Lang Park under water in 1974
Lang Park resembled a dust bowl by the end of the 1974 season, after devastating floods inundated the stadium and wreaked havoc on Queensland Rugby League’s administration offices in late January.
The flood, which claimed 14 lives, caused extensive loss and damage to League records, trophies and merchandise, which were kept in the QRL and Brisbane Rugby League offices, under the Frank Burke Grandstand.
Rugby League grounds across Southern Queensland were damaged by floodwaters from major waterways, such as the Brisbane, Mary and Burnett Rivers, as well as Kedron Brook in Brisbane’s Northern Suburbs. Brothers’ home ground at Corbett Park, Grange became known as ‘Corbett Beach’, because of its sandy surface.
Northern New South Wales was also hard hit, with the main rugby league fields in Lismore and Murwillumbah going under.
Lang Park (now Suncorp Stadium) had a heavy match schedule, with Brisbane club fixtures played on Saturdays and Sundays, while there were also inter-state representative matches; and games against the touring Great Britain side (captained by Chris Hesketh), including the First Test and Britain v Queensland and Brisbane games.
During the January downpours, Brisbane recorded its wettest single day since 1887, and the 1974 floods have gone down as Brisbane’s worst flood of the 20th Century.
It proved a wet year all round and games went ahead, rain hail, or shine, sometimes in atrocious conditions. For the final match of the inter-state series, at Lang Park, the floodlights had to be turned on for a game that kicked off at 3 p.m. Much of the playing area was covered in water, in some places 30cm deep.
The Courier-Mail’s chief rugby league writer, Jack Reardon described the conditions as the worst he had ever seen for an inter-state game, and his recollections went back to the 1920s. (Reardon was super impressed by rugby union convert, Russell Fairfax’s display at fullback, with the former Wallaby having a faultless game in ridiculous conditions).
The 1974 ‘rain event’ – as people like to call them these days – crossed the Queensland coast near Maryborough, and by January 25, Brisbane was flooded. When the QRL staff (and they were few and far between in those days under the stewardship of Ron McAuliffe and Bill Mutton) returned to their offices, they were met with heart breaking scenes. So many valuable things were swept away, or ruined. Staff members had taken some items/records home, but they did not have enough time, or help, to do a thorough job.
Some of those records taken home, were never returned for whatever reason. The loss of those records means that the QRL has not been able to record its history as accurately as the NSWRL, although the floods have been viewed as a convenient excuse by some.
I was a 21-year-old journalist at the Tweed Daily News at the time of the flood, and the Tweed River also flooded, with Murwillumbah going under. Our offices were just above the flood waters, and my ‘flat’ was perched high on a hill. I was able to get to work by following the ridge lines to town. Several of my mates were not so lucky, and they crashed at my place, waiting for the waters to recede. I would get home from night shift to find bodies on the floor; no food or beer, and evidence of atrocities I can’t mention here. To make matters worse, I couldn’t even watch TV, because it went off at 10.30 p.m. Great days.
The September 22 Brisbane Grand Final, between Valleys and Brothers, also proved one of the wettest on record, and it finished a try-less affair, with Valleys – coached by Henry Holloway – triumphing against the Paul Broughton coached Brothers.
Suncorp Stadium, and the QRL offices, were again inundated by floods – in 2011 and 2022.
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Steve, always enjoy your very inciteful and historical articles. Hope you and your wife are enjoying your semi retirement. Regards john connell
Ah yes, the 1974 floods, I remember them well. I remember attending a match between my team the Northern Suburbs Devils playing Fortitude Valley Diehards at dusty Lang Park. I recall a scrum being ordered by the referee and how in those days the hooker had to try to win the scrum for his team. Hugh O’Doherty was Valley’s hooker, a great raker of the ball and the best in the game at the time. The two half backs were Tommy Bishop the English half bought by Norths and who would later become captain/coach of the Devils and Ross Strudwick from Valleys who had been duelling throughout the game. Both halfbacks were fiery at the best of times. Bishop fed the scrum, O’Dogherty won the scrum against the feed for Valleys and Bishop, clearly off side jumped on Strudwick before he could get his hands on the ball. A fight ensured between the two little men and when Strudwick looked to be getting the better of Bishop, the little Englishman gathered a handful of sand from the field and promptly threw it into Strudwick’s face causing a huge melee. I seem to remember that Tommy Bishop was sent off for his indiscretion and Valleys went on to win the game.
I can confirm it rained throughout the 74 BRL GF. Stood there in the wet outer with the Roma Cities RL Club Players and Members. We’d flown in that morning from Sydney where we’d attended the SCG in brilliant sunshine to take in the Eastern Suburbs V Canterbury Grand Final. Roma’s favourite son, Arthur Beetson was a big focus that day. Take me back them days anytime. There were blokes who’d never been on planes before. Priceless.