Anthony Bella (headband) chases a kick-off by the Crushers
MONDAY, AUGUST 11
Lauren Bella from the Gold Coast Suns Australian rules side is the daughter of former rugby league player, Anthony Bella. “He played ARL, one step below NRL,” she says in an interview. Her dad – nickname Bull bar – played 25 First Grade games for the now defunct South Queensland Crushers in the then ARL competition, which was the NRL of the time, not a level below it. In fact Anthony, a Queensland under-17 rep., played in the Crushers’ very first premiership game, against Canberra at Suncorp Stadium. Lauren may have meant he played in the era before the NRL, but I really think she is confused about the football (rugby league) landscape of the time. Nicola McNamara has a story about ‘retired NRL player’, David Drotini given 12 months imprisonment to be served in the community for assault. As far as I know he never played NRL. He may have played rugby league, but someone who is an NRL player is someone who has played at the elite level of the game. Someone who plays for Banyo is a rugby league player just as some who plays for Aspley Hornets is an Australian rules player. He is not an AFL player.
I have morning tea at Gaythorne RSL with Australian radio legend John McCoy and State Manager of Family of League Foundation, Andrew Blucher about a proposed ’70s Tribute’ Lunch. John and ‘Bluch’ talk GPS rugby for quite some time (giving me time to drink my coffee and eat my cake) before we get down to business. On NRL 360 former Wallabies coach, Michael Cheika puts a good case for being an NRL coach. Cheika played rugby league at Marcellin High in Sydney, and has kept pace with trends in the game, as well as taking stuff from league into his union coaching. And he has coached the Lebanese national rugby league side. Former Parramatta coach Brad Arthur decides to stay at Leeds in England for the 2026 season.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 12
Pleasant morning tea with Stadiums Queensland G-M Corporate and External Affairs, Chris Ward, who is originally from Cootamundra. Not sure how much I achieved, but at least he knows the Minister for Sport, Tim Mander is a fan of the Queensland Rugby League History Committee, which I chair. Our prime aim is to get a league museum in Suncorp. Chris is a former journalist who worked with Les Muir at the Wagga Advertiser. I had a lot to do with Les when he worked as a league writer for the Telegraph in Sydney. I inspect the Queenslander display for the first time. It was unveiled by Mander while I was overseas. The plinths in the northern forecourt of the stadium list the names of those men who represented Queensland outside the Origin arena, between 1908 and 1987. My first captain-coach in A grade is there. I refer to Ray McCarron who had a stint with Brothers Murwillumbah in 1971 before returning to Wests Panthers in Brisbane.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13
Learn of the passing of former Redcliffe player Willie Atkins. He was an outstanding young footballer, but badly broke his leg in 1980. I have long chat to Blake Johnson, 29, from the Sunshine Coast, who lived previously in Far North Qld. He has been to the State Library to look at the Peter Beattie Collection, which chronicles the life and career of the former Queensland Premier. Blake is pursuing his Master of History at the Australian National University.
My wife, Marie and I watch movie ‘The Royal Hotel’ set in outback South Australia. Confronting, and certainly doesn’t paint residents of our outback in a good light. Naturally the aborigines are saints. I love the comment from the elderly female bar fly at the end of the movie as the pub burns. “Let Her Rip” she says. Our grandsons, Ethan and Connor are taken -by their dad, Lliam – to the Woodchops at the Royal Queensland Show (The Ekka). It is a great Aussie sport even thought it is not politically correct.
Samford Grove resident, Brenda Dickson was born at Warwick, but got beach time because her parents had a shack at Mooloolaba. Another resident, Graham Hiles, 83, plays pickle ball three times a week. At Samford Grove Trivia, retired police officer, Ron Vincent tells a ‘dad joke. “Who played for New South Wales and Queensland on the same night? Answer: The Northern Command Band.”
THURSDAY, AUGUST 14
Rugby league legend, Allan ‘Alfie’ Langer takes a group of Brisbane Rugby League Old Boys on a tour of the Brisbane Broncos High Performance Centre at Red Hill. Welfare officer, Steve Parle is part of the welcoming party. Alfie will lead a Supporters’ Tour to England for this year’s Kangaroo Tour. “I’m the night guide,” he says. Langer played for Warrington in England from 2000 to 2002 but came home six weeks early because he says he wasn’t being paid. Alfie says Gold Coast raised, Coby Black is the future long term halfback for the Broncos. Former Bronco Corey Oates is working out as we tour the gym. Former Brothers and Queensland winger, Ian Dauth says foundation Broncos’ director, Barry Maranta wanted to manage him back in the 1970s. Maranta was a pioneer of player management in Australia with cricket great, Greg Chappell at the top of his stable. Dauth was a more than handy cricketer and played for a Queensland XI in Lismore.
Broncos coach, Michael ‘Madge’ McGuire and CEO, Dave Donaghy give of their valuable time in the lecture room. Former Test forward, David Wright acts as a MC after Maguire talks for about 30 minutes, which was wonderful. Maguire told us glamour fullback, Reece Walsh is a footy nerd who spends an hour after everyone has gone home, working on skills. David asks for questions from the floor and the the old blokes generally come up with sensible stuff. Dave Donaghy recognises me at the back. He was a fellow journalist when was The Courier-Mail’s Chief Rugby League Writer. After the tour the old boys adjourn to Broncos Leagues Club for coffee and a cake. I interview Valleys and Brisbane representative, Ron Gurnett for Family of League magazine.
(Watch out for a more comprehensive coverage of the visit on this website at a later date).
FRIDAY, AUGUST 15
Fellow Samford Grove resident, Mary Cathcart was a teacher in West Yorkshire and would take students for picnics at Kirkstall Abbey on the banks of the River Aire. I have been there a number of times, and fellow rugby league scribe, Ray Fletcher lived at Kirkstall. When Mary moved to Australia she lived on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Another resident, Laura Stapleton, worked for former State Minister for Main Roads (and everything else), Russ Hinze.
My sister Gay Lynch and her husband David are in Glen Innes, where is a bagpiper in the Main Street. Glen Innes is famous for cold weather and its Celtic Festival among other things. Ivan and Doris Eichorn, close friends of our parents, Jon and Lola Ricketts, were based in Glen Innes when Ivan was a school principal. They left for Mudgee, we are told, because Ivan created enemies at the school and he and Doris were harassed in the street, and their house was egged.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 16
Our villa at Samford Grove is shaken (literally) by an earth tremor at 9.52 am. Learn that the epicentre is in Goomeri in the Central Burnett and the tremor was measured at 5.6 on the Richter Scale. Our curtains, blinds and doors all shook. I was working in the office and thought I must have left the window open when the blinds flapped. Gympie based family of my brother-in-law, David Lynch report horses going berserk on the property.
Salford Red Devils forfeit a game to Wakefield Trinity in England’s Super League. How can that be, in a supposed top tier sports competition? The game’s credibility in England will have taken a massive hit. It seems Salford’s new owners are only focused on the real estate potential of the club’s home ground near the Manchester Ship Canal. If the people running the game had done their ‘due diligence’ those owners would not have been able to step in. I can’t imagine Peter V’landys allowing such a thing to happen in the NRL. Defunct Australian club, Western Reds are featured in a Cash Converters television ad. When the Reds played back in the mid-90s, they were sponsored by Cash Converters and one of their big signings was firebrand Test forward, Mark Geyer. So he features in the ad in a Reds jersey.
Marie and I attend NRL match between Broncos and Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium and chat to John Lawson and his wife, who are sitting in front of us. John is the brother of former Radio commentator, Ross Lawson. John and his wife are very patient with a dark women in front of them who keeps standing and obstructing their view. I would have told her to sit down ages ago, and not doubt would have been accused of being racist. John first played rugby league at Kelvin Grove State School and in his adult years played in Bundaberg and Toowoomba. Blokes behind us talk AFL!! THeir tickets must be freebies. Guy on the PA calls Dolphins, Redcliffe but later says Dolphins. He is just being a smart arse, and hopefully someone from the NRL told him to pull his head in. Big forward Josh Kerr plays better than I thought he could in a beaten Dolphins’ side. Broncos’ halfback, Ben Hunt does an Allan Langer style leg tackle on Dolphins’ forward, Mark Nicholls. I hate to bag kids – but the ball-kids at this game are useless. They don’t keep their eye on the game and they don’t get the footballs to the players quickly enough. This is professional sport. Look at how well drilled the line kids are at the tennis. Our daughter Melanie is at the game with her brother, Lliam and his boys, Ethan and Connor, who love Broncos’ fullback, Reece Walsh. Ethan gets an autographed football from Reece after the game but another boy takes it from his grasp. Our grandsons leave fan mail for Reece. As Marie and I pass the Hope and Anchor Bar in Paddington I hear a bloke say he is as happy as a Mafia boss’s accountant. Former Bronco Brad Thorn is coaching Brisbane Boys College’s First XV and today they play Ipswich Grammar. At the game is Ipswich Old Boy, Chris Beattie. Brad and Chris played State of Origin for Queensland, although at different times.
Learn of the passing of Australian Cricket great, Bob Simpson, 89. I grew up with Simpson and Bill Lawry opening the batting for Australia. I also recall Bob being a master slips fieldsman. He was the son of a former Scottish soccer player with Stenhousemuir. Bob debuted for New South Wales aged 16 in the 1952-53 season and in one match played under the captaincy of great all rounder, Keith Miller. “He (Miller) was so casual about the whole thing,” Simpson recalled. “Keith forgot to nominate a 12th man and as we took the field an attendant pointed out he was taking 12 men onto the field. I felt I would be the one sent back to the rooms. (But) Miller turned around to the team and said: “I say, would one of you chaps piss off?” The entire team returned to the pavilion, but in the end Simpson survived the cut.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 17
I often found it hard to make a clean break when I played rugby league, one that took me into the clear anyway. But when it happened, if I had support I found it simple task to draw the fullback and put a teammate over for try. In the NRL so many players have no idea when they get into the clear, mistiming their passes; going by themselves or passing forward. You certainly don’t see that in the women’s game or rugby union. A classic case in point of a player stuffing up this basic skill of the game occurs in Knights game against the Cowboys with Knights’ halfback, Jack Cogger the culprit.
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