DIARY UPDATE: Week 15, 2016
TUESDAY, APRIL 12 Marie’s younger brother, John Donnelly turns 60, and celebrates with wife, Jan at Tweed Heads Bowls Club. Learn that the man they call ‘Mr Murwillumbah’, Phil Taylor, […]
FLASHBACK: October 1997
Any faint hopes that Britain’s top clubs would redeem themselves in the quarter finals of Super League’s Visa World Club Challenge were dashed when all four English clubs were knocked out […]
FLASHBACK: October 1987
Chris Johns, the first of the Brisbane Broncos New South Wales’ signings, took up residency in Brisbane after a four year first grade career with St George. Johns and his father, Bill […]
FLASHBACK: October 1947
St George’s superior speed proved the difference as the Sydney club defeated Combined Brisbane 22-17 in an end-of-season floodlit match at the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds. The crowd was 14,000, but they […]
FLASHBACK: October 1937
The Kangaroos suffered the second defeat of their tour of Britain and France, when Yorkshire side, Halifax produced brilliant attacking football in front of an ecstatic home crowd of 14,500. […]
FLASHBACK: September 1957
MUCH was made of the fact Great Britain could have two colored wingers in their touring party to Australia and New Zealand in 1958. Eddie Waring reported in the British and […]
FLASHBACK: September 1967
Brothers won their first premiership in nine years when they beat Norths 6-2 in a gripping, tryless match at Lang Park, played in front of a record crowd of 37,000. Fans […]
FLASHBACK: September 1947
Winger, Len Kenny scored four tries in Brisbane’s 45-7 win over Bundaberg in a floodlit match at the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds, despite having left his favorite football boots at home. […]
FLASHBACK: September 1937
‘THOUGH just off the boat’, to quote the AAP report of the day, Australia’s Kangaroos defeated Lancashire side, Leigh 11-9 at Hilton Park, before a crowd of just over 5,000. […]
DIARY UPDATE: Week 14, 2016
TUESDAY, APRIL 5 Drinks with my former Murwillumbah High classmate, Tom Tartan, who is dressed a bit like Robin Hood! He had been to New Zealand, including Stewart Island, where […]
DIARY UPDATE: Week 13, 2016
Paul Neale comments favorably on my website rugby league Flashbacks. Says he was at Carlaw Park, Auckland in 1971 when the Kiwis thrashed Australia 24-3. Paul is a great fan of […]
FLASHBACK: August 1997
North Queensland Cowboys’ hooker, Jason Death (nicknamed ‘sudden’) was stood down from the side to meet his old club, Canberra Raiders, pending further investigations into an incident in a bar during […]
FLASHBACK: August 1987
Norths’ Test prop, Greg Dowling hit back at criticism of his club form with a barnstorming display, as the Devils beat his old cub, Wynnum-Manly 22-12 in the Brisbane Woolworths Trophy final at […]
FLASHBACK: August 1977
British international, David Topliss scored five tries for Balmain in their 43-12 demolition of Newtown at Henson Park in Sydney. Topliss, born and bred at Wakefield in West Yorkshire, joined Sid […]
FLASHBACK: August 1967
Queensland rugby league halfback, Abe Weimers was seriously injured in an Ipswich club match, with his condition listed as ‘dangerous’ at one stage, as family and friends maintained a vigil […]
FLASHBACK: July 1997
In 1997, the Australian Rugby League was effectively isolated from international football, with every other nation affiliated with the ‘rebel’ Super League competition. The ARL still conducted a State of […]
FLASHBACK: July 1977
North Queensland recorded a momentous 17-14 win over Great Britain in front of 6,000 delirious fans at the Townsville Sports Reserve. The British team embarked on a mini-tour after the […]
FLASHBACK: July 1947
This makes for horrific reading in the context of what we know about the long term damage sports people can suffer from severe concussion. On July 4, 1947, Ipswich beat Toowoomba […]
FLASHBACK: July 1937
Fiery international forward, Mick Madsen missed Toowoomba’s inter-city Bulimba Cup match against Brisbane after his car broke down on the trip from Stanthorpe, where he worked, to Toowoomba. Without Madsen, a veteran […]
DIARY UPDATE: Week 10, 2016
MONDAY, MARCH 7. Former New South Wales forward, Des O’Reilly passed away today, aged 61, finally succumbing to the stomach cancer which had made his life a misery. He leaves […]
DIARY UPDATE: Week 9, 2016
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29 Interview former New South Wales State of Origin forward, Des O’Reilly for Men of League magazine. Des is in Greenslopes Hospital, and may only have days to live, […]
FLASHBACK: June 1967
The touring New Zealand Rugby League side scored a memorable 15-14 win over New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground. NSW, with legendary centre, Reg Gasnier as captain-coach, were […]
FLASHBACK: June 1957
Former Test centre, Jack Reardon described it as the most humiliating defeat in Queensland Rugby League history as the Maroons trudged off the Sydney Cricket Ground, having been beaten 69-5 by […]
FLASHBACK: 1947
‘As a spectacle, it was where specs usually are – on the nose.” So said ‘The Truth’ newspaper account of the Queensland v The Rest State Rugby League trial at […]
FLASHBACK: JUNE 1937
Queensland’s Test halfback, Fred Gilbert had to be carried from the dressing rooms to a car, before being transported to hospital after he dislocated his shoulder in the first inter-state match […]
DIARY UPDATE: Week 8, 2016
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22 Up at 4.45 a.m. to watch live telecast of Leeds v North Queensland Cowboys World Club Challenge match. It was only 4-4 at halftime, but the Cowboys […]
DIARY UPDATE: Week 7, 2016
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17 Finish work on my ‘first chapter’ (1960) in Steve Haddan’s book about Brisbane Rugby League, ‘Our Game’. It was a hard slog, but enjoyable. In 1960, champion coach, Bob Bax […]
DIARY UPDATE: Week 6, 2016
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10 Morning tea with my former Murwillumbah Brothers’ teammate, Kevin ‘Porky’ Weaver, who is in Brisbane to be with his wife, Jan who is in hospital. ‘Porky’ has had […]
DIARY UPDATE: Week 5, 2016
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1 To BUPA Retirement home, Tugun, to interview former Brisbane Souths prop, Jim Murdoch for Men of League magazine. Jim was instrumental in the formation of the Souths […]
FLASHBACK: May 1967
New Zealander Reg Cooke was chosen in the Queensland Rugby League side to make a three match tour of his homeland. Cooke starred for Queensland in a selection trial against […]
FLASHBACK: May 1977
NORTHS’ hooker, Nick Geiger was the obvious, but somewhat controversial choice in the Queensland side to play New South Wales in the first match of the 1977 inter-state series, with […]
FLASHBACK: MAY 1957
Debutant winger, Eddie Lumsden scored four tries in New South Wales’ 49-11 thrashing of Queensland in the first match of the 1957 inter-state series at the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds. Lumsden, […]
FLASHBACK: MAY 1947
LEN Kenny emerged as a champion winger after a dazzling display for Brisbane in a 23-5 thrashing of Toowoomba in a Bulimba cup match at the Brisbane Cricket Ground. Kenny played […]
France’s lost opportunity
The rugby league landscape in France would have a vastly different appearance if the code had openly turned professional after the successful 1951 tour of Australia and New Zealand. The […]
DIARY UPDATE: Week 4, 2016
MONDAY, JANUARY 25 Attend Australia Day long weekend festivities at South Bank – more specifically ‘Great Australian Bite’ food tents, where we tuck into calamari, beef cheeks and pork rolls. Live […]
DIARY UPDATE: Week 3, 2016
TUESDAY, JANUARY 19 To the movies at Palace Centro in the Valley to see ‘The Big Short’. A bad time to watch it, with the stock market in the red. […]
FLASHBACK: April 1977
Greyhound like centre, Paul Beauchamp caught the eye in Brothers’ 34-7 thrashing of Valleys in a round 2 Brisbane Rugby League premiership match at Lang Park. Beauchamp, a 20-year-old state […]
FLASHBACK: April 1967
Jim Murphy made an impressive senior representative debut for Ipswich against Brisbane in the inter-city Bulimba cup competition. Murphy, who would go on to tour New Zealand with the 1971 […]
FLASHBACK: April 1957
DES Henry, 18, distinguished himself in his representative debut, scoring four tries for Brisbane against Ipswich at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground. Henry had yet to play a first grade premiership […]
FLASHBACK: April 1947
FORMER Test forward, Norm Potter quit as coach of Brisbane Wests after a disagreement with club management over his coaching fee. Potter demanded a fee higher than the regular bonus […]
DIARY UPDATE: Week 2, 2016
WEEK 2 2016 MONDAY, JANUARY 11 Our sister-in-law, Beth Donnelly has dinner with us at our Grange residence. Marie’s brother, Kevin, is a house painter, and has been painting National […]
DIARY UPDATE: Week 1, 2016
WEEK ONE 2016 MONDAY, JANUARY 4 Watch part of San Francisco 49ers v St Louis NFL match from the US. Jarryd Hayne gets only one minute of field time. The 49ers […]
FLASHBACK: March 1977
Dayboro Dairy farmer, Peter Leis scored four tries for Redcliffe in their 26-0 Round 1 thrashing of Brisbane premiers, Wests at Lang Park, and in the process earned a rare perfect […]
FLASHBACK: March 1967
New Sydney rugby league club, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, budgeted to spend $73,000 in their first season, after being promoted from second division with the Penrith Panthers. “That is the amount we need to […]
FLASHBACK: March 1957
Brisbane Wests rugby league fans breathed a huge sigh of relief when Test centre, Alex Watson announced he would remain with the club after it was feared he would defect […]
FLASHBACK: March 1947
The Courier-Mail announced former international back, Jack Reardon would join their staff as a rugby league writer. Reardon announced his retirement from football at a function at Brothers Rugby League […]
DIARY UPDATE: 2015 becomes 2016!
Monday December 28. Our eldest son, Damien texts with the wonderful news that he and wife, Emma are parents – a beautiful baby girl, Parker Kerri Ricketts has been born. […]
FLASHBACK: February 1997
St George signings, Gorden Tallis and Anthony Mundine sounded an ominous warning to rival Super League clubs with a smooth transition into the Broncos free flowing style of football in […]
FLASHBACK: February 1982
Valleys’ rugby league coach, Ross Strudwick predicted Murgon product, Bryan Niebling would play for Australia that season, either against the touring Kiwis or on the Kangaroos’ European tour. Strudwick, who […]
FLASHBACK: February 1977
Pat Kelly scored a controversial ‘extra time’ try for 1976 Brisbane Rugby League premiers, Wests in their 11-9 win over Wynnum-Manly in a round 1 Woolies pre-season competition match at Purtell Park, Bardon. […]
