DIARY UPDATE: Week 29, 2021
DIARY OF A RETIRED RUGBY LEAGUE WRITER WEEK 29 2021 MONDAY, JULY 19 St George premiership winning forward, Robin Gourley has died aged 85. In an interview with the ABC’s […]
Tag Archives: johnny raper
JOHNNY RAPER – ‘PRINCE OF LOCKS’
Everyone had a Johnny Raper story at the pub, on the day the legendary rugby league lock passed away – February 9, 2022. Jim Gannon remembered his dad driving him […]
DIARY UPDATE: Week 24, 2021
DIARY OF A RETIRED RUGBY LEAGUE WRITER WEEK 24 2021 MONDAY, JUNE14 Rugby league people feature prominently in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List, which is par for the course. We […]
FLASHBACK: November 1986
NOVEMBER 1986 The Kangaroos survived a combination of English skill and aggression to beat Oldham 22-16 at the ‘ancient’ Watersheddings Ground, to maintain their undefeated record on the tour of […]
FLASHBACK: SEPTEMBER 1966
SEPTEMBER 1966 St George’s Test rugby league lock, Johnny Raper escaped serious injury in a car accident, because he was wearing a seatbelt, at a time when it was not […]
FLASHBACK: AUGUST 1966
AUGUST 1966 Halfback, Billy Smith was awarded the Harry Sunderland Memorial Medal as Australia’s player of the series against Great Britain. The medal perpetuates the memory of Queenslander, Harry Sunderland, who […]
VALE DICK HUDDART
St Helens’ second rower, Dick Huddart was the chief destroyer when the Great Britain Rugby League team ran roughshod over Australia in their 1962 Ashes campaign. The tall, former coal […]
FLASHBACK: July, 1981
JULY 1981 Wally Lewis will never forget the look of pride on his parents, Jim and Jean’s faces as he took the field for his Test debut against France at […]
DIARY UPDATE: Week 39, 2020
DIARY OF A RETIRED RUGBY LEAGUE WRITER WEEK 39 2020. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 It is 50 years since the great Harry Wells played his last game of rugby league – […]
FLASHBACK: March, 1951
FLASHBACK MARCH 1951 Clubs and district Leagues in New South Wales and Queensland were primed to offer goal kicking forward, Harry Bath big money deals on his expected return to […]
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 14, 2020
DIARY OF A RETIRED RUGBY LEAGUE WRITER WEEK 14 2020 MONDAY, APRIL 6 Former Socceroo, Mark Viduka has some damning things to say about our national team, going back a […]
WHAT A LOAD OF TRIPE
TRAVEL Roanne was once a power house in rugby league, with the funds to buy rugby union superstars, such as Jean Barthe and Aldo Quaglio, both regarded as the best […]
FLASHBACK: July 1960
JULY 1960 The last rugby league Test played at the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds proved an embarrassment for the French touring side, which capitulated 56-6 to the Keith Barnes’ captained Australia. […]
ARTHUR SUMMONS – GENTLEMAN GLADIATOR
By STEVE RICKETTS ARTHUR Summons had the dubious honour of coaching the last Australian team to lose an Ashes Rugby League series against Great Britain. He won’t be remembered for […]
GIVE THE MAN MEAT (AND LETTUCE)
I wonder what sports nutritionists would think of steak and lettuce as a match-day meal for rugby league players? I imagine they would be quite critical of any club which […]
RUGBY LEAGUE’S WAR OF THE ROSES
Just as Great Britain sides once played New South Wales and Queensland, Kangaroo touring teams also played County sides, Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria. Yorkshire and Lancashire tried to emulate State […]
DIARY UPDATE: Week 12, 2019
DIARY OF A RETIRED RUGBY LEAGUE WRITER WEEK 12 2019 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27 Former St George and Broncos’ centres, Chris Johns and Mick De Vere are the special guests at […]
FLASHBACK: January, 1995
FLASHBACK JANUARY 1995 CRONULLA-SUTHERLAND announced the signing of dual Welsh rugby international, Allan Bateman, adding even more strike power to an already impressive looking backline. Cronulla boasted the likes of […]
FLASHBACK: December 1959
DECEMBER 1959. FRENCH Rugby League legend, Puig Aubert lambasted France’s pack for not dominating their Australian rivals, as the touring Kangaroos won the Second Test, and the series with a […]
Steve Ricketts 