Somewhere, someone has $50 Greg Inglis hasn’t forgotten about. Let’s be honest, he’s probably not waiting on it to pay this week’s rent. But out of principle, it would be nice if one day the pineapple lobbed for a winning bet he’s never collected on.

“I still haven’t got it,” Inglis laughs. “My cousin owes me.”

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As the chapter closes on another Try July – from Coldplay scandals, old man reincarnations, Mark Riddell impersonations and that Glenn Lazarus cartwheel – it’s easy to forget how perhaps the most replayed grand final try celebration of all time started one sunny afternoon out at Penrith.

Inglis, then a rampaging fullback for the Rabbitohs, wanted to put his own unique spin on dotting down, with a nod to his Indigenous heritage. His cousin challenged him.

He was asked about a backflip. Anthony Mundine and Nathan Blacklock had been there and done that. The didgeridoo? Wendell Sailor had royalties there.

And then came The Goanna, where his towering and limber frame, with power coiled through his chest and core, would glide across the grass all hands and feet, straight down the barrel of a waiting camera.

“So, I just did (it) and it worked out perfectly,” Inglis says. “It stuck with me then.”

READ MORE: How an ‘aha moment’ changed everything for NRL icon GI

So much so when he dashed away to score in the dying minutes of South Sydney’s drought-breaking grand final triumph against the Bulldogs in 2014, who could ever forget the image of Inglis, smile widening with each graceful stride towards the line, eventually finishing with The Goanna?

You can take your pick on which moment defined the night: Inglis’ instantly iconic celebration or Sam Burgess’ cheekbone being smashed into next week off the opening carry.

But it’s also worth remembering that Inglis, a try-scoring freak whether he pulled on a Storm or Rabbitohs jersey or a Queensland or Australian one, somehow never really scored much against the Bulldogs.

Before the grand final, Inglis had spent nine long years and 14 games without a try against Canterbury. No one remembers that when he finished a grand final like he did.

Of all the amazing Indigenous talent to have played rugby league at the top level in Australia – from Lionel Morgan to Arthur Beetson and Johnathan Thurston – there might not have been a more naturally gifted one than Inglis.

On the eve of this year’s Indigenous Round, Inglis sat down with Jake Duke for a Face To Face special on Fox League about his illustrious career, which rewrote Origin record books and will always be remembered for the Rabbitohs’ grand final win they couldn’t take away (he was part of the Storm team which had their 2007 and 2009 titles stripped for systemic salary cap rorting).

“I know it sounds arrogant, but we had this self-belief nothing is going to be beat us (in 2014),” Inglis says. “This is our year.

“You look back on that footage after the grand final and I’m almost in tears, or about to burst into tears. All that just came back in. Finally, this is mine.

“I knew (The Goanna celebration) was going to happen. I just knew. You just had this sense and feeling and you could hear the crowd roaring, everything just slowed down and it just happened. It was such a relief.

“It was like, ‘yep, we’ve done this. We’ve done it’.”

Inside the bowels of Accor Stadium after the decider, a shirtless and exhausted Inglis sat with his head cradled on the Provans-Summons trophy. It was an image, you would think, he would treasure.

But when asked about his favourite one from the night, Inglis recalls being snapped embracing Cathy Freeman in the South Sydney sheds after the game.

Freeman had barely been back to the scene of her famous gold medal run at the Sydney 2000 Games, but made an exception for the Rabbitohs’ date with destiny, having delivered a pre-match talk to the squad the day prior in their final training session at Redfern Oval. Coach Michael Maguire had organised it at the 11th hour, seeking that extra one per cent for his squad.

Her message was simple: this is your moment.

“That photo of her and I is on my wall at home,” Inglis says. “I just wanted to hold her and share that moment.”

Inglis has never been one comfortable in the spotlight, and has fought his share of personal battles, both during his playing days and in his post career. He’s been diagnosed with anxiety, depression and bipolar II disorder.

He’s found an outlet dabbling in some coaching, and this year has split time with the Queensland women’s Origin side and the Wests Tigers’ NRLW outfit.

Yet undoubtedly, his greatest impact has been away from footballs and tackling bags.

His Goanna Academy, which spreads mental health awareness, has become Inglis’ biggest passion project. For all his superhuman efforts on a rectangular field, he admits he’s just human. He struggles like everyone else.

It’s why he’s recently launched the “Stick With It” campaign, sports strapping which serves to remind a person every time they look down about the value of persistence.

“Hopefully I leave a long-lasting legacy and something that my family can be proud of, what I did on the footy field, (but also) inspire the next generation coming through wanting to be the best version of themselves,” Inglis says.

“I guess it goes back to doing what I believe in and staying true to myself.”