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 […]
Author Archives: SteveRicketts
DIARY UPDATE: Week 31, 2020
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 UPDATE: Week 28, 2020
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 UPDATE: Week 29, 2020
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 UPDATE: Week 30, 2020
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
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 […]
ROOSTERS CROW AGAIN
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
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 […]
FLASHBACK: December 1995
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 UPDATE: Week 27, 2020
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 […]
THE HOME OF JOGGING
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 […]
THE POWER OF SLEDGING
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 UPDATE: Week 26, 2020
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 […]
FLASHBACK: DECEMBER 1965
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 […]
PROUD EMMYLOU ON THE MURRAY
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 UPDATE: Week 25, 2020
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 […]
RUGBY LEAGUE IN THE GIRONDE
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, […]
VALE GARY PARCELL
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 UPDATE: Week 24, 2020
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
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 […]
