Ipswich 1972 Premiers West End captained by Dave Roderick
MONDAY, JULY 7
Former Nanango Rural Youth Club member, Peter Scott is writing a book about the organisation and reaches out to the Queensland Rugby League History Committee for a photograph of former State rep., Dave Roderick who was a Rural Youth member. Dave, who played for West End in Ipswich, toured New Zealand with the Maroons in 1972. He was regarded as one of the game’s true gentlemen.
How many tackles did former Brisbane Broncos/London Broncos’ forward, Steele Retchless make in his 17-year rugby league career? That stat isn’t readily available, but given he played 350 odd games, in Australia and the UK, and always tackled himself to a standstill, one would surmise it would be between 15,000 and 20,000. I catch up with Steele and former Brisbane Brothers’ skipper, Trevor Bailey at Q Roasters, Stafford on my way home after taking our eldest lad, Damien; wife, Emma and daughters, Parker and Evan to Brisbane Airport ahead of a flight to Singapore on the first leg of a six month Northern Hemisphere adventure. Also at Q Roasters is Gerard O’Keefe, whose father Les was a regular at the Stafford Tavern where I would enjoy an ale when living at Grange. Steele reminds me he played in the last Challenge Cup Final at the old Wembley Stadium – for London Broncos against Leeds in 1999. Steele’s dad, Mick is a Brisbane Rugby League legend because of his deeds with the Valley Diehards. Now 83, Mick has had his health issues, but is travelling OK at the moment.
TUESDAY, JULY 8
Radio SEN’s Corey Parker and Ian Healy ask listeners to nominate their favourite State of Origin deciders. I text the 1987 series, Allan Langer’s first in Maroon, and a classic in so many ways, with high quality football and close scores. I must be texting the wrong number. There could be no other explanation for Corey and Heals not running my comment, surely.
The 1980 Queensland side – the inaugural Origin guys – hold a reunion in Sydney. It is 45 years ago today that the match was played at Lang Park, with Queensland winning 20-10. Mal Meninga, who turned 20 that day, kicked seven goals from as many shots. I watched the match from The Outer with work colleague, Dave Argus and his teammates from Redcliffe Hockey Club. We had met at the Albion Hotel beforehand.
I’m told some Samford residents refer to our over-65 village – Samford Grove – as ‘The Asylum’. That’s not nice. The town’s independent fruit shop has shut. It seems the proprietors could not get a buyer, and with family coming first, they have walked away. Sad really. It is Drakes Supermarket or nowhere now. In saying that, Drakes is very good, and we don’t need a Woolies or a Coles here.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 9
Queensland are simply magnificent in their series clinching win over New South Wales in game 3 of the State of Origin series in Sydney. The Maroons are always on top and lock, Reuben Cotter is non-stop; Tommy Dearden’s cover defence is amazing and Trent Loiero is a real find. Blues’ hooker, Reece Robson (a Murwillumbah Mustangs product) plays the game far too much in the middle. I love the fact members of the inaugural Origin side (1980) are at the game and form a guard of honour for the teams. Dale Hall, a fine player in his day, is head of security for the Queensland side. There’s nothing he can do to prevent 1980 Origin player, Norm Carr telling Ch 9’s Origin legend, Darren Lockyer to “fuck off” during post game celebrations, as Locky interrupts Norm’s conversation with Xavier Coates. Hilarious.
In ‘Red Red Red, The Story of Queensland Rugby’, there is reference to a butcher by the name of Bernie Deignan playing for the state in the 1950s. I recall a butcher with that name operating a shop in Main Street, Murwillumbah in the 1960s and 70s. Surely it has to be the same bloke.
THURSDAY, JULY 10
Sunshine Coast based ABC journalist, Robert Burgin makes his debut as a member of the Queensland Rugby League History Committee, which I chair. Another member, John McCoy says his grandsons were in camp with Gregory Terrace Rugby at Twin Waters on the Sunshine Coast at the same time as the Qld Origin side, and were embraced by Maroons’ forward, Pat Carrigan, a former school captain at Terrace. The Terrace boys also posed for a photo with Cameron Munster, just before the Qld skipper got news his father, Steven had died.
Queensland’s reserve forward, Josh Kerr calls referee, Ashley Klein a double agent, implying that he was biased towards the Blues. Josh has had a big night on the turps and someone from the QRL Media department probably should have prevented him doing television interviews. But you can’t be everywhere.
A young butcher here at Samford supports the Roosters, something I have been aware of for some time. But today he tells me he also follows the Swans! Gad. When I refer to Aussie rules as Cross Country Netball, one of the older butchers has a good laugh – “Well played,” he says.
FRIDAY, JULY 11
Brisbane League Old Boys get-together at Redcliffe sees the likes of Richie Poulsen, Tony Obst and Murray Schultz in attendance. Murray and I were teammates at Brothers. I played against Tony in 1979, and then interviewed him when I became a fulltime league writer in March, 1981. I interviewed Richie a number of times and he would have played for Queensland except he came from Casino on the Richmond River in New South Wales. His finest rep moment was as a member of the Combined Brisbane side which defeated the Roosters in the final of National Panasonic Cup competition in 1984. There are a stack of letters to the editor about Queensland’s Origin win, one from Bill Glasson, who recalls famous radio commentator George Lovejoy’s great catch cry – Rugby League – the Greatest Game of All.
Great half time speeches: British Test lock, Doug Laughton, when coach of Widnes, stormed into the dressing rooms after his side put up an ordinary first 40 minutes. “Bloody hell boys. Can’t we do better than that?” said Laughton, who threw down his cigar and stormed out. SKY Sports commentator, Brian Carney relates this story at halftime in the Hull v Wakefield match with Hull enjoying their first home win in ages. Penalties favour Hull 8-0 in the second half and Wakefield coach, Daryl Powell is angry, accusing Cartwright of influencing referee, James Vella by saying something at halftime. Our close friend, Eric Hughes, has been inducted into the Widnes Vikings Hall of Fame.
One of our fellow residents here at Samford Grove – Anne Kershaw – has passed away. I would sometimes see Ann – a lovely English lady – in the library and although we never really had a chat, we always exchanged pleasantries. When I was working on my laptop in the library she would ask if she was disturbing me. Hardly. Maybe the other way round.
SATURDAY, JULY 12
Former England rugby union winger Christian Wade, scores his first try in rugby league since signing for Wigan. Rugby League’s greatest coloured winger, Billy Boston (a former rugby union player from Wales) is part of a team photo with the Wigan lads before the game. Billy has been made a Knight of the Realm, the first rugby league player to be afforded such an offer. Sir Billy arrived at the ground in a Rolls Royce with his wife, Lady Jane.
At Samford Market a chap in a North Sydney Bears jersey calls Bears’ legend, Duncan Thompson a dual rugby international. I have to put him right – Duncan only represented Australia in rugby league. There are five dog turds on the footpath outside Sweetlips Cafe.
SUNDAY, JULY 13
A bloke phones ‘Macca’ (Ian McNamara) on ABC Radio about the lack of fish in the sea off the Italian coast. Marie and I stayed at Fiumicino at the mouth of the Tiber (canal) in May, and there were a stack of trawlers. They went out a couple of times when we were there, but returned with very little, from what we could see.
The Dolphin Hotel at Surry Hills in Sydney is now known as a Swans’ AFL pub. A former publican was dual rugby international, Dick Thornett, and it was definitely a ‘rugby’ pub in his time.
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