ALLAN CURRIE – LEAGUE WARRIOR

Allan Currie won three premierships with Easts Tigers in the glory days of Brisbane Rugby League, and played rugby union against the All Blacks, in a decorated sporting career that should have brought Queensland honours.

An Australian rules player as a junior, Currie won the Rothmans Medal as Brisbane’s Best and Fairest Rugby League Player in 1977, an achievement replicated by his nephew, Tony Currie five years later. Allan was Tony’s hero, an inspirational figure in his march to State and National honours.

Allan’s best football was played in his late twenties/early thirties, which may have counted against him, in terms of his chances of playing for Queensland, after he moved from the three quarter line, to lock forward.

Born at Murwillumbah, in the Tweed Valley of Northern New South Wales, one of Allan’s cousins is former Test winger, Larry Corowa, who grew up on the Tweed and finished his career there with the Seagulls’ club, after playing for Balmain.

The Currie family moved to Queensland, from Fingal Head, when Allan was five, after his father, known as ‘Stokel’, landed a job in the railways at Wacol. ‘Stokel’ Currie was one of the best Indigenous footballers of his time, representing New South Wales Country against City at the Sydney Cricket Ground, in 1930.

Jack Reardon, vice captain- of the 1937-38 Kangaroos in Britain and France, and later The Courier-Mail’s Chief Rugby League Writer, described ‘Stokel’ as an attacking genius. Originally from Lismore in Northern NSW, Reardon played against Currie in district representative football. “I didn’t see which way he went,” Reardon famously recalled, many years later, when reflecting on their first head-to-head, on-field meeting.

The Currie family lived at Rocklea, and then Holland Park, with Allan attending Coorparoo Primary School, where Australian rules was the sport. As a teenager he joined his mates at Mt Gravatt Eagles Rugby League, and the natural progression from there was to Easts.

But first he had to do his National Service, where rugby union was the preferred sport. He played for his battalion side and then was chosen for the Combined Services team to play the All Blacks, at North Sydney Oval, in 1968.

“I particularly remember Kiwi forward, Colin Meads,” Currie said. “He was a giant of a man. They were very serious about their union in the Army. They flew me down to Canberra once, to play a rep., game at Manuka Oval, and then flew me back, straight after.”

When he was based at Enoggera, Currie tried out for local rugby league club, Wests Panthers, and also for Souths Magpies, but ultimately settled for a run with inner-west pub side, Normanby. After his father died in a boating accident at Hervey Bay, in 1970, Allan decided he needed to get away, so, after the funeral, he drove his FJ Holden to Darwin, where he lived for a year, and played league for Brothers.

He returned to Brisbane in 1971, starting at five eighth in Easts’ lower grades, and then moving to the centres. He quickly established himself in First Grade and scored a try from the centre position in Easts’ 14-10 loss to Valleys in the Grand Final, in front of a record crowd of 37,957. Easts were coached by former State five eighth, Ted Verrenkamp, while former Test forward, Henry Holloway was in charge of Valleys.

“Ted was a huge influence on my career,” Allan said. “He taught me how to read the game. Ted was also the one who believed I could make a good lock, when I didn’t think I could handle the extra workload.”

In 1972, with Verrenkamp again the coach, Currie played on the wing in the Tigers’ dramatic 16-15 win over Valleys, with Easts’ lock, Jeff Fyfe kicking the match winning field goal on full time.

Easts were next in a Grand Final, in 1976, but Currie had an injury interrupted year, and gave way to John Abbott, who started at lock in the Tigers’ 16-1 loss to the glamour side of the time, Wests. Abbott joined Canterbury-Bankstown the following year, but it’s doubtful he would have kept Currie out of First Grade, with the then 31-year-old playing dynamic football, and winning the 1977 Rothmans Medal, joining former Easts’ teammates, John Eales and Jeff Fyfe as a winner of the prestigious award. Currie nearly didn’t make it to the black tie function.

“(Easts’ Chairman) Arthur Sparks asked me after training one night, whether I was going to the Rothmans,” Currie recalled. “I said, I didn’t think so. He said he would like me to go, and he got me a suit, and arranged a cab to get me there.”

Easts had started the season poorly, and had been written off as finals contenders. But brilliantly led by captain-coach, Des Morris they came home with a wet sail, beating Norths 21-11 in the knock-out semi-final; Wests 9-5 in the preliminary final and then hot favourites, Redcliffe 17-13 in the Grand Final.

Easts did the BRL proud in 1978, thrashing North Sydney 27-6 in an Amco Cup match at Lang Park, with Currie’s defence one of the features. Easts were not disgraced in their 27-10 loss to Manly-Warringah, in a quarter final, also at Lang Park, with halfback, Johnny Gibbs the big difference between the two sides.

Currie was widely regarded as Player of the Match in Easts’ thrilling 14-10, 1978 Grand Final win over a Valleys’ side, which included rising superstar, Wally Lewis as Currie’s opposing lock.

“The remarkable Allan Currie, at 33 the oldest on the field, emerged as one of the heroes of Easts’ win,” wrote David Falkenmire, in ‘The Australian’. “With his crashing runs and powerful defence, Currie brought the crowd of 33,000 to its feet on several occasions, as he literally launched himself into flying tackles.”

Easts were eliminated by Souths in the 1979 Preliminary Final, and with the club sacking captain-coach, Morris, and refusing to renew the contract of Test hooker, Johnny Lang, Currie knew it was time to quit top level football, and he elected to play ‘Metropolitan League’ for a team from the Woodridge Tavern, in Logan City. Payment was a beer back at the pub, after the game.

Currie later took on coaching at Easts’ juniors, with Mick Georgiou, and remained a keen supporter of the senior club, despite the dramas of 1979, which saw Morris switch to Wynnum-Manly and Lang sign with Easts in Sydney.

“I just appreciated the chances Easts gave me,” Currie said. “From the club Patron, Jack Loth; to Chairman, Arthur Sparks to the doctor, Nick Conimos, they all went out of their way to help me.”

After Currie finished National Service, he worked as a rigger on construction sites in Brisbane, before buying a brewery truck, first working for XXXX, and then for the new Power Brewing Company, the physical work associated with both occupations helping his football, allied with sprint training, and workouts at Reg Layton’s Gym with noted boxer, Wally Taylor, an Easts’ supporter.

“I worked long hours when (inaugural Broncos’ sponsor) Bernie Power started out in 1988,” Currie recalled. “I made $150,000 in a year, which was a lot of money in those days, and still is.”

Allan is philosophical about missing out on Queensland selection, pointing out that the best lock of the 1970s in Brisbane was Wests’ star, Norm Carr, who went on to play in the inaugural State of Origin match in 1980.

Currie impressed North Sydney’s Welsh coach, Roy Francis when he came to Brisbane on a talent spotting mission in 1971, but Francis picked up Bruce ‘Goldie’ Walker instead. “I think he thought I was too old,” Currie said.

Another top lock in the 1970s was Redcliffe’s Indigenous star, Ian Thinee, who played for Queensland in 1975.

“Ian was a workaholic, who played well above his weight,” Currie said. “I caught up with him for lunch (in 2023) when ‘TC’ (Tony Currie) and I did a road trip together. Tony lived with us for a while at Holland Park, but he watched Wests, because they were the most exciting side of the time, and that’s who he signed for. Tony deserved every bit of success he enjoyed, because he worked hard on his game. He had amazing speed when he first started out, and was always a wonderful defender.”

Allan and his wife, Marie moved from Woodridge to Windaroo, near Beenleigh, 31 years ago, buying a new place just a stone’s throw from Windaroo Lakes Golf Club. Marie, who died three years ago, was the sister of former Queensland, Wynnum-Manly, Valleys’ and Penrith forward, Russell Hughes. Allan’s cousin, Laura Close, married Lionel Morgan, the first Indigenous man to represent Australia in rugby league.

“Lionel and Laura would often come to our house, at Holland Park,” said Currie, who was among hundreds of mourners at Lionel’s funeral, at Wynnum-Manly Leagues Club on October 5, 2023.

A regular at Family of League events, Allan has put back into the community as a respite worker at Burringilly Community Care, in Logan City, mowing lawns and inter-acting with residents. He has proven a popular regular at Windaroo Lakes, enjoying a round of social golf, and a coffee or beer with his many mates.

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