FLASHBACK: January, 1951
FLASHBACK JANUARY 1951 Renowned BBC commentator, Eddie Waring warned that France’s historic tour of Australia and New Zealand could be a huge success, or a colossal failure. Waring said if […]
FLASHBACK JANUARY 1951 Renowned BBC commentator, Eddie Waring warned that France’s historic tour of Australia and New Zealand could be a huge success, or a colossal failure. Waring said if […]
DIARY OF A RETIRED RUGBY LEAGUE WRITER WEEK 31 2020 MONDAY, AUGUST 3 My beautiful, patient, largely understanding wife, Marie (nee Donnelly) turns 70. We enjoy a lovely night at […]
DIARY OF A RETIRED RUGBY LEAGUE WRITER WEEK 28 2020 TUESDAY, JULY 14 Legendary sports sponsor, Ron McConnell is feted at a lunch at Brisbane’s Pineapple Hotel, with most of […]
DIARY OF A RETIRED RUGBY LEAGUE WRITER WEEK 29 2020 MONDAY, JULY 20 North Queensland Cowboys’ coach, Paul Green, stands down from his post, effective immediately, with Josh Hannay to […]
DIARY OF A RETIRED RUGBY LEAGUE WRITER WEEK 30 2020 MONDAY, JULY 27 The Courier-Mail’s chief sports writer, Robert Craddock speculates on whether the Broncos will drop young forward, Andrew […]
FLASHBACK DECEMBER 1955 France’s former Basque rugby union star, Jean Dop stole the limelight from Welsh dual rugby international, Lewis Jones in France’s 17-5 win over Great Britain at Parc […]
TRAVEL “What a great spectacle,” commented a young Irish chap, as my wife, Marie and I made our way back to our Coogee Bay hotel, after the 2013 NRL grand […]
FLASHBACK DECEMBER 1985 New Zealand Rugby League coach, Graham Lowe led his team from a formal, post-Test match function in Perpignan, France, in protest at the way the Kiwis had […]
DECEMBER 1995 Queensland State of Origin coach, Paul Vautin made it clear Allan Langer would not have a saloon passage back into the Maroons’ squad, if Super League players were […]
DIARY OF A RETIRED RUGBY LEAGUE WRITER WEEK 27 2020 MONDAY, JULY 6 Former Brisbane Souths’ rugby league forward, Eric Pappas doesn’t like the new look rugby league. “It is […]
TRAVEL “Is there a Lion on the Loose?’ English cricket commentator, David Lloyd was heard to say, as he walked around Wellington’s impressive harbour, a few years back, his comment […]
This is an article I wrote for The Courier-Mail in October, 1995, but to my knowledge was never published, not for sinister reasons. I think it was simply a lack […]
DIARY OF A RETIRED RUGBY LEAGUE WRITER WEEK 26 2019 WEDNESDAY, JULY 1 Places in 17-man Amco Cup rugby league squads, back in the mid-1970s, were much sought after, given the […]
DECEMBER 1965 The exploits of the 1951 French rugby league side in Australia and New Zealand are the stuff of legend. But spare a thought for the generations of French […]
TRAVEL SONNY Bill Williams’ signing by the Roosters made headlines in areas where the two rugby codes are popular, but the news hardly even rated a mention in Echuca, Victoria, […]
DIARY OF A RETIRED RUGBY LEAGUE WRITER WEEK 25 2020 MONDAY, JUNE 22 TOM SEARLE, one of rugby league’s good guys, has died, aged 73. I played against Tom in […]
TRAVEL Agricultural studies and rugby league were strange bedfellows at La Reole, in the Gironde-Aquitaine region of France, when my wife, Marie and I visited the riverside town in October, […]
By Steve Ricketts. QRL History Committee. A one club man, Gary Parcell played all of his eight Tests for Australia and 14 matches for Queensland from Ipswich Brothers. The Parcell […]
DIARY OF A RETIRED RUGBY LEAGUE WRITER WEEK 24 2020 MONDAY, JUNE 15 It is disappointing to see the small amount of space which ‘The Courier-Mail’ devotes to the passing […]
FLASHBACK NOVEMBER 1980 English clubs scrambled to sign New Zealand rugby league players, after the Kiwi’s tour of the UK, under the captaincy of Mark Graham and the coaching of […]