left tacklers in his wake during his distinguished career playing 153 first-grade games for the Canberra Raiders, Brisbane Broncos and Leeds in the United Kingdom.
Backo won six test caps for Australia, playing against Great Britain and New Zealand.
But it's his seven games for Queensland, and his dominant performances in the 1988 State of Origin series, that he remembers most fondly.
"We had some tough boys then, and they were probably the toughest games I've played," Backo said.
"But I always thought State of Origin was the toughest football I've ever played in."
That said, the gladiatorial onslaught Backo faced as a representative-level prop forward has paled into insignificance compared to his recent health battles.
Support from both sides of the Origin divide
Recovering from a quadruple bypass heart surgery, Backo is currently in the Intensive Care Unit of Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane.
He suffered a massive heart attack while he was in hospital in Cairns undergoing a double knee replacement – the toll of decades plying his trade in one of the toughest sports in the world, and a post-playing career as a roofer.
"If I wasn't already in hospital, I wouldn't be here now," he said.
"They put three stints in to keep me going, and then I got transferred to Brisbane.
"So I've got to be happy I was where I was when it happened."
Backo's survival story is remarkable.
He went into a coma following his heart attack and was clinically dead for about two minutes.
"The last three months, mentally, physically and emotionally, it's probably been the hardest three months of my life," he said.
While Backo hopes the strength he's shown in recent months inspires the Maroons to triumph in Game One of the State of Origin series, Slammin’ Sam has also received well-wishes from both Queenslanders and from behind enemy lines.
"I've had messages from boys from the NSW side … they've contacted me to see how I'm going and given me support," he said.
"They're from right across the spectrum of all the different clubs and teams I've played for [and against]."
Famous mum a source of strength
Backo has a long road to recovery ahead, including medical procedures and an arduous rehabilitation process.
Despite being among the toughest players in rugby league, his source of strength comes from the example set by his mother, the late Evelyn Scott.
Dr Scott was an advocate for reconciliation and the advancement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and women for more than 30 years and was only this week honoured with Google’s Doodle — the daily image on the tech giant's search page.
"Mum, to me — she's my hero," he said.
"She only had a grade-seven education and she ended up with three doctorates because of her activism and as an educator.
"Mum's role in Aboriginal affairs … it's something we'll always be proud of."
Backo hopes his recent trauma also provides a wake-up call to other Indigenous Australians, health agencies and governments to ensure better health checks for First Nations people.
"I didn't really have a clue [I had heart disease]," he said.
"They don't do a comprehensive health check until you're 65, and being Indigenous, our lifespan is less than non-Indigenous people.
"If you're Indigenous and 45, or even younger, go and get your heart checked."
