AUGUST 1997
Parramatta coach, Brian Smith said fans were entitled to a refund after the Eels’ 18-8 win over Gold Coast Chargers at Carrara in Round 19 of the Australian Rugby League’s Optus Cup competition.
Smith described it as “the slowest, most boring game of football this year”, his frustration no doubt exacerbated by the fact 100 children from his home town, Casino had made the trip from the Richmond Valley to the Gold Coast, to watch the match.
“At least we got a win for them,” he said.
Smith told his players to ‘shut up shop’ at half time, in response to “negative tactics” from the Chargers.
“We came here to play rugby league. If you paid money, you would have the right to ask for it back,” he said. “We decided at halftime to play them (the Chargers) at their own game.”
It should have been the Chargers’ biggest night of the year with a club record crowd of 13,182 on hand, but things went wrong from the start, with Parramatta’s former Gold Coast star, Brett Horsnell copping embers in the eye from a prolonged fireworks display.
Chargers’ coach, Phil Economidis said his halves, Chris Orr and Wes Patten, had failed to take control. Queensland State of Origin hooker, Jamie Goddard was the Chargers best, beginning the side’s comeback with a try, which saw him push past Eel’s Test forward, Jim Dymock. (Parramatta had raced to an 18-0 lead). Veteran Chargers’ prop, Martin Bella was a crowd favourite, with his fearless charges.
Economidis said the record crowd was proof the community wanted a top-level league side on the Coast.
A Chargers’ board meeting on the day of the match, decided to continue talks with the Brisbane based South Queensland Crushers over a possible merger. Crushers’ CEO, Eric Laakso was a spectator at Carrara.
Gold Coast Mayor, Gary Baildon and Queensland Sports Minister, Mick Veivers were scheduled to fly to Sydney the following day to meet with Australian Rugby League officials, to plead the case for a team to remain on the Coast in the event of a peace deal being struck between the ARL and the News Limited backed Super League competition.
There were fears the Chargers would be relocated to Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, in the event of a merger with the Crushers, a club on death row. There also was speculation Super League’s Perth Reds would be relocated to Melbourne.
Between them, the Chargers and Crushers boasted enormous depth of young, emerging talent. The Chargers’ under-20s defeated competition leaders, Parramatta 38-24 in the early match at Carrara. At the Crushers, recruitment chief, Paul Bunn had put together a formidable academy, which boasted the likes of Ash Harrison and Brent Tate, with Justin Hodges and Jonathan Thurston on scholarships.
South Sydney were on the hunt for a new coach for 1998, with officials interviewing former Test halfback, Mark Murray for the job. Murray was chief executive of Queensland Cup side, Redcliffe Dolphins at the time. Ken Shine coached Souths in 1997.
In the Queensland Cup, (known as the Channel 9 Cup in 1997), Wests defeated Central Queensland Capras 38-10 in a knockout semi-final at Purtell Park, Bardon.
Capras’ coach, John Harbin was proud of his men, with the club’s surge to the finals attracting enormous interest in Rockhampton and surrounds, with nine home games drawing over 15,000 fans.
There were just a few hundred at Purtell Park, with the home side racing away with things in the second half, after leading just 6-4 at the break. Wests scored six tries in the second half, two by winger, Mark Maguire.
At Lang Park, Easts defeated Burleigh Bears 14-8, with Indigenous centre, Travis Burns crossing twice for the Tigers. Easts’ second rower, Doug Evans was outstanding while five eighth, Grant Adamson was Burleigh’s best.
In what was viewed by many as a bizarre situation, Brisbane first grade sides that failed to qualify for Channel 9 finals, then began a series of knock-out games to determine the XXXX Cup Grand finalists. Toowoomba defeated Redcliffe in the inaugural Queensland Cup in 1996, but Redcliffe went on to win the Brisbane title a week or so later.
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