Scotland's modestly-paid rugby league players have been warned they face a significant fine for a unique offence during the coming month. "It's 50 pounds if you wear something under your kilt," fullback Lachlan Coote ... er ... reveals.
The Bravehearts will be world sport's biggest underdogs - for this weekend at least – when they open their Four Nations campaign against a multi-million-dollar Australian side at Hull's Craven Park.
Their side will comprise a sprinkling of NRL stars with others chosen from Super League, the lower divisions in England and amateurs. In an interview with Fairfax Media, 26-year-old North Queensland star Coote said the last time he had played for such rank outsiders was in the Penrith junior league.
"Growing up we were always the underdogs, playing for Windsor Wolves," Coote said.
"We were in and out of first division. Usually when we'd come up to first division, we'd get our arses handed to us and then we'd go down to second division.
"One year we did win the comp. It's similar to this. Obviously they're not fulltime players and the quality of the players the other teams, we don't sort of match up to that.
"I'll be happy if all the boys give 100 per cent effort. I don't want to see them slacken off in any way or give up.
"I think we'll give it to them early and it would be awesome to see that. Obviously the fitness and the strength and size of their forward pack is a lot different to ours.
"As long as the boys are hanging in there and giving it 100 per cent, I'll be happy watching it from behind."
Coote qualifies via his grandmother. "We want to make rugby league a world game, like rugby union, how big that is around the world," he said. "I want to do all I can to build that profile.
"Most of the blokes in the Scotland team, they've played their own way, most of them still work and they're playing their equivalent to A-Grade.
"It's good to see how passionate they are about playing rugby league.
"You won't make much out of the month but the Cowboys, I'm still on the payroll there whereas they're giving up money to play in this."
Coote this year turned down a four-year deal at Sydney Roosters to stay with North Queensland for two years in a decision that surprised observers of the NRL's overheated transfer market.
"I was always going into that year thinking I was going to re-sign at Cowboys," he explained. "That was the plan until Cowboys didn't really offer a contract.
"They weren't putting something down on paper. That was pretty disappointing at the start of the year. That's why other clubs came into play.
"I was thinking of leaving. As soon as Cowboys …. I probably helped myself by playing some good footy at the start of the year … put one on the table.
"And there was no doubt I was going to take it."
