VALE ROBERT ORCHARD
New Zealand Test representative, Robert Orchard made Queensland his home in 1973, and played for his adopted State from the Redcliffe Dolphins. Orchard, who died on March 10 aged 74, […]
Category Archives: Uncategorized
FIRED FOR EFFECT
BOOK REVIEW Jasper Samuel Creagh, from Wingham in New South Wales, was one of the ‘old originals’, who sailed to Europe with 13 Battery in 1915. Two years later, Creagh’s war […]
DIARY UPDATE: Week 51, 2018
DIARY OF A RETIRED RUGBY LEAGUE WRITER WEEK 51 2018 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19 Nate Searle, the son of former Gold Coast Titans’ rugby league chief executive, Michael Searle, almost drowns […]
DIARY UPDATE: Week 33, 2018
DIARY OF A RETIRED RUGBY LEAGUE WRITER WEEK 33 2018 MONDAY, AUGUST 13 It is day five of our UK/Ireland trip and I am hanging out for a coffee, in […]
VALE HUGH O’DOHERTY
Former Queensland hooker, Hugh O’Doherty, an iconic personality of Brisbane Rugby League in the 1970s, has passed away aged 71. O’Doherty, a product of Ipswich Christian Brothers’ College, won BRL […]
RIGHT TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER
‘How Rugby League Explains Queensland’ It’s an interesting discussion point, and one that is explored by independent journalist and author, Joe Gorman in his latest book, ‘Heartland’. Brisbane born, but […]
DIARY UPDATE: Week 18, 2018
DIARY OF A RETIRED RUGBY LEAGUE WRITER WEEK 18 2018 MONDAY, APRIL 30 Two blokes in a van, try to sell me a surround sound system, as I leave bottle […]
DIARY UPDATE: Week 12, 2018
DIARY OF A RETIRED RUGBY LEAGUE WRITER WEEK 12 2018 MONDAY, MARCH 19 A fire engine stops, and the firemen wave as I take our grandsons, Ethan and Connor to […]
DIARY UPDATE: Week 35, 2017
DIARY OF A RETIRED RUGBY LEAGUE WRITER WEEK 35 2017 MONDAY, AUGUST 28 The family of the late, Reg ‘Bubbles Pegg, have donated his State jersey to the Queensland Rugby […]
THORNETT BOYS WERE PRODUCTS OF A GOLDEN AGE.
The Burgess Brothers. As much as I love them, they are not in the same class as the Thornett brothers. Let me explain. The reason I love the Burgess boys […]
WHAT A PUT DOWN
It was the ultimate put down, and is now part of rugby league folklore. The setting was Brisbane’s Lang Park, and the occasion the First Test of Great Britain’s tour […]
GAVIN COOPER – BETTER WITH AGE
It was a Gold Coast Titans’ training session at Runaway Bay in 2007 when former Queensland State of Origin forward, Scott Sattler told me Gavin Cooper reminded him of Gorden […]
BETH
‘See you at Kevin and Beth’s’. How many times did members of our extended family say that over the years, and we still say it, even though Beth is gone. […]
IT’S A GREAT SPORTING LIFE
Max Ford, an indigenous gentleman who lives at Mt Gravatt in Brisbane, recently gave me a collection of Sporting Life magazines from the late 1940s, early 1950s. They are absolute […]
JEKYLL AND HYDE TYPES
For many years I contributed to, or edited, rugby league programs in Brisbane. So, it always gives me a thrill to look back through old programs, ones that I call […]
DIARY UPDATE: Week 22, 2016
MONDAY, MAY 30 Watch quirky New Zealand movie, ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’. Very good. Love the line about the ‘Bloody Warriors’ (rugby league side). Bump into former Courier-Mail workmate, Darryl […]
FLASHBACK: January 1988
The 10 Brisbane Rugby League Clubs were looking towards a season without State of Origin stars and Internationals, with all players of that calibre having signed with New South Wales […]
FLASHBACK: January 1978
Contract dramas at Brisbane Brothers saw three of the club’s highest profile players – David Wright, Ian Dauth and Bob Cock – quit the club to play for Nerang Roosters in […]
FLASHBACK: January 1968
A letter of complaint about the off-field behavior of the Kangaroos’ touring side was sent by the English Rugby League to their Australian counterparts. The Kangaroos were well into the French […]
FLASHBACK: January 1938
France ‘tackled furiously’, but it was not enough to stop the touring Kangaroos wraping up the two Test series with a 16-11 result at Marseilles in front of a crowd […]
