FLASHBACK: April 1975

Brisbane Brothers’ former Test rugby league hooker, Brian Fitzsimmons cast doubts over the standard of Sydney club football ahead of an Amco Cup game against Balmain at Lang Park.

Fitzsimmons, Brothers’ coach, had played all his football in Queensland, and bled Maroon. He succeeded New South Welshman, Paul Broughton as coach of Brothers in 1975, with Broughton having moved back to Sydney to coach – you guessed it – Balmain.

After watching the television replay of the round 3 Sydney Premiership match between Parramatta and St George at Kogarah, Fitzsimmons conceded the game was played at a faster pace in Sydney.

“But I’ve yet to be convinced that the Sydney club standard is all it’s cracked up to be. Only (St George fullback) Graeme Langlands lifted the game to a fair standard,” he said.

Speaking to Rugby League News editor, Neil Groom, Fitzsimmons gave Brothers a good chance of upsetting Balmain, a team which included former Queensland prop, Dennis Manteit as well as Test winger, Allan McMahon. Brothers were captained by David Wright, who went on to represent his country later that year.

“One guide is Graham Roberts,” ‘Fitzy’ said. “No doubt Graham is a fine centre. He has made a good impression with Balmain (since joining the Tigers from Brothers). But I rate Murray Schultz and Graham Quinn every bit as good as Roberts. In fact, throughout the Balmain team, I can’t see anyone to worry about. We will have a younger side, and I think we will be more mobile in the forwards.”

Brothers’ five eighth, Lloyd Martin, a former Balmain player, had given the Brothers’ boys some inside mail.

As things transpired Balmain proved too strong, winning 24-16, but it was hardly a mismatch. The Brothers’ boys were lifted by the presence of the  Queensland Irish Pipe Band, which led the players onto the arena.

A crowd of 18,000 enjoyed the entertaining contest in which McMahon, Mike Fish, Keith Outten and Jeff Field scored tries for the Tigers while Trevor Forwood kicked six goals from as many shots. Quinn and Ian Dauth scored tries for Brothers with Dauth landing five goals from seven shots. Outten, one of the heroes of Balmain’s shock grand final over South Sydney in 1969, was man of the match. Test referee, Don Lancashire, who was based in Toowoomba that season, made sure it was an open game.

In the early match of the Lang Park double header Manly-Warringah defeated North Coast of New South Wales 44-2 with Bob Fulton scoring three tries. North Coast’s only points came from the boot of former Springbok, Peter Swanson who was playing at Coffs Harbour that season. The North Coast team included two of my former Murwillumbah Brothers’ teammates, Gary ‘Mouse’ Dowling and Greg Grainger. The coach was former International centre, Ron Boden. Frank Stanton coached Manly.

The North Coast side included a number of players I would play against that season in Group 3, where I was contracted to Wingham. They were Mark Hogan, Errol Ruprecht (Taree United), Phil Amidy (Wauchope) and John Sullivan (Forster Tuncurry). Ron Boden was also from Taree but from memory he was not coaching at club level.

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