James McManus is one of the few players to have represented New South Wales without having been born in the country. In 1986, he was born in Banff, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and moved to the Northern Territory while in primary school. During the 2003 national under-18s championships in Darwin he was scouted by the Newcastle Knights. After four years in the system, he debuted for the Knights in 2007, and has not played for another club since, a fantastic achievement to stick with the same club. His best attribute was his aerial ability, being able to out-jump many of his opposition wingers.
His Moment: McManus has three State of Origin appearances spread over six years. His debut was not as memorable as he might have hoped, being injured in the opening match, and was unable to take part in the rest of the series. In 2013, his Origin career was re-ignited, as he was selected to play in the Game III decider at ANZ Stadium. In the 25th minute, he completed a wide shift and scored his first try in sky-blue, but the result did not go the way of NSW.
His Career: After two seasons at the top-level, McManus was selected to represent VB Country in the 2009 Country-City clash. Following some strong performances, he debuted for Origin that year, but was injured in the match and missed the rest of the season, plus the start of the 2010 season. His representative career was re-ignited in 2012 when he was selected for VB Country once again, and played two further games for NSW in 2013 and 2014.
Where Is He Now: Unfortunately, McManus suffered a concussion in Round 20 of the 2015 season, and was sidelined for the remainder of the season, and there was speculation that he would have to retire. On 2 February 2016, he announced that he would sit out of the entire 2016 season due to the concussion, and would consider his options. No decision on his Rugby League future has been made yet.
