Peter Leis in action for Redcliffe
As the NRL charges into the 2015 season, much is being made of the Fijian influence, with a number of crowd pleasers from the Pacific nation grabbing their share of the headlines.
England experienced a similar Fijian ‘invasion’ in the 1960s, with the Rochdale Hornets’ club the main beneficiary.
And in January, 1970, Brisbane fans were excited by the prospect of seeing razzle dazzle football from three Fijian rugby union internationals signed by Souths Magpies.
Souths’ Fijian excitement machines were winger, Asaeli Batibasaga and forwards, Moritekei Nabuta and Isoa Volavola.
Nabuta’s sign-on fee was to be remitted to his wife and family in Fiji each week for the first of his two seasons.
The following month Souths signed a fourth Fijian, Amenatave Gutugutuwai. The Magpies had approached Batibasga, but the other players approached Souths.
In other news, former Test halfback, Barry Muir signed as captain-coach of Ayr Colts in the Burdekin League. Muir was returning from a two year ban for spitting at referee, Dale Coogan in a Brisbane club match, a penalty local referees thought totally inadequate.
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This was the start of the Pacific Islands influence on the game, and they certainly provided Souths supporters with a lot of thrilling plays.
I was there as a kid with my brother followed the magpies and remember the long range passes and how tough they played all of them great times at lang park and davies greg vievers leading them out and grabbing to chunks of turf and slapping his hands together go the Magpies