BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY Jamal Dasuki Idris (born 6 July 1990) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Penrith Panthers of the National Rugby League. An Australia national and New South Wales State of Origin representative centre, he previously played NRL clubs the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Gold Coast Titans, as well as the Indigenous Australian representative side.
Background
The son of an Aboriginal mother and a Nigerian father,[1] Idris spent two years growing up in an Aboriginal mission in Forster on the New South Wales Mid North Coast with his younger brother, Isaac, and mother, Alana. The family moved to Sydney, where Idris now lives, because of Jamal's interest in athletics, especially javelin throwing . Following several representative seasons in athletics, Idris took up rugby league in high school. His junior clubs were Chester Hill Hornets, Merrylands Rams, Fairfield Patrician Brothers, Bankstown Sports, Guildford Raiders, Berala Bears and Forster Tuncurry Hawkes.[2]
Due to his physical size (199 cm height, 115 kg weight), his looks and his dreadlocked hairstyle, Idris has been confused forLote Tuqiri by even his own family.[3]
Professional playing career
Bulldogs[
Idris atteneded Chester Hill North Public School Idris graduated from LaSalle Catholic College, Bankstown at the end of 2008. In March 2009, Idris was involved in a fight with Bulldogs teammates and was suspended for one week.[4] In May of the same year, Idris had what seemed to be the match-winning try against the St. George Illawarra Dragons denied after it was deemed thatGreg Eastwood had obstructed Dragons' five-eighth Jamie Soward on the halfway line where Idris made the line break. The Bulldogs lost this game 20-18.
His performance early in the 2009 season prompted dual international Wendell Sailor to say: "What Jamal's doing at the moment, I think it's a lot better than what Izzy (Israel Folau) was doing at the same age."[5] On 8 September, Idris was NamedDally M Rookie of the Year.[6]
The 2010 NRL Season began slowly for Idris, but he soon found his true potential. He scored two tries in the Bulldogs 60-14 win over the Sydney Roosters, and a month later had a man of the match performance against the Brisbane Broncos. He backed that up with an entertaining clash with Timana Tahu when the Bulldogs played the Eels. He was rewarded with a place in theCountry Origin team. After a strong performance for Country, including a try, Idris was named on the bench for the New South Wales State of Origin team for Game I of the 2010 State of Origin series.[7] He played the 2nd half of Game I of the 2010 State of Origin series, scoring a try in a loss. Idris was dropped for the second match but was named the 18th man. In 2010, Jamal was named in the training side for Australia in the Four Nations tournament[citation needed].
In September 2010, Idris was the victim of an attack by his cousin whilst in Forster for a family reunion. His cousin, Beau Currie, 20, later pleaded to striking Idris' neck with a samurai sword and was sentenced to 18 months in jail with a non-parole period of 14 months.[8] Idris was not seriously injured and made a return to the Bulldogs for the start of the 2011 NRL season.
Early into the new season, rumours abound of contract offers from rival clubs, the Newcastle Knights and Gold Coast Titans. On 12 April 2011, Idris signed a three-year deal with the Titans. Weeks later, he was selected for the Australian Kangaroos, debuting against the New Zealand Kiwis on 6 May.
Titans
In the 2012 season opener against the North Queensland Cowboys, Idris scored the opening try for the Titans for the season and put a big hit on Glenn Hall in the 26th minute. Due to form and injury, Idris saw one of his less effective seasons to date. After consecutive years of making representative football, Idris was yet to see a representative jumper in 2012. At the end of the 2013 season Idris had been in talks with the Panthers as he sought a return to Sydney on compassionate grounds to be closer to his family. On 7 January 2014, a deal with the Panthers was announced by the media.
Panthers
Before the start of the 2014 NRL season, the Penrith Panthers signed Idris on a three-year deal. In a return deal, the Panthers released Brad Tighe from the final two years of his contract to join the Titans.[9]
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