Meaning behind the Zulu word Maroons have adopted

The 'Queensland spirit' is often spoken astir but has ever been hard to define.

This year, the Maroons person gone planetary successful their hunt for a mode to explicate what it means to correspond their authorities successful rugby league's toughest arena - with Billy Slater's men adopting the African connection 'Ubuntu' arsenic a squad mantra.

"Yeah it's conscionable our team, I conjecture motto, that we started earlier crippled one," centre Valentine Holmes told 9News Queensland.

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Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow of the Maroons celebrates scoring a effort with squad mates. (Getty)

"We each bought into it. We volition adjacent accidental it retired connected the field. If determination were bully speakers retired determination (during training) you'd beryllium capable to perceive america accidental it."

Ubuntu is simply a Zulu connection that astir translates to "I am, due to the fact that we are."

It's astir the corporate being much important than the individual.

"It's each astir squad first. 'I am, due to the fact that we are.' What we bash for each different is astir important," said Reuben Cotter, man-of-the-match from the triumph astatine Adelaide Oval.

"It means having your brothers' back. It means a batch to america boys and we each privation to beryllium 'Ubuntu' these adjacent mates of weeks," Maroons guardant Tino Fa'asuamaleaui explained.

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Ubuntu archetypal came to prominence successful a sporting discourse aft the Boston Celtics won the 2008 NBA championship.

The team, coached by Doc Rivers and led by superstars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, would chant the word earlier each crippled connected their mode to a drought-breaking rubric for the storied hoops franchise.

Maroons manager Billy Slater speech tactics with Daly Cherry-Evans during Origin camp. (Getty)

Billy Slater showed the squad a documentary called The Playbook astir Rivers' coaching benignant earlier the bid opener this twelvemonth wherever the seasoned NBA mentor explains however Ubuntu galvanised the Celtics to execute triumph done idiosyncratic sacrifice.

"It's selflessness, really, successful a nutshell," said Lindsay Collins, whose spectacular leap and drawback helped acceptable up Cameron Munster's game-sealing effort 2 weeks ago.

"You don't bash thing for yourself, you bash it for this team."

While immoderate players were speedy to clasp the concept, others didn't afloat admit what it meant until the broadside re-watched their Adelaide triumph together.

"It was much meaningful aft crippled 1 erstwhile we benignant of reviewed and watched immoderate of those selfless acts. You get a monolithic footwear retired of it. Knowing that idiosyncratic is moving for you arsenic good arsenic themselves," Collins said.

Game-turning selfless acts singled retired by the Maroons included Murray Taulagi's back-to-back try-savers earlier half-time and Cotter, who was forced to play retired of presumption for overmuch of the game, slapping down and diving connected an errant offload from Tevita Pangai Jr aft the break.

That alteration of possession led to a effort for winger Selwyn Cobbo connected the precise adjacent set.

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"The mode we spot each other, the mode we look astatine each other. We're not each individuals. The lone mode we tin beryllium palmy is if we play arsenic a team. It's a squad sport," Holmes said.

Slater's hands-on coaching benignant is already paying dividends with his young squad but what has resonated astir is the mode the legendary Queensland fullback has instilled the values of Ubuntu.

"Yeah, bloody oath. Bill is truthful large connected driving it. We each conscionable gravitated towards it and it's worked truly good for us. There's a batch of selfless radical successful this team," Cotter said.

For Slater, Ubuntu is much than conscionable sacrificing for your team, but putting your assemblage connected the enactment for your state.

Collins explained it best: "Origin football, that's what it's about. You correspond everyone successful Queensland and past it trickles down. It starts with the fans, family, friends and past your teammates."

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