Australian rugby league legend Sam Backo dies aged 64
The Maroons and Australian Kangaroos champion passed away surrounded by family at Cairns Hospital on Sunday.
Backo had been in intensive care for some time, having been diagnosed with melioidosis in April.
Melioidosis is a bacterial infection commonly found in soil and water in tropical and subtropical regions, and has killed 35 people in Queensland alone so far this year.
The former Broncos and Raiders front-rower, who also had a stint with Leeds in England, had been transferred to a hospital in Brisbane for a period before later returning to Cairns.
The man affectionately known as Slammin' Sam spent most of his NRL career in Canberra, where he played 114 games between 1983 and 1988, before adding another 20 when he moved to Brisbane in 1989.
Backo played 18 games for Leeds in the 1988-1989 UK season, inbetween NRL campaigns.
He was without doubt one of rugby league's toughest ever players, but was also renowned as one of the sport's great characters.
Backo suited up in seven State of Origin games for Queensland and played six Tests for Australia.
Most notable in his international career was his series against England in 1988 when he scored a try in all three games.
Backo suffered a heart attack in 2023, after which he was in a critical condition, but survived.
He was a proud Indigenous man who was also known for his work in Indigenous health.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
43 minutes ago
- West Australian
The knee that ended UFC star Carlos Ulberg's NRL dream
Kneeing an opponent during an on-field brawl ended his NRL hopes while an acting career as Batman still remains a pipe dream, but for now Carlos Ulberg has firmly set his sights on snaring the UFC's light heavyweight crown. Ulberg will be the star attraction when he headlines Perth's UFC Fight Night on September 28 at RAC Arena. The 34-year-old Kiwi, the third-ranked challenger in the division following an eight-fight winning streak, is looking to continue his hot run when he faces American Dominick Reyes (15-4) in Perth. Ulberg (13-1) has enjoyed a hugely successful UFC career to date, but before that harboured dreams of becoming an NRL star. Those hopes were shattered when all hell broke loose during a Fox Memorial Cup game in NZ while he was playing for the Otahuhu Leopards. "We're coming to the end of the game and a fight breaks out. The whole team is fighting," said Ulberg, who played as a second rower, winger or centre. "People are dropping left, right and centre, and it's a televised game. "I'm throwing knees at one of the guys and just got him in a clinch, and the camera zooms in on me. "So everything's kind of put on me, and I get sent to the judiciary and got banned for eight weeks." Just 22 at the time, Ulberg made the decision to quit the sport and take up fighting. "That was the end of my career in rugby league," he said. "I put everything into that season and then it got taken away from me. I went straight to the boxing gym the very next week. "I grew up around boxing. My family were boxers. My dad was a boxer - represented Samoa, New Zealand, so it was in the family." The UFC quickly caught Ulberg's eye and he believes he is just one victory away from earning a title shot against current light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev. "I have big dreams," Ulberg said. "Being the champion is just one mountain, and there's going to be the next one. So I'm forever climbing them." One of those big challenges Ulberg would love to tackle down the track is acting - something he dabbled in during his younger years. "I want to be Batman one day. Bruce Wayne," Ulberg said with a laugh. But for now, Ulberg wants to put on a show in Perth in front of what is expected to be a bumper crowd.
Perth Now
43 minutes ago
- Perth Now
The knee that ended UFC star Carlos Ulberg's NRL dream
Kneeing an opponent during an on-field brawl ended his NRL hopes while an acting career as Batman still remains a pipe dream, but for now Carlos Ulberg has firmly set his sights on snaring the UFC's light heavyweight crown. Ulberg will be the star attraction when he headlines Perth's UFC Fight Night on September 28 at RAC Arena. The 34-year-old Kiwi, the third-ranked challenger in the division following an eight-fight winning streak, is looking to continue his hot run when he faces American Dominick Reyes (15-4) in Perth. Ulberg (13-1) has enjoyed a hugely successful UFC career to date, but before that harboured dreams of becoming an NRL star. Those hopes were shattered when all hell broke loose during a Fox Memorial Cup game in NZ while he was playing for the Otahuhu Leopards. "We're coming to the end of the game and a fight breaks out. The whole team is fighting," said Ulberg, who played as a second rower, winger or centre. "People are dropping left, right and centre, and it's a televised game. "I'm throwing knees at one of the guys and just got him in a clinch, and the camera zooms in on me. "So everything's kind of put on me, and I get sent to the judiciary and got banned for eight weeks." Just 22 at the time, Ulberg made the decision to quit the sport and take up fighting. "That was the end of my career in rugby league," he said. "I put everything into that season and then it got taken away from me. I went straight to the boxing gym the very next week. "I grew up around boxing. My family were boxers. My dad was a boxer - represented Samoa, New Zealand, so it was in the family." The UFC quickly caught Ulberg's eye and he believes he is just one victory away from earning a title shot against current light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev. "I have big dreams," Ulberg said. "Being the champion is just one mountain, and there's going to be the next one. So I'm forever climbing them." One of those big challenges Ulberg would love to tackle down the track is acting - something he dabbled in during his younger years. "I want to be Batman one day. Bruce Wayne," Ulberg said with a laugh. But for now, Ulberg wants to put on a show in Perth in front of what is expected to be a bumper crowd.
News.com.au
43 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Jye Gray offered monster deal to join rebel R360 league in fresh blow to Rabbitohs
Rabbitohs fullback Jye Gray has reportedly been offered $900,000 to join rebel rugby union competition R360 despite having played just 28 NRL games. The 21-year-old has emerged as R360's latest high profile target, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. Gray is contracted with Souths until the end of 2026 but the Rabbitohs are now in a battle to retain the diminutive fullback after the bumper offer from the rebel rugby union competition. Other NRL players targeted by R360 include Ryan Papenhuyzen, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Zac Lomax and Herbie Farnworth. Gray could be a genuine chance to join R360 in 2027 given he has played rugby union before during his high school years at The Southport School on the Gold Coast. Gray, who was named NRL Rookie of the Year in 2024, has scored 11 tries in 28 games for Souths. Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett previously told Code Sports R360 is a Super League level threat that could seriously damage the NRL. R360 has reportedly acquired the necessary funding from Saudi Arabia, the UK and United States to kick-off in 2026 with aims to be profitable by 2027. 'It's a huge threat, absolutely,' Bennett said. 'The NRL is the toughest competition in the world with the best athletes. 'We are absolutely under threat. We cannot ignore it. 'I don't know how we combat it but I will say this - the game needs to come together sooner rather than later in terms of the CEOs and the game itself. 'Let's talk about what the hell is going on out there. 'Have the conversation we need to have with each other and discuss how do we stop it, what do we do? 'They will be looking at the star players like (Nathan) Cleary, Latrell (Mitchell) or Reece Walsh, they are the ones that the fans pay their money to watch. 'If we lost just 10 or 12 players like them, it will leave a massive hole in our competition. 'Look at the golf. Who would have thought LIV would be a threat but it is. The amount of money they have paid, we will never be able to match them if they (R360) are serious about the amount of money they have to spend. 'Where does this end for the NRL? 'The game has to address this and come up with a plan. 'We'd be foolish to suck our thumbs and hope to God it goes away.' Broncos great Corey Parker wrote for SEN this week: 'I'm at a point now if the R360 is taking off - and it's my belief it's going to - we have got our heads in the sand and we're not doing enough. 'The issue Wayne flagged is the player managers. So in the R360 if someone gets signed for a million dollars the R360 pays the manager 10 per cent on top. In the NRL, if a manager is on 6 per cent, the player pays that manager.' Bennett fights to avoid career low in Bunnies nightmare Gray's departure would be another blow to the Rabbitohs, who will be desperate to beat the Titans on Sunday as Wayne Bennett aims to avoid his first ever wooden spoon. This week Bennett and the Rabbitohs gave English playmaker Lewis Dodd permission to explore his options elsewhere in the NRL or overseas, less than a year after he was recruited to play halfback. Dodd has played just six NRL games in 2025, and just 68 minutes in the No. 7 jersey, despite signing a $2 million, three-year deal and a huge injury crisis at the club. On Tuesday Bennett dropped the 23-year-old to NSW Cup, instead opting for 21-year-old Ashton Ward and Jamie Humphreys in the halves. NRL 360 host Braith Anasta gave a frank assessment of the Rabbitohs' decision to sign Dodd, who won a Super League title and a World Club Challenge title with St Helens. 'It's one of the great recruitment blunders in NRL history,' Anasta said on Wednesday night. 'I just can't get my head around how (CEO) Blake Solly, (football manager) Mark Ellison are the ones flying to England to sign a premier half for your club without the permission of a coach. 'Everything I have heard out of the Super League, from coaches, players over there and even recruitment back here, is that there's four or five better candidates that could be better in our game over here, in the NRL,' Anasta said. 'I think there's just some accountability that needs to be taken there.'
