VALE JOHN ‘SNOOZER’ ELFORD

John Elford earned notoriety in Queensland by ‘taking out’ local glamour forward, Richie Twist in the first match of the 1972 inter-state series at Lang Park.

Referee, Henry Albert had no hesitation dismissing New South Wales’ second rower, Elford, but the Blues had too much artillery for Queensland, running out convincing 29-6 winners, with Bob Fulton scoring three tries.

“He (Elford) absolutely flattened Richie,” recalls Kirra based former television commentator, George Doniger, who called the game for Channel 7.

I drove up from the Tweed to see the match, primarily to watch Brisbane Wests’ prop, Ray McCarron in action for Queensland, as ‘Big Macca’ had been my captain-coach at Murwillumbah Brothers the previous season.

I had a great view of the Elford – Twist incident, as I was standing on the concourse in front of the Frank Burke Stand. My memory is of Elford hardly even waiting for Albert to signal him for an early shower. The home town fans booed with all their might as Elford strode from the field, while the ambulance men treated the unconscious Twist, who played club football with McCarron at Wests, and was the pin-up boy of Brisbane football.

The next time I saw Elford in action, he was wearing the Australian jersey, against the Kiwis at Lang Park, and this time the crowd cheered him as the Kangaroos belted New Zealand 31-7, with Elford scoring two tries. The only Queensland based players in the Australian squad of 15 were Brisbane Wests’ winger, Wayne Stewart (who kicked five goals) and Brisbane Souths’ forward, Jim Murphy.

Elford had made his Test debut in the first match of the series at the SCG,  with Australian winning that game 36-11. Elford and lock, Gary Sullivan (Newtown) were the real success stories of the series. In his debut Elford, a former winger, and beach spring champion, set up tries for Fulton and Sullivan and terrorised the Kiwis with his driving tackles.

One of those trademark tackles featured on the front cover of the very first Rugby League Week, in 1971, with Parramatta prop, Dennis Fitzgerald on the receiving end.

Elford was an automatic selection for Australia’s World Cup campaign in France at the end of the 1972 season and played in the 21-7 loss to Great Britain in Perpignan, and the dour 9-5 win over New Zealand in Paris.

Originally from Kempsey, on the NSW North Coast, Elford started his senior football career with the nearby Smithtown Tigers in the Group 2 competition, before Test forward, Noel Kelly enticed him to join Wests Magpies in Sydney in 1966.

One of the early influences on Elford was giant centre/winger, John Armstrong, who, ironically, would play for Wests in Brisbane in the 1970s, and is revered by the Wests’ faithful to this day.

Elford represented Sydney Seconds against Country in 1968, on the wing, with Armstrong in the second row, and Queenslander, Johnny Rhodes (another Brisbane Wests’ product) on the other wing. That same year Elford played on the wing for Wests Magpies against the French side, which had just been beaten by Australia in the World Cup final at the SCG. The match was played at Lidcombe Oval and was notable for a fiery performance by Wests’ forward, Neville Hornery.

Injuries plagued the latter part of Elford’s career, sidelining him for the entire 1973 Sydney season. He played 24 first grade games for Wests in 1974, but managed only eight in the next two seasons, breaking his arm again in an Amco Cup match against Monaro Division at Queanbeyan in 1976. His last match in the Sydney competition was a 28-4 win over Newtown at Henson Park, when his co-second rower was Geoff Foster

He returned to Smithtown as captain-coach and took them to the Group 2 premiership in 1977, and to grand finals the following two years. The John Elford Shield is contested annually between South West Rocks Marlins and Lower Macleay Magpies.

Elford was passionate about players’ rights and fought a legal battle against the NSWRL’s transfer system in the Supreme Court (in 1969). When the court ruled in favour of the governing body, Elford sat out the 1969 season in protest. Balmain second rower, Dennis Tutty also challenged the system and sat out the 1969 and 1970 seasons, before winning his case, before the High Court of Australia.

Elford resolved his differences with Wests and remained a one club man during his time in the Sydney premiership.

John Elford died on February 4, 2024, in Newcastle, after suffering a stroke 48 hours earlier. He had been an oyster farm at South West Rocks in his later years.

I met John and Dennis Tutty at a fund raiser for noted Manning District radio caller, Marshall Loadsman at Tuncurry Bowls club, in February, 2019. (Loadsman had suffered a stroke). The function also marked the 70^th birthday party for Englishman, Brian Atherton, who, along with his wife, Carole, was a close friend of Elford’s. I asked John about the tackle on Twist, and he said he deserved to be sent off. From memory, John said he took out Twist because he had heard he was the flavour of the month in Queensland and he regarded him as a threat to his Test aspirations. Or then again, he surmised, it might have been a cover tackle gone wrong.

John has had his health issues leading up to his death, and rugby league people from the Mid-North Coast of NSW have helped wherever possible.

Elford got the nickname ‘Sleepy’, which later turned to Snoozer, from Noel Kelly. One night Kelly arrived to pick up Elford for training, and found him asleep on a park bench, with a newspaper over his head.

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