Ep 62 Gary Belcher | FOGS Queenslander Podcast

FOG #47 Gary Belcher | Souths Magpie Champion & Raiders Premiership Fullback Gary Belcher is FOG #47 — a Brisbane junior who rose from the Brisbane Rugby League competition to become one of the most dependable fullbacks of his era. A 16-game Queensland State of Origin representative and Australian Kangaroo, Gary played a key role during a golden period for both the Maroons and the Canberra Raiders. Raised in Acacia Ridge and coming through the ranks with the Southern Suburbs Magpies, Gary helped Souths claim the 1985 Brisbane Rugby League premiership before taking his career to the national stage with the Canberra Raiders. What followed was one of the most successful periods in the club’s history, with Belcher playing in premiership-winning teams in 1989 and 1990 alongside legends such as Mal Meninga, Laurie Daley and Ricky Stuart. Primarily a fullback — though he began his career in the centres — Gary built a reputation for safe hands, strong positional play and the ability to finish opportunities when they came his way. His performances earned him 16 appearances for Queensland and 15 Test matches for Australia, including Kangaroo tours during one of rugby league’s great eras. In this episode of the FOGS Queenslander Podcast, Gary reflects on growing up in Brisbane, the strength of the Brisbane Rugby League competition, his move to Canberra, life inside the Raiders’ famous sides of the late ’80s and early ’90s, and the pride of representing Queensland during the formative years of modern State of Origin. A proud Magpie, Raider and Queenslander. Chapters 00:00 – Introduction to Gary Belcher 00:44 – What being a FOG means 02:28 – Growing up in Acacia Ridge and Souths juniors 04:29 – Developing through the Souths Magpies system 06:24 – The move from Brisbane to Canberra 09:52 – The 1985 Souths premiership 12:07 – Joining the rising Canberra Raiders 15:07 – Playing against Mal Meninga 16:45 – Making his State of Origin debut in 1986 19:37 – Queensland culture and the early Origin years 21:04 – Wally Lewis’ famous driving stories 24:22 – The beer-can incident at Lang Park 26:32 – Running out for Queensland at Lang Park 28:09 – Reflecting on the era he played in 31:04 – The Raiders’ legendary grand final wins 34:16 – Representing Australia and Kangaroo tours 36:45 – Rivalries with NSW and lifelong friendships Subscribe to the FOGS Queenslander Podcast Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube Content attribution: Includes historic match footage and highlight reels from the NRL with permission. #FOGS #GaryBelcher #FOGSQueenslander #StateOfOrigin #QueenslandRugbyLeague #CanberraRaiders #SouthsMagpies #Kangaroos #NRLHistory #QLDER