There are plenty of good players waiting in the wings, but Matt Sing's surprise decision to retire from representative football at just 29 will hit Queensland hard.

Sing returned home to Townsville from Australia's Tri-Nations triumph in England this week to see his new-born baby daughter Meiki for the first time.

"That'll be it," declared the softly spoken Sing after laying eyes on the latest addition to his young family.

Despite having another two more years to run on his contract with NRL semi-finalists North Queensland, Sing believes a decade of playing representative football is enough.

A member of Queensland's miracle maroons who sprung the biggest upset in Origin history in 1995, he has been a player whose reliability, consistency, toughness and skills have often been overshadowed by higher profile members of Queensland teams.

His ability to stop tries as much as score them was never in question with Queensland selectors.

When recalled in 2003, he repaid their faith with five tries in the series - including three in one game.

He played the first of his 21 Origins under former Queensland great Paul Vautin in the 1995 series in which NSW was the overwhelming favourite because the Super League rift prevented Brisbane's stars from playing that year.

Vautin recalled the shy north Queensland winger was a "good listener" when he came into Origin camp in 1995.

"I think he said probably eight words in the three games and that was `yes coach' four times," said Vautin.

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