SEASON 6 Issue 24 AUS $9.95
THE GUTS T H E G L O RY THE STORIES
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ISSUE
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CONTENTS
THE GUTS 4 Team Page 6 Gil's Offload 10 Blood Bin 25 Are You Smarter
Tham?
56 In My Words 104 80th Minute
T H E G L O RY
THE STORIES
26 Rugby League’s Century
16 Tyson Frizell
of ANZAC Spirit
34 Reconciliation through
Rugby League
44 From the Depths
of Depression
58 State of Origin 1980 –
2014
T H E C OV E R
18 David Mead 20 Jarrod Croker 22 Valentine Holmes 50 Julian Meagher 78 Shaun Johnson
72 Agents of Change 88 Marquee Men
Season 6, Issue 24 AUS $9.95
Painted by Julian Meagher, this oil portrait of Johnathan Thurston symbolises his embodiment of everything that Rugby League stands for – excellence, inclusiveness, courage and teamwork.
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kICkOFF THETEAM
EDITORIAL
publisher Michael ‘Gil’ Gilbert ‘The Hardest Working Man at GMG’, the great and spiritual leader. The ‘Ari Gold’ to the Rugby League Player Magazine entourage. Commonly found legs up on his imported Cuban leather desk, headset on and whip in hand.
Publisher: Michael Gilbert Editor: Lachlan MacPherson Sub-Editor: Jesse Cross Editorial Assistant: Peter Fegan Historical Consultant: Lyle Beaton Contributors: Will Evans, Peter Fegan, Lyle Beaton, Liam Hauser
PUBLISHING Gilbert Magazine Group ABN: 9612-4055714 ACN: 124 055 714
editor Lachlan MacPherson If our editor at large isn’t enjoying a leisurely day down at Towradgi Beach, you’ll find him on the phone asking Johnathan Thurston 15-minute questions or setting up the RLP microphone in pressers, even if it means sacrificing Craig Bellamy’s head in the Fox Sports shot. Don’t let the curls and boyish good looks fool you – Lachie lets rip on the badminton court.
art director Jonny Larangeira On the day of Origin I, we had two tickets available. With his thick Brazilian accent and a cheeky grin, Jonny told us that Larangeira meant Origin in Portuguese. Foolishly, we bought it and Jonny witnessed his first ever Rugby League match. It wasn’t until the day before print that he told us the real meaning of Larangeira – Orange Tree.
editorial assistant Peter Fegan From coal miner to successful journalist – it’s been a journey like no other for the man that has put the last six months of his life into this magazine. Since arriving at RLP, Pete has tried his hand at everything. He’s sold ads, written articles, controlled the Facebook page and proposed six bouts with media personalities.
advertising manager Ben Ryan In between heading up the ‘Derelicte’ fashion campaign and leading the way in the push to see the Central Coast Bears back in the NRL, Benny occasionally gets the chance to sell some ads. And when he sells ads, they are strip ads – which is done using his now infamous line, “I don’t want a donation, but I do want something”.
sub-editor
ADVERTISING Sales Manager: Ben Ryan Sales Assistants: Michael Gilbert, Peter Fegan, Simon Starmans PHOTOGRAPHY Contributors: Getty Images, New Holland Publishers, Rockpool Publishing, Jeremy Ng, Aust. War Memorial DESIGN Art Director: Jonny Larangeira
ADMINISTRATION Office Manager: Cassy Gilbert Motivators: Gypsy Gilbert, Ivy Gilbert
ENQUIRIES Rugby League Player (02) 9542 2248 - www.rugbyleagueplayer.com PO Box 1243, Sutherland, NSW 1499 info@rugbyleagueplayer.com
DISTRIBUTED BY Gordon & Gotch Australia Pty Ltd www.gordongotch.com.au
STUFF WE NEED TO SAY Rugby League Player is published quarterly by Gilbert Magazine Group. Editorial contributions are welcome but must be guaranteed to be exclusive to RLP Magazine. We are not responsible for the return of any unsolicited material nor are we responsible for the return of any product sent to RLP offices. Not all letters can be answered but we appreciate your correspondence and usually print the most informative letters in the magazine. No material may be reproduced without written consent from Gilbert Magazine Group. All material contained in Rugby League Player is protected by the Commonwealth Copyright Act 1968. RLP MAGAZINE: 100% AUSTRALIAN OWNED, RUN AND PRINTED
& advertising coordinator Jesse Cross
The newest addition to the GMG team, Jesse ‘Energizer Bunny’ Cross has come in and hit the ground running. He speaks about as much as Wayne Bennett, but he gets the job done.
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WARM UP
GIL’S OFFLOAD It’s been a little while between drinks, but Rugby League Player has hit the shelves again, producing a comeback that would make the North Queensland Cowboys team of 1998 proud. ust like anything, life is full of it’s own trials and we as a magazine are not immune to these challenges that arise. The warrior ethos has been a constant in Rugby League since its inception in 1908 and is one that reflects resilience, pride and camaraderie. As an organisation that has been through it all, this is something that reins true with us and just like any great collective; you are only as good as the team around you. We have had more staff departures and time again, but we have dug deep than the Titans and Sea Eagles com- and pulled ourselves out of the dirt to bined and have gone over deadline time maintain and re-build the magazine that
IT ISN’T SO MUCH ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT WE’VE LOST, BUT ABOUT ALL THE NEW THINGS WE HAVE GAINED”
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you hold in your hands. With a new team comes a new and exciting direction and as you flick through the pages of RLP, you will find stories of athletes at the pinnacle of their profession, rising stars of tomorrow, legends of the game and prominent industry figures; but more importantly, you will find a product that the fans of this great game have long deserved – a product of passion. Finally, I’d just like to say thank you. To all the people that have helped us along the way, you are the reason that we have got this thing to print. And to our readers who keep coming back for more, you are the reason that we continued to push through the barriers – so that the Rugby League community, who give so much to the game, get something in return.
We’re all about the conversion. Whether it’s helping with short-term loans, finding a bargain, or converting unwanted gold into instant cash, we love to help customers achieve their goal. We’re also passionate about our Rugby League and proud to support the West Coast Pirates’ bid for an NRL franchise. To find out more, visit cashconverters.com.au
convert your thinking
WARM UP
“THERE CAN BE NO HALF MEASURES WHEN DEALING WITH THE SAFETY OF PLAYERS AND WE WANT ALL PLAYERS TO BE ASSESSED AND TREATED PROPERLY IF THEY SUFFER A HEAD KNOCK Rugby League Players Association CEO David Garnsey
JUDGEMENT CALL “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”. The famous quote by arguably the greatest fighter to grace the canvas. Muhammad Ali mesmerised millions with his incredible footwork and lightning fast feet, leaving opponents laying flat on their backs staring lifelessly at the stars. No one will argue that Ali is the forefront of boxing. hat few may know is that the man who is unanimously seen as the greatest fighter ever now spends his days under full-time care. With his body and mind suffering traumatically from Parkinson’s Syndrome, a disease that is common to head trauma, there should be little doubt as to the insidious effects of concussion. On 23 March, the NRL’s Head of Football, Todd Greenberg released a statement regarding the new rules on concussion. Within it were the very strict guidelines that each club should follow in relation to the handling of its players that suffer a concussion during a game. The rules have been tightened – and made more prescriptive – to make it easier for doctors to make what can be
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a difficult clinical diagnosis. In broad terms, the new rules stipulate that players must not return to the field if they exhibit any of the following signs:
loss of consciousness falling without taking protective action memory impairment balance disturbance seizure
Mr Greenberg said the new rules, which came into force in Round 4, would help doctors determine what action should be taken when a player suffers a head injury. “Under the strengthened rules, if a player falls to the ground without taking protective action or loses consciousness they are not to return to the field,” Mr Greenberg said. “There will be no need to undergo further assessments and tests – the player is to sit out the rest of the match. “This will take the pressure off club doctors because, if players exhibit these signs it is compulsory that they are removed from the field and do not return.” Since their inception, the strengthened rules have come under heavy scrutiny from players, coaches and fans. Brisbane Broncos coach Wayne Bennett believes that the new rules are at odds with players ‘warrior mentality’, but while they may undermine the view of how the game should be played, the systems have been set in place in order to further enhance the welfare of players, which is paramount.
NRL Sport Game can beDevelopment hard going. Play 2015the going gets tough. We’reProgram there when Playing rugby league creates a range of specific and unique risks which need carefully planned insurance programs to ensure you’re well protected. We’ve been working with rugby league clubs, competitions, associations and rugby league players at professional, representative, and local levels for over 20 years. It’s worth an obligation-free discussion with us to review your insurances because when the going gets tough, that’s when we get going.
Locally focussed. Nationally resourced. Internationally represented. Contact our Sports Practice Leader, Steve van Leeuwen on 0419 251 451 or at steve.vanleeuwen@ajg.com.au
WARM UP BLOOD BIN
Anthony Tupou, Round 9
David Nofoaluma, Round 10
James Graham, Round 5
James Maloney, Round 5
Michael Ennis, Round 5
Pat Richards, Round 8
Gavin Cooper, Round 1 12
Ashton Sims, Super League Round 6
WARM UP
CLUBS IN FOCUS CHESTER HILL HORNETS
ENFIELD FEDERALS
ou want to know where it all started for Terry Lamb? Easy, the Chester Hill Hornets. Kicking off in 1946, the club was initially registered as Sefton. However, with a large percentage of their players coming from the Sefton and Chester Hill areas, there were calls for the latter township to be recognised in the clubs name. In 1947, the club was reformed as Sefton-Chester Hill added a B Grade to their already existing C Grade team in the Western Suburbs competition. In 1986, the Chester Hill Hornets produced its first International with the selection of Terry Lamb in the Australian Rugby League team. In the same Test Match, Bankstown Sports junior Steve Folkes also made his Test debut. As a result, the Bankstown Council decided that both Terry Lamb and Steve Folkes would be honoured by having sporting fields named after them.
stablished in 1912, Enfield Federals Rugby League Football Club was one of the first junior rugby league teams in the Western Suburbs district. Having folded in the 90s, the club is now ready to re-boot and become an integral part of the sporting community of the Inner City once again. Producing talent like Jimmy Sedaris, Hazem El Masri, Robbie Farah, it is safe to say that this is a club with not only a successful past, but one with a great future on the horizon. Membership is open to everyone, with opportunities for men, women, boys and girls throughout various age groups. It is the clubs objective to enable all its rugby league players to perform at the highest standards they can attain. To this end the club will seek to provide support by creating high quality facilities and qualified coaching instruction for all playing.
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WARM UP
Souths U14 1997 Premiers with JT front and centre
Mark Coyne, Queensland Maroons 1990
SOUTH’S SUNNYBANK Situated in Brisbane’s South – arguably the heartland of Rugby League in Queensland – Souths Sunnybank Magpies are largely responsible for providing Queensland Rugby League with a plethora of rare and exciting talent. ounded in 1967 by the great Jim Murdoch, it took Souths less than a year to take hold of the hugely competitive junior Brisbane competition, and in the 12 months following that, the club grew from one side to four. In 1970, the club claimed its first of many premierships and in 1971 added its first senior team to the roster. Since then, Souths has grown exponentially, and currently boasts membership figures of 210 juniors and 60 seniors. Not only has Souths produced the likes of Queensland and Australia greats Lote Tuqiri and Johnathan Thurston as well as harvesting the talent of Mark and Peter Coyne, they are also one of only two clubs that have played in the Brisbane 2nd Division Senior Competition every year since its inception in 1971. Possessing a strong community involvement and a rich history, the club is now 16
SOUTHS SUNNYBANK WAS MY VERY FIRST LEAGUE CLUB, THEY PUT ME ON A TRACK WHERE I WORKED HARD AND OUR TRAINING WAS UNBELIEVABLE. IN A WAY, THE CLUB PUT ME ON THE MAP” Lote Tuqiri
seeing its third generation of players coming through the ranks. With this comes the constant influence of past players who return to the club to pass down the
traditions and values that were instilled in them during their playing days at the mighty Magpies. This was reflected in 2007 when Souths celebrated their 40th anniversary, with over 500 past and present members, staff and players attending and reminiscing. In 2010, the clubs strong connection with its members was once again put in the spotlight when Lote Tuqiri signed on as a shirt sponsor for the Souths under-15 squad. Upon signing the agreement with his childhood club, the Tigers and Rabbitohs legend told the Brisbane Times that if it wasn’t for his coach at the time, he may not be where he is today. “When I was coming through I didn’t really have the money to pay the fees each week, so my coach at Souths Sunnybank helped out. “I want to help out the kids who might struggle financially, because sport can be the first thing to get cut from the family budget. It’s just about giving back to the community.” Sport is an integral part of any community and Souths Sunnybank are at the heart of theirs.
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PROFILE
TYSON FRIZELL A South Coast local with Welsh heritage, Frizell sat down with RLP to discuss the Dragons remarkable rise to the top and his State of Origin involvement. by Peter Fegan
RLP: A lot of questions were asked about this Dragons side after heavy defeats in Rounds 1 and 2. Now, you guys are in the top four and cruising along beautifully. Can you give me an insight into the incredible turn around?
TF: I don’t think there was too much of a secret to it. We knew we had to keep working hard and sticking at it and we did that. We pride ourselves on our defence and we take a lot of confidence out of every win, so that has played a big part.
Can you give me an insight into Mary?
TF: (laughs) He’s a good guy. Not only does he want the team to do well, he wants individuals to do well also. He drives you to do your best not just for yourself, but for the team as well. That’s what makes him so unique.
As well as yourself, you’ve got Joel Thompson, Trent Merrin, Josh Dugan and Mitch Rein all in the form of their careers. It must be a very good feeling amongst the squad at the moment?
Yeah it is. It’s very enjoyable. After a win, there is nothing better than heading down to training with the boys. We have
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had a few hiccups throughout the 2014 season and we decided as a group that we hated the feeling so we work so hard to ensure we can continue the good feeling of winning,
How was your time in Origin camp with the Blues leading into Game I?
Awesome experience – just to be a part of the Origin team and see what goes on behind the scenes. From what happens at training to just being around the guys who’ve been there before. It’s something that anyone who plays rugby league wants to be a part of.
Did Laurie Daley pull you aside and have a chat?
Yeah, he did. He told me to prepare as if I was going to play and how close I was to selection. Then he told me to just keep doing what I’ve been doing at the Dragons and play good footy.
When you do get the call from Laurie telling you that you’re in, who from Queensland are you lining up first? (laughs)
Sam Thiaday did you say?
(laughs) Anyone that’s in a Maroons jersey!
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PROFILE
DAVID MEAD Born in Papua New Guinea, raised in Lismore, playing for the Gold Coast Titans and with dreams of playing for Queensland until he was selected for NSW Country. The speedy winger has confused the whole rugby league community with his career choices, so RLP had a yarn with the Kumul chameleon to find out more. by Lachlan MacPherson
RLP: You grew up in Tubusereia, Papua New Guinea and moved to Lismore when you were 12-years-old. How dramatic was that change, not only to your footy, but also to your life in general? DM: I guess it was a big difference because I lived in the village. The lifestyle was really different and school was really different. Over there, the school was barefoot, but here you had to wear full uniform everyday. I had my own room, which was nice. I didn’t really play competition footy over there. We just set up some posts in the village and played rugby league. We tried to emulate the NRL, but we used a cordial bottle instead of a footy.
Do you feel that your unique journey has helped you to develop as both a player and as a person? Yea, it was and still is definitely a part of it. It was certainly very different and my passion started from there, so I guess when I moved to Australia it was a bit of a luxury to be able to play in a competition in Under 13’s rugby at the time, so I guess that added to what my journey has been so far.
When we Googled you to do a few fact checks, we discovered that there is another David Mead – a Nashville-based pop singer-songwriter. Do you fancy yourself as a bit of a muso? What’s your favourite song to belt out in the shower?
I don’t play a particular instrument, but like I love every type of music. If I like a country song, I’ll fall in love with that. But at the moment my favourite song would have to be ‘Thinking Out Loud’ by Ed Sheeran. 20
Paste Magazine said that the other David is ‘one of the best solo crooners since Jeff Buckley’ and John Mayer . What is the best, worst and funniest thing that someone has said about you in the media?
Funniest would have to be the most recent one, where I was voted in the Top 500 Hottest Polynesian Men – me and the missus had a good laugh. Worst – when I missed the goal for PNG in the 2013 World Cup to win the game against France and the media response to that in terms of me losing it for the country is one that sticks with me. Best – I can’t really remember, but I’d say the response to my debut.
A couple years back you scored one of the best tries we’ve ever seen, with an incredible reflex effort against the Sharks. Would you say that was the best try of your career?
For me, not really. I think my first one was my favourite against the Warriors. It was a 95-metre intercept try and still to this day I remember the feeling of scoring my first try.
You scored another 15 tries that year, setting the club record with 16 tries in a season. Your record is now in a bit of danger as Anthony Don and James Roberts have both notched up 10 tries with 14 rounds to play. Who are you backing?
I’d have to go with Jimmy – he’s a strike weapon and can score from anywhere. I think it’ll be pretty tight between the two, but I think they’ll both definitely get there and Jimmy will get over 20 tries.
ame
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PROFILE
JARROD CROKER From Goulburn ‘wipper snapper’ to the inspirational leader of one of the most prestigious club’s in the NRL, Jarrod Croker is without fail the complete package. Rugby League Player Magazine goes one-onone with the Canberra Raiders nice guy. by Peter Fegan
RLP: Describe the feeling when Ricky Stuart informed you that you would be the new captain of the Canberra Raiders. JC: Ah mate, obviously I was pretty stoked. It’s a massive honour for me. It’s not something I expected being at such a young age. But in saying that, I was 100 per cent confident I could do the job. Once we formed a leadership group with the senior players we have here at the club, I then was certain that working collectively, we would be successful.
Being that you’re a Goulburn junior, it’s obvious that you grew up supporting the Green Machine, how does it feel to don the famous jersey each week?
I’m so proud just to be able to play for the Raiders, let alone captain them. I was lucky enough to get an opportunity to play first grade at a young age and it just made me that much hungrier to play. I never wanted to miss a game after that. I love the club and hopefully I get to play out my career here, it’s where I grew up and it’s where I want to play my footy.
You were pretty young coming into the first grade ranks. an you tell us any stories of any of the older guys giving you a bit of stick?
(laughs) I was pretty lucky really. I was really good mates with Terry Campese and Joel Monaghan. They were the big guns at the time so all the jokes they were playing on people I was usually involved in. Most of the time it was just Mono [Joel Monaghan] pretty much getting stuck into anyone he could.
On the road, who do room with?
No one anymore cause captain’s get their own room. But over the years I’ve had two pretty solid roomies in Joey Picker and Glenn Buttriss.
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Who was better?
(laughs) You’ve put me on the spot here. Look, you can’t split them. They’re two of the best blokes you’ll ever meet. Butsey [Glenn Buttriss] is always in a good mood – it’s incredible. And the same with Joey, it’s just too hard to split.
Tell us something funny about Ricky Stuart.
(laughs) He’s always trying to crack jokes that no one laughs at. But we laugh anyway cause we feel sorry for him. He loves a laugh and a good time, that’s what makes him such a good coach, being a mate with your players.
Do you have any weird superstitions or pre-game rituals?
I was only thinking about this the other day. There are probably things I do and I don’t realise it. Wether it is putting the left or right boot on at a certain time or something. But, nothing consciously though.
Who is the biggest pest at the Raiders?
Josh McCrone is up there. He’s a pest. A bunch of the boys would probably say him. Vaughny [Paul Vaughn] and Boydy [Shannon Boyd] are like ‘Dumb n Dumber’, they are funny. But Boydy can be a bit ‘pesty’ at times; he doesn’t know his own strength.
Who amongst the boys thinks they’re a bit of a ‘sort’ but are clearly mistaken?
Ah, yeah, probably Boydy [Shannon Boyd], Vaughny [Paul Vaughan] is a pretty good sort the big Italian. But, it’s definitely Boydy, he bags out every other bloke for being ugly and hes not the best looking bloke we’ve got in the team.
PROFILE
VALENTINE HOLMES The quiet achiever that is making a whole lot of noise in the NRL. With only a handful of games under his belt, the boom rookie is humbly knocking on the door of both Mal Meninga and Tim Sheens as he pushes for a senior rep debut. by Lachlan MacPherson
RLP: You’ve played just 17 first grade matches and have already been subject to a game of international rugby league tug-o-war as well as being earmarked as a State of Origin contender. What are your thoughts on all of this?
VAL: I try not to think about it too much. All the Queensland boys are getting on, so my time will come hopefully. I’ve just got to keep playing good consistent footy.
You were selected in the Kiwis training squad for the 2014 Four Nations Tournament as well as being selected in the Junior Kangaroos squad for their clash with the Junior Kiwis back in October. Why did you go with Australia? It was a family decision there. I called Mum & Dad. Mum wanted me to play for Australia as I was born here and grew up in Queensland so it just came down to that. On top of that, I wasn’t born there and I don’t really know much about the culture. To represent your country and to do the haka, you’ve got to have passion and understand the meaning behind it.
In an online poll, Fox Sports asked its audience ‘Is Valentine Holmes a future Test player’ and the results were overwhelming with 818 of the 940 voters saying yes. So with more than 87% of people believing this, does your sudden rise to fame ever overwhelm you?
Yeah, in a way, but at this age it’s all about getting my game right and learning from the likes of Benny and Michael Gordon in order to improve my game and see what I can do better before I take on those challenges.
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It’s a widely known fact that Ennis the Menace is the biggest pest in the NRL. Is he as bad on the training paddock?
Nah, he’s a top bloke. In terms of what he does on the field, I think that’s what he’s always done. Off the field he is a really nice guy.
Who is it that you look up to the most in the Sharks team?
I look up to all of the senior players – Luke Lewis and Gal – but I always watch Benny and Michael Gordon in terms of how they play, how they train, what they say to the boys and how they communicate as that is one thing that I’ve got to work on.
You’re currently playing a mixture of wing and fullback with Flash and Benny. Is it your goal to lock down the fullback spot or are you happy to bide your time on the wing?
My main goal is to play fullback, but I’m just happy that I’m playing footy in a top side. If that means being on the wing, I’m happy doing that.
You popped a field goal over back in Round 10. Are you the go-to man in golden point?
I like taking on challenges, so I put my hand up, but I’m not too sure about that. But it’s up to the coach I guess.
Is there much competition from the other boys on that front? I wouldn’t mind seeing one of the Fifita brothers having a dig.
(laughs) Yeah, they do a heap at training. They’re more the blockers, so I don’t think they’ll be having a crack at it any time soon.
ARE YOU SMARTER THAN?
JARROD MULLEN
KURT GIDLEY Timanu Tahu
1. The player with the most tries in a season (to 2000) for the Knights?
Timanu Tahu
1997 – Darren Albert
2. When did the Newcastle Knights win their first premiership and who scored the memorable last-minute try?
1997 – Darren Albert
Don't know
3. What was the nickname of the original Newcastle (1908) side?
Hawks
Bill Peden
4. Who scored the first try in the 2001 Newcastle Grand Final?
??
Greg Alexander
96
Matt Bowen
Steve Mortimer
Jamie Ainscough
Andrew Johns
Anthony Minichello
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6. Who scored more tries: Greg Alexander or Ryan Girdler? 7. What is the greatest winning margin in a game of First Grade Rugby League in Australia?
Hunter Mariners
Greg Alexander
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8. Only one man has scored four tries for the cowboys in one game: who was he?
Ashley Graham
9. Which Mortimer brother scored the most points for the Bulldogs?
Steve Mortimerw
10. Who was the player who caused the penalty try in the 1999 Grand Final (not scored, but was penalised)
Jamie Ainscough
11. Who has been man of the match most times for NSW? 12. Who was the only player to score a try in five consecutive Origin games?
Andrew Johns
Greg Inglis
FINAL SCORE: Answers: 1. Timana Tahu, 2. 1997 - Darren Albert, 3. Rebels, 4. Bill Peden, 5. Huddersfield Giants, 6. Greg Alexander, 7. 96, 8. Ray Mercy, 9. Steve, 10. Jamie Ainscough, 11. Andrew Johns, 12. Dale Shearer
8/12
5. Which Super League side did Mal Reilly coach after leaving the club at the end of 1998?
Steve Simpson
6/12
ANZAC SPIRIT
AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
ANZAC SPIRIT WILL EVANS
ANZAC SPIRIT
THE LEGACY OF THE ANZACS HOLDS A HALLOWED PLACE IN THE NARRATIVE OF RUGBY LEAGUE IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
pril 25, 2015, marked 100 years since the landing of troops, predominantly from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC), at Gallipoli Peninsula less than nine months after the beginning of the First World War. An estimated 1,000 ANZAC troops lost their lives fighting Turkish forces that day, while the Department of Veteran Affairs records the number of dead from the campaign, which lasted until January 1916, at 8,709 Australians and 2,721 New Zealanders. Since 1916, Anzac Day has been celebrated on April 25 to broadly commemorate all Australians and New Zealanders “who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations” and “the contribution and suffering of all those who have served”. It is a day close to the hearts and inherent to the national identities of both countries – and for Rugby League, it is also a solemn day steeped in tradition. Ted Larkin, an Australian rugby union representative in 1903, sympathised with the Rugby League movement and became the NSWRL’s first full-time
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secretary in 1909 before becoming a member of the Australian parliament in 1913. Recognised as one of the most important and astute administrators of Rugby League’s pioneering era, Sergeant Larkin was killed in action on the first day of conflict at Gallipoli; he was one of only two serving members of any Australian parliament to fall in World War I. New Zealand international Charles Savory, a member of the 1911-12 ‘Australasian’ Kangaroo Tour squad, also died at Gallipoli. A baritone singer and the heavyweight boxing champion of New Zealand when the war broke out, the colourful forward’s legend was preserved for perpetuity when the Charles Savory Medal was introduced this year and awarded to the man-of-the-match in May’s ANZAC Test. Stan Carpenter, the captain of the Newcastle club that featured in the 1908-09 NSWRL premiership and an Australian representative against New Zealand Maori in 1909, served with distinction at Gallipoli. Pioneering Newtown three-quarter Frank Cheadle, a member of the 1908-09 Kangaroo Tour squad and a representative in five Tests, saw action at Gallipoli and the Western Front, before dying near Armentieres, France, in 1916.
Scores of prominent Rugby League players enlisted and served overseas during World War I and II; many were killed or wounded. Eastern Suburbs winger Johnno Stuntz, who scored four tries in the first-ever premiership match against Newtown in 1908 and also represented Australia against the touring Maori the following season, served in the AIF and was killed by machine-gun fire at Bullecourt, France, in 1917. After playing two Tests for Australia against England in 1914, Easts centre Bob Tidyman was reported missing in action after heavy fighting near Boulogne in 1916. Brisbane fullback and 1908 Test rep, Edward Baird, and Newtown and NSW centre Herbert ‘Nutsy’ Bolt also perished while serving in WWI. Former St George and South Sydney centre Jack Lennox, Balmain’s 1939 premiership lock Jack Redman, and Newtown fullback/winger Hylton ‘Heck’ Davies died serving in the Second World War. Foundation St George centre and 1921-22 Kangaroo tourist George Carstairs, a WWI veteran, served again in World War II and endured the unsettling experience of reading his own erroneous obituary published in a newspaper in 1940; ‘Bluey’ Carstaris passed away in 1966, aged 66. Future Test stars Jack Rayner and Clem Kennedy, and Easts’ 1945 premiership hero Dick Dunn, were among those who also served in WWII and made it home safely. The vast majority of Rugby League identities and supporters have at least some family connection to the armed services, rendering Anzac Day a particu-
larly poignant one for the code – an occasion it has honoured with respect. The NSWRL premiership first staged games on Anzac Day in 1927, when a full round of four matches were played on a Monday at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Earl Park, Wentworth Park and North Sydney Oval. First grade matches were played annually on April 25 thereafter – even if it fell on a weekday. Rugby League was played on an Anzac Day Sunday for the first time in 1965, while often a full midweek round would be played on Anzac Day, with all clubs backing up to play three matches in the space of eight days. The Canterbury-South Sydney clash at the SCG in 1986 produced one of the most memorable, and infamous, incidents ever witnessed in an Anzac Day game. Folklore has it that the bugler was still finding his seat after playing ‘The Last Post’ when Bulldogs enforcer Peter Kelly was sent off for ironing out Rabbitohs winger Ross Harrington in the first tackle of the match. Despite playing all but a dozen seconds one man short, the two-time premiers surged to a convincing 26-2 victory over high-flying Souths in front of a 25,178-strong crowd. The annual City Origin v Country Origin fixture was intermittently held on Anzac Day during the 1990s, before a higher-profile representative contest took up residence on the hallowed occasion in 1997, when the inaugural ‘ANZAC Test’ was staged RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 31
ANZAC SPIRIT
ANZAC SPIRIT between New Zealand and Super League Australia. The use of ‘ANZAC’ was controversial, firstly for the connotations of comparing professional sportsmen to soldiers, but also because of Super League’s perceived casting aside of tradition in general during its bitter war with the ARL that split the game in two. But the rebel organisation donated a substantial sum of money to the RSL, while ex-serviceman and long-serving President of the Victorian RSL Bruce Ruxton, AM, OBE, appeared in television advertisements promoting the Test, which Super League Australia won 34-22 at the Sydney Football Stadium. 32
The Protection of Word ‘Anzac’ Regulations (under the War Precautions Act Repeal Act 1920) stipulates that permission must be sought from the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs to use the word for commercial purposes. That permission was only granted from 1997-99, but the match continued to be regularly referred to colloquially as the ‘ANZAC Test’ rather than the ‘official’ sponsored names. The winner of the Test was awarded the Anzac Trophy – which depicted an Australian slouch hat and New Zealand lemon squeezer hat – from 1997-99. Except for the 2001-03 seasons, when it was held later in the season,
the Test between the trans-Tasman rivals has been played on a Friday night within two weeks of Anzac Day every year – but only once on April 25 (in 2005) since the maiden clash. After the code came back together under the NRL banner, New Zealand stunned the first full-strength Australian Test side in four years in the 1998 ANZAC Test, a 22-16 boilover at North Harbour Stadium. But that triumph remained the Kiwis’ only success in the fixture for 17 years. In 2002, Sydney Roosters and St George Illawarra Dragons began a tradition of squaring off at the SFS on April 25 every year. Playing for
the Anzac Day Cup, the high-profile clubs draw a bumper crowd every year – topping 40,000 in 2012 and ’13 – and have produced some of the NRL era’s most memorable regular season encounters. The Roosters won the inaugural match in a thriller, 24-20, while the Dragons triumphed by the same scoreline in 2003. Tricolours skipper Brad Fittler’s brilliant 50-metre individual try to seal their epic 11-8 victory in 2004 will live long in the memory, while Saints halfback Mathew Head’s kick-and-chase to lay on a try for Matt Cooper in the dying minutes before nailing the sideline conversion to snatch
a 26-24 win in 2005 was equally unforgettable. Two tries in the final five minutes – including the match-winner to Ben Creagh with 53 seconds left – clinched a spectacular 28-24 result for the Dragons in 2012. The pre-match playing of ‘The Last Post’, and the presence of veterans and current servicemen and women, creates a unique and stirring build-up. Melbourne Storm and New Zealand Warriors began playing annually in the Victorian capital on Anzac Day in 2009, a match that has been just as fiercely-contested and passionately-supported as the Roosters-Dragons fixture. The first
clash finished in a shock golden point draw, while the Warriors – who enjoy overwhelming crowd support at Melbourne’s AAMI Park – pulled off upset wins in 2011 and ’14. The clubs drew over 20,000 fans in each of the five Anzac Day games from 2010. The NRL commemorated the centenary of the ANZAC forces’ Gallipoli landings with an unprecedented football marathon this year, staging five Round 8 matches backto-back over 10 hours in five cities. The Warriors kicked off proceedings against Gold Coast in Auckland, with the Titans prevailing 32-28 in a thriller. Newcastle RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 33
AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
ANZAC SPIRIT
was edged out 26-24 on its home track by North Queensland in the second clash. The traditional Roosters-Dragons encounter witnessed wild weather at Allianz Stadium, forcing the teams from the field midway through the first half amid extraordinary scenes; when they returned, the Saints grinded out a stirring 14-12 triumph – their ninth win in 15 Anzac Day showdowns with the Roosters since ’02. The extravaganza continued with bottom-placed Manly toppled the ladder-leading Storm 12-10 in Melbourne, and finished with Brisbane holding off Parramatta 28-16 at Suncorp Stadium. The NRL was accused of attempting to commercialise Anzac Day in some quarters, but the five-city festival of football honoured the occasion in tasteful fashion and the day was an unequivocal success. The fact all five matches were entertaining, close contests was a bonus, but most importantly, the spirit of Anzac Day was paid its due respect. The Australian and New Zealand national anthems were both played at all matches for the first time, while ‘The Last Post’ was poignant and goosebump-inducing at every fixture. The unveiling of the cringe-worthy Guy Sebastian, Lee Kernaghan and Jessica Mauboy collaboration ‘Spirit of the Anzacs’ at the start of the Tigers-Bulldogs clash on the Friday night was a dubious way to kick 34
off the weekend, but Saturday’s events were all class. Australia and New Zealand came together in Brisbane a week later, with permission granted for the match to be officially recognised as the ANZAC Test again for the first time in 16 years. The Kiwis broke a 17-year mid-season Test drought against the Kangaroos with an emphatic 26-12 victory after the match had been postponed two days by torrential rain. The inaugural Charles Savory Medal for man-ofthe-match was awarded to the Kiwis’ two-try hero Manu Vatuvei. Savory was a fitting choice for the honour to be named after, representing both New Zealand and Australia before making the ultimate sacrifice at Gallipoli. The NRL and NZRL donated $1 from every ticket sold for the ANZAC Test to the RSL in Australia and the RSA in New Zealand. Beneath the various camouflaged jerseys and armed services-themed strips, Rugby League’s heart beats fervently with ANZAC pride and spirit. The game is ingrained in the tradition of Anzac Day as much as dawn service, beers at the RSL and twoup. But the results on Anzac Day take a backseat to remembering and commemorating those who have fought so bravely and gave their lives in the name of their country. Lest we forget.
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www.giostadiumcanberra.com.au
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info@giostadiumcanberra.com.au
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(02) 6256 6700
` LACHLAN MACPHERSON
To reconcile is to bring into agreement or harmony; make compatible or consistent. It is about building better relationships between Indigenous and nonIndigenous Australians through respect and recognition.
here have been several defining moments in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s fight for justice since the arrival of the first fleet on 26 January 1788: the abolition of the White Australia policy; the alteration of the Constitution to include Aboriginal people in the census; the legal recognition of native title; the Walk for Reconciliation; Kevin Rudd’s National Apology to the Stolen Generations and most recently the development and implementation of the first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in Australian Sport. When professional Rugby League began in New South Wales in 1908, it was a torrid time for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The Aborigines Protection Act 1909 – established ‘to exercise a general supervision and care over all matters affecting the interests and welfare of Aborigines and to protect them against injustice, imposition and fraud’ – gave the Board for the Protection of Aborigines extensive control over the lives of Indigenous people, including regulation of residence, employment, marriage and suffrage. Government policies that ‘protected’ Aboriginals left them on the edges of towns, segregated in schools and disadvantaged in wage systems and apprenticeships.
RECONCILIATION
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT RUGBY LEAGUE AND RUGBY LEAGUE CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT INDIGENOUS PEOPLE” William ‘Smilley’ Johnstone
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From 1900, school principals had the power to exclude Aboriginal children if white parents objected to their presence, with nearly 3000 schools adopting this ‘exclusion-on-demand’ practice. Thus, school sport was never a platform for Aboriginal children and participation in Rugby League at an elite level was almost non-existent, with only nine players – George Green, Glen ‘Paddy’ Crouch, Dick and Lin Johnson, Walter Mussing, Charlie Donovan, Alan Ferguson, Wally McArthur and Lionel Morgan – representing the Aboriginal population in top-flight football between 1908 and the early 1960s. Today, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders make up more than 13% of the National Rugby League (NRL) playing group. These players – all 61 of them – are the driving force behind the NRL’s vision for reconciliation, underpinned by the game’s mission to bring people together and enrich their lives. On 12 February 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered the long awaited apology for the past injustices to Australia’s Indigenous people and promised to “embrace the possibility of new solutions to enduring problems where old approaches have failed”. Later that year, under the guidance of the inaugural Australian Rugby League Indigenous Council (ARLIC) Chair, William ‘Smiley’ Johnstone, Rugby League became the first national sporting code to develop and implement a Reconciliation Action Plan – a formal recognition of the support that is extended to Indigenous communities by NRL clubs and players at the various arms of the game. This watershed moment not only acted as one of these new solutions, but was also a moment of realisation that sport was finally being used to catalyse change in the Aboriginal space, marking the progression of acceptance and reconciliation in Australia. “Aboriginal communities had been crying out for years to be formally acknowledged and
recognised as major contributors to the game at all levels,” said Johnstone when he spoke with Rugby League Player. “The fact that the NRL decided to put a council in place to work with the senior administrators across the game to better Indigenous rugby league across the country was massive.” By setting four specific action areas – Community Consultation, Cultural Recognition and Awareness, Game Development and Athlete Support and Community Development – the NRL pioneered the fight to close the gap in Indigenous disadvantage. The most significant change to come from this document, as highlighted by the NRL’s Final Report for the Reconciliation Action Plan 2008-2009, was the establishment of two advisory bodies – the Australian Rugby League Indigenous Council and the Indigenous Players Advisory Group. Their roles include providing an avenue for advice and ideas on policies and procedures to the game’s administrators, formalising a system for players to report on issues affecting them, improving public awareness and promoting reconciliation to a broad audience. Further, the RAP provided Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with improved player education and welfare programs, greatly expanded cultural awareness programs and a new mentoring program. It also saw the announcement of the Indigenous Team of the Century, a commitment to the ‘Close the Gap’ Campaign by running a specific NRL weekend round of games and the introduction of the Reconciliation Cup which can now be seen as
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Australian organisations now have a RAP
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need jobs – because not everyone’s going to be an NRL superstar, so we reached out and got into the areas that we believed were significant,” said Johnstone. Hard, fast objectives were reached, including, but not limited to, the introduction of the Festival of Indigenous Rugby League, showcasing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women’s talent through their inclusion in the All Stars week, increased support for major State-based Indigenous Rugby League carnivals and the development of corporate partnerships focused on overcoming Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage. Having now embarked on their third RAP, current Chair of the ARLIC, Linda Burney says that it is important to continue to focus on awareness, education and recognition in order to achieve reconciliation. “It’s not just about change. It’s about awareness and most of all it’s about celebrating the Aboriginal culture and their involvement in the game. “In terms of barriers to reconciliation, I think ignorance is a bigger challenge than racism. Unless you educate the broader community about the truth, then you’re never going to achieve anything.” The truth, as Ms Burney puts it, is everywhere. Median incomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households are just 65% of those of non-Indigenous households; unemployment rates for Indigenous people are three times higher than for non-Indigenous people; young Indigenous Australians are 24 times more likely to be jailed than their non-Indigenous peers; the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous life
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the genesis of the All Stars concept. Launched in 2010, on the second anniversary of the Prime Minister’s National Apology to the Stolen Generations, the All Stars match was played on the Gold Coast in front of a sell-out crowd and broadcast to 1.2 million Australians. Johnathan Thurston, arguably the best player in the world and one of only two Indigenous players to take part in every All Stars fixture, understands the significant role that the events of the week have in developing understanding, encouraging pride in Indigenous heritage and raising awareness of the journey towards reconciliation in Australia. “The All Stars game is the masterpiece, but the work that is done within the community far outweighs the match. It’s the icing on the cake that we get to run on the field to not only showcase our talent, but as a celebration of what the Indigenous culture has brought to Rugby League since its inception back in 1908,” said Thurston. It was off the back of the inaugural All Stars match that the game’s second Reconciliation Action Plan (2010–2013) was launched, with the NRL taking its vision for reconciliation further through targeted initiatives in Building Relationships, Demonstrating Respect and Understanding and Providing Opportunities. By doing this, Rugby League put itself in a unique position where it was able to build on the solid foundation that began in 2008 to address key issues such as health, employment, education and welfare through genuine measurable targets. “What we proved was that this wasn’t just about Rugby League – this was about the community. A healthy Aboriginal community means a healthy Australia. They need an education, they
29,514
Indigenous people employed in RAP organisations
RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 37
RECONCILIATION
A KEY PART OF ACHIEVING RECONCILIATION IS BEING ABLE TO GET THE NON-INDIGENOUS POPULATION TO NOT ONLY KNOW, BUT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT BLACK AUSTRALIA HAS BEEN THROUGH SINCE WHITE SETTLEMENT AND IF WE CAN EDUCATE OUR CHILDREN AT A YOUNGER AGE THEN HOPEFULLY THINGS WILL CHANGE.” Johnathan Thurston
expectancy at birth is 12 years for males and 10 years for females; mortality rates for Indigenous infants and young children remain 2-3 times higher than for all infants and young children. Rugby League creates a level playing field in a society that is anything but. When you’re out there on the field, you are equal. It is not about you or me, us or them. It is about working together towards a common goal. The RAP makes closing the gap a reality and one that is centred around a
sport that has played a huge part in the lives of Aboriginal Australians for over a century – a strategy that Ms Burney says needs to start from the grassroots. “For me, what’s going on in paddock football, if I can describe it like that, is just as important as what’s happening at the elite level and that’s what has to be understood.” Rugby League continues to provide opportunities and hope for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders from the grassroots right through to the NRL as players,
coaches, officials, administrators, volunteers and supporters. This is reflected in the services and programs that are working to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians. The Learn Earn Legend! School to Work Program uses the positive profile of the game to support and encourage Indigenous Australians from Western Sydney to stay at school, get a job, and be a legend for themselves, their families and their communities; Tackling Violence uses regional rugby league clubs to promote changed attitudes and behaviours to domestic violence; The Knockout Challenge is a state-wide NSWRL initiative that encourages Indigenous people to lose weight and embrace a healthier lifestyle. These, along with countless other programs, are examples of the broad scope of the steps that are currently in place to respond to community need. That is, to improve health, education and employment outcomes for Aboriginal people. RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 39
I SEE FIRST HAND THE DIFFERENCE THAT THIS GAME MAKES AND I THINK THAT RUGBY LEAGUE IS LEADING THE WAY IN ACHIEVING RECONCILIATION IN AUSTRALIA” Johnathan Thurston
OMOKO MEDIA
RECONCILIATION
It is true that Indigenous people can’t live without Rugby League and Rugby League can’t live without Indigenous people. The game has provided so much for Indigenous people and Indigenous people have provided so much for the game. The likes of George Green, Lionel Morgan, Arthur Beetson, Steve Renouf, Gordon Tallis, Greg Inglis and Johnathan Thurston are massive sources of inspiration for hundreds of thousands of people, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, across our great nation and are a testament to the fact that, if given the opportunity, Indigenous Australians have the capacity to achieve great things. The gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians on the important indicators – life expectancy, health outcomes, income, employment, child mortality and education – is closing. However, the reality of it is that the traditional owners of this land remain dispossessed and marginalised, as they exist, shamefully for a nation of such
OUR NATION MUST HAVE THE COURAGE TO OWN THE TRUTH, TO HEAL THE WOUNDS OF THE PAST SO THAT WE CAN MOVE ON TOGETHER AT PEACE WITH OURSELVES From the Declaration Towards Reconciliation, May 2000
wealth, in third world conditions. Where the Federal Government is failing in its empty attempts to achieve change, sport is thriving. In order to understand the significant
impact that Rugby League can have on the lives of Australia’s First People and the huge influence that they have on the game, we should look no further than the core values that are intrinsic to both communities. Rugby League promotes excellence, inclusiveness, courage and teamwork while the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture is very much about responsibility, reciprocity, respect, equality, survival and protection, spirit and integrity. Through the creation of an equal playing field, we are given an insight into what it is like to co-exist – something that we will hopefully, eventually, obtain as a nation. “There is still a lot of ignorance, that’s true, but it’s not like it used to be. There is a willingness to learn and a willingness to have our country come to terms with its history. It’s never going to be perfect, but geez, I tell you what, it is a lot better than it used to be and I think we’ve got now the most aware population that we’ve ever had and that’s powerful.” Linda Burney
From the Depths of
DARKNESS PETER FEGAN
DEPTHS OF DARKNESS
ll too often, Rugby League fans, and occasionally dignitaries, are too quick to criticise or, in a sense, disbelieve players who admit to suffering from depression. Social media platforms are rife with gutless comments by keyboard trolls; newspapers are filled with baseless ‘facts’. It’s long been the game’s enigma, if you will, purely in the sense that non-sufferers and critics alike, will never truly know the feeling of this insidious disease. Depression, as we know it, has no parameters – unlike the common cold, there is no “lie in bed for a few days” and countdown to recovery option. There are no crutches to the broken leg. With the crutch and cast come get well cards and flowers; with depression, it’s another long and seemingly pointless dance with your dark companion. As a result, you only seem to raise suspicion, which often will lead to a feeling of rejection. With depression, there is no “I’ll sit this one out”, or “you’ll be sweet”. The harsh reality is, often you have no idea what’s happening.
“RUGBY LEAGUE IS MORE THAN A GAME. IT IS THE COUNTRY’S LARGEST SPORTING COMMUNITY AND ONE WHICH CAN ACT AS A CATALYST FOR SOCIAL CHANGE AROUND BIG COMMUNITY ISSUES
Dramatic? Perhaps. But if you’ve never been there, you’ll never truly know the destructiveness of the ever-dark taboo that is depression. In any given year almost 30 per cent of the adult population will suffer from a recognised psychiatric disorder. The World Health Organisation estimates that depression is currently the fourth biggest debilitating disease in the world. And it is by no means slowing down. In fact, the reality is the complete opposite. By the year 2020, it will be the second biggest. Scarier still, one in 10 people suffering from depression will attempt to take their own lives. Ex-Australian, NSW and Canterbury Bulldogs legend – and all-round nice guy – Andrew Ryan is one of three respected former players employed by the NRL as part of the Player Welfare Unit. Alongside Nigel Vagana and Dean Widders, the three are committed 46
solely to the welfare of both established and up-and-coming stars of the game. It’s a role which Andrew Ryan admits he’s very lucky to be in. “I’m very lucky, I get to spend time and be around all different age groups, 15, 16-year-olds all the way up to first grade players.” Ryan said. nfortunately, the complexities of depression are what make the disease so hard to manage. Although the NRL is supporting the players unequivocally, there will be some that will decide help is simply void. The recent deaths of emerging players Hayden Butler and Regan Grieve – two beautiful and talented souls – is a tragic reminder. Two kids with the world at their feet. From the outside, the smiles and laughter have friends and family bluffed. What they are truly feeling is an uncontrollable sense of hurt, fear and unimaginable pain.
The clear signs of depression are well camouflaged. The case of Reni Matua is a perfect example. Andrew Ryan knows this example all to well, having played the majority of his senior football with Reni, and also having the honour of winning a premiership with him along the way. “I played a lot of footy with Reni,” Ryan said when quizzed on whether Reni showed signs of depression while they were teammates. “I didn’t notice any clear signs of depression, we never talked about it. Obviously, every player has their ups and downs, whether it was losses, form, selection or injury. But nothing really stood out.” On a more positive note for the game, Andrew Ryan outlined the myriad counselling services available to today’s players. “There is a counselling service available to all
players, staff and their families, also, partners. “It’s a confidential hotline. In addition, each and every club provides a welfare officer who under goes mental health training. There are also private services that clubs can use if the player chooses.” There is no denying the fact Rugby League players today are idolised. Fans go wild to catch a glimpse of their favourite player, kids all across the country adorn themselves in club colours with stars’ surnames plastered on the back, convinced that one day they will be the next Greg Inglis or Jarryd Hayne. Realistically, and sometimes selfishly, we often depict them as indestructible superheroes, as if they are wearing some kind of invisible armour that protects them from evil. If there is anybody who could tell you that notion is far from reality, it’s Australia’s leading sports psychologist Paul Peena. RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 47
DEPTHS OF DARKNESS
LESS THAN HALF OF PEOPLE WITH A MENTAL ILLNESS SEEK HELP. TOO OFTEN STIGMA AND SHAME ARE QUOTED AS BARRIERS.” Prof. Helen Christensen, Director and Dhief Scientist, Black Dog Institute
Having worked with many of Australia’s top athletes and sporting teams, including the 2008 Beijing Olympic swimming team and the NRL’s own West Tigers, no one has a broader understanding than Peena – and the statistics are alarming to say the least. “One of the biggest onsets of depression in athletes is loss of identity,” Peena explained. “The most common triggers include being dropped from teams, a simple 48
change of team structure, contract extensions, losing and injury. “Through extensive research, we’ve been able to establish that athletes who suffer significant injury, whether it be chronic or acute, directly impacts the way they feel about themselves, which significantly affects the way they mange their mental health.” Peena went on further to clarify that
not everyone who suffers depression would seek help. “The current statistics suggest that one in four of us will suffer from a significant bout of mental illness, whether it be anxiety or depression,” Peena said. “That’s calculated only from people who seek help, so it may in fact be more than that. Those figures are not just spread across the general public, but across sport as well.” When the mental health of a player dominates our news site headlines and our morning papers, when Facebook is rife with news outlets fighting to give their so-called ‘expert analysis’, take a moment to ask yourself just what the person in question may be feeling. The harsh reality is, our games elite are far from indestructible. Like you and I, they struggle with the day-to-day grind .
A tough guy doesn’t talk about his problems. A stronger man does.
Each year 1 in 5 Australians experience a mental illness. It affects people from all walks of life, yet the majority of problems can be treated, and some even prevented. Gain the skills to better manage your mental health, or to provide support to someone you are worried about. Visit the Black Dog Institute at www.blackdoginstitute.org.au for information and self-help tools that are available 24/7 whenever you need them. Resources include: • self-test for depression and biopolar disorder • fact sheets • mobile apps and online treatment programs • videos of others sharing their experiences The Black Dog Institute is committed to improving the lives of those affected by mental illness through innovations in science, medicine, education and public policy.
www.blackdoginstitute.org.au The NRL and the Black Dog Institute tackling mental health issues together since 2009
MATAI – CODE SERIES 2013 oil on linen 56x46cm
JULIAN MEAGHER
LACHLAN MACPHERSON
t is said that opposites attract, but never did we think that two worlds, so inherently different, would cross paths. Art is based on concept – rugby league on contact. Art is based on aesthetics – rugby league on aggression. Yet despite all the obvious differences, Sydney based artist Julian Meagher, with a healthy disrespect for the conventional way of looking at life, has managed to make it work. After leaving behind a successful career as a medical doctor ten years ago to paint full time, Meagher’s earlier works centred around the ritual of tattooing. Recently, however, he has graduated towards a broader exploration of inherited history and the binary nature of Australian masculinity. It was this exploration that led him to the Code Series. “In the rugby league paintings, it was about men. It’s really simple. Then within that you can go down different paths such as an investigation of the strength and fragility of
Australian men,” said Meagher. Applying the methods and techniques that he developed whilst studying traditional oil portraiture in Florence, Italy, Meagher’s translucent dripping glazes of paint dramatise the underlying instability in each man’s isolated facial expression. “The fact that the subject’s eyes are slightly uplifted is important as it emphasises this sort of god-like reference to a higher force, creating a real ambiguity as to what they’re thinking about, as they go into battle.” What Meagher captures through his work is that these men, positioned as soldiers and warriors, are actually so vulnerable – in a world where they are seen as immortal. With delicate paintings of tough men, he addresses the often unquestioned issues of masculinity, vulnerability and drinking culture through blurring the lines between ego, aggression and sensitivity to produce something that is honest, unique and real. Follow him on Instagram @JULIANMEAGHER
JULIAN MEAGHER
LOCKYER – CODE SERIES 2013 oil on linen 56x46cm
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CIVONICEVA | CODE SERIES 2013 oil on linen 56x46cm
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JULIAN MEAGHER
PARKER – CODE SERIES 2013 oil on linen 56x46cm
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THAIDAY | CODE SERIES 2013 oil on linen 56x46cm
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IN MY WORDS
ISSAC LUKE
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Rugby League
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STATE ORIGIN of
Pics: Rockpool Publishing
LYLE BEATON & LIAM HAUSER
STATE OF ORIGIN
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Queensland’s domination of the early days of State of Origin rugby league – commencing with the oneoff inaugural game in 1980 under the leadership of a returned Arthur Beetson – was really a backlash to Queensland’s poor results for the nearly two decades of interstate football which had preceded it, during which Queensland managed no series wins between 1961–1979. This bitter drought fired a magnificent group of young Queensland players coming through in both the Sydney and Brisbane premierships to new heights in rugby league interstate relations. The likes of backs Wally Lewis, Chris Close, Mal Meninga, Gene Miles, Kerry Boustead, John Ribot and Mark Murray, combined with quality young forwards such as Greg Dowling, Paul McCabe, Bryan Niebling, Wally Fullerton-Smith and Greg Conescu, produced excellent Queensland sides hell-bent on revenge against their southern counterparts. The concept of State of Origin (brought about Top: Famous scenes at Lang Park where a scuffle between Greg Oliphant, Graeme Wynn and Artie Beetson sparked the first ever State of Origin all-in brawl Bottom: The front page of the Brisbane Telegraph salutes Queensland’s win in the first State of Origin game
largely through the agitation of Queensland Senator and QRL President Ron McAuliffe) greatly benefited Queensland over New South Wales. Since the start of Australian rugby league in 1907-1908, the money in the game had traditionally been based in the Sydney premiership. Players from Queensland country areas and the capital Brisbane flowed to Sydney seeking fame and fortune; thus making them eligible under the then rules for NSW in interstate football. When added to NSW’s greater wealth and population, this resulted in a true underdog situation being created. Permitting such players to again play for Queensland, helped right what had been a long existing historical wrong. While the concept of State of Origin had been developed three years earlier by the then VFL (Victoria v Western Australia), it was rugby league as a sport that especially embraced the idea – particularly as a means to restore parity to the uneven Queensland – New South Wales relationship which
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had developed throughout the 1960s and 1970s. It was in this context that Queensland’s wins in the one-off Origin games of 1980 and 1981, followed by consecutive series wins in 1982-1984, were treated with such euphoria north of the border. NSW claimed to have taken at least some of these games less seriously than the Maroons, but the quality of players representing the Blues in this period (the likes of Michael Cronin, Steve Rogers, Peter Sterling, Eric Grothe, Steve Mortimer, Graham Eadie, Ray Price, Craig Young, Brett Kenny, Steve Ella and Max Krilich) meant that their inherent professionalism saw them play all games with a similar high level of intensity. Of particular delight to Queenslanders were the two series wins in 1983 and 1984, given that by this time NSW had clearly lifted and a considerable amount of cross border banter had begun to develop. Wally Lewis and Ray Price were especially forthright in this area – Price claiming that Lewis was scared
Top Right: Steve Mortimer looks to the heavens as he is chaired from the Sydney Cricket Ground following the Blues breakthrough series victory in 1985
to test himself in the Sydney premiership and Lewis perhaps still holding some grudges from the 1982 Kangaroo Tour (on which Price’s Parramatta team mates Brett Kenny and Peter Sterling were selected over the Test incumbents Lewis and Steve Mortimer with the apparent blessing of Price). One suspects Lewis’s try in Game One of 1983 (in which he cleverly burrowed through Price on the goal line to score from dummy half) was extremely galling for the star Parramatta lock. As often is the case with sporting cycles, this period of early dominance stirred a similar level of resolve in NSW who then bounced back with quality performances – and series wins – in 1985 and 1986. This occurred initially under the inspiration of coach Terry Fearnley and captain Steve Mortimer in 1985 and then by cashing in famously on the spectacular Kenny-Sterling combination in 1986 with the first ever clean sweep in Origin history. The heartbreak
at the end of an era was evident for Queensland in 1985, with Wally Lewis in particular a broken man after the epic NSW 21-14 win at the SCG before more than 40,000 fans in Game Two. This set the scene for a truly remarkable – and possibly the best ever – series in 1987 as two mighty teams sought to wrestle supremacy from each other. A cliff-hanger series went down to the wire at Queensland’s cauldron Lang Park, with Queensland hanging on 10-8 in Game Three after a scoreless but famously eventful second half during which both teams repelled countless attacks. Winning the last two games of the 1987 series was but the start of an amazing (and until recently unprecedented concentrated run of success) for Queensland – winning eight games straight including two clean sweeps in 1988 and 1989. This was perhaps the then high point in Queensland’s history as a rugby league power; a period when Wally Lewis and Allan Langer RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 61
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caused havoc against NSW regularly and a succession of NSW five-eighths were thwarted by the maroon magician wearing six. While the return of the revered “supercoach” Jack Gibson in 1989 had not produced the desired results, with NSW losing all three matches, the coach’s lessons were well learned and NSW 1990 was an altogether different proposition. Magnificently led by Benny Elias, an ever present danger at dummy half, NSW dominated Queensland after Wally Lewis missed only his second Origin match since 1980 in Game One of 1990. Even the return of “The King” could not prevent NSW winning the series 2-1, with NSW wins in Sydney and the first ever Melbourne game at the city’s Olympic Park venue (during which Ricky
Stuart took a famous intercept to earn a Kangaroo Tour place and Greg McCallum earned the ire of all Queenslanders for giving a crucial penalty for ball stealing against Allan Langer at a vital moment). Hence the stage was set for the last series in which the great Wally Lewis would take part – 1991. While this would only be announced towards the end of this grand series in the epic deciding Game Three at Lang Park (won narrowly by Queensland 14-12), off field events had meant Lewis seemed likely to commit only to club football at the Gold Coast Seagulls in 1992. And so it would come to pass but only after a masterful exhibition of two wonderful footballing teams determined to do their respective states proud. The 1991 series was incredibly tight and set the threshold for future encounters Top: Wally Lewis and Allan Langer hold the shield after winning Game Three 10-8 at Lang Park in 1987 Bottom: Parramatta and NSW Blues dynamic duo Brett Kenny and Peter Sterling relax after a game
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between the fierce rivals. A mere two points divided the teams in terms of total points in this series and Meninga’s majestic conversion under immense pressure from wide out to make it a Queensland 14-12 win in Game Three was one of the great pressure kicks of his career. While some might doubt the value of state football being seen as the pinnacle of rugby league in Australia, the seeds for this remarkable state of affairs was the tremendous resurgence in Queensland football during the period 1980–1991, an era which coincided directly with the representative career of Wally Lewis. Even a record eight man-of-the-match awards does not adequately describe his contribution to the birth and continual rise of Origin football. These years 1980–1991 inspired generations of Queensland players to continue to compete admirably with the wealth and might of NSW rugby league. While some might argue the 1989 side was perhaps the best ever put together by Queensland, the genesis of the eight year record of Queensland wins between 2006 and 2013 really lies in the period 1980–1991, during which Queensland gave NSW the sort of challenge that had been lacking for a lengthy period. Certainly players from that era continue to have a major impact on Origin, whether as coaches or administrators (witness the respective coaches in the 2015 series). In many ways, the period 1980 – 1991 is the key period in the history of rugby league’s State of Origin contest. LB
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1992
2005
The appointment of Phil Gould as NSW’s coach was a defining moment in Origin history. He became a prominent figure as he coached NSW from 1992 to 1996 and from 2002 to 2004, and seemed to cotton onto Queensland’s tradition of camaraderie in Origin football. The appointment of Laurie Daley as captain in 1992 was another decisive move for the Blues. The 1992 series opener was brutal and featured numerous injuries, while Ben Elias gained ample attention as his face was covered in blood. Queensland squared the series after an Allan Langer 64
field goal in the dying stages of game two, before NSW’s 16-4 victory in the decider began a period of dominance for the southerners as they won three straight series for the first time after Queensland did it twice in the 1980s. The Maroons had ample chances to score tries but they faltered at crucial times, especially in the opening two matches of 1993 before Queensland won the dead rubber. Wally Lewis returned to Origin as he coached the Maroons in 1993 and 1994, but it wasn’t easy for him to coach a lot of players he had played alongside. A spectacular last-minute try to Mark Coyne enabled Queensland to snatch a 16-12 win in game one of 1994. NSW levelled the series in front of a then record crowd of 87,161 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground before the Blues won a decider in Brisbane for the first time. This marked the
Benny Elias of the NSW Blues celebrates after winning Game Two at the MCG in 1994, which attracted a then record Australian rugby league crowd of 87,161
end of Mal Meninga’s Origin playing days, with the Maroons losing the three series he captained (1992-94) while Elias retired in style. The Super League war robbed Queensland of many key players, seemingly making it all but certain that NSW would become the first state to win four straight Origin series. But the underdog Queenslanders, under the captaincy of Trevor Gillmeister and with the unheralded Paul Vautin as coach, achieved a stunning clean sweep. A 2-0 win in game one was enough of a shock, before NSW had a match-winning try disallowed in the last minute of game two before failing again in game three. NSW won the 1996 series 3-0 with all players back on deck, with the Blues playing better as a team while the Super League crisis seemed to disrupt the Maroons. The 1997 series didn’t feature Super League players, with the Blues winning by
mere two- and one-point margins to clinch another series before the Maroons snapped a five-match losing streak. The formation of the National Rugby League (NRL) ended the Super League crisis, and the 1998 and 1999 Origin series were exceptionally tight as both teams scored 53 points in 1998 before 1999 featured a draw for the first time. A last-minute converted try to Tonie Carroll enabled Queensland to steal a 24-23 win in game one, and the Maroons won a third and deciding match before the subsequent drawn series enabled them to retain the Origin shield. NSW won the 2000 series 3-0 as the Blues tallied 104 points to 42, following a record 56-16 scoreline in game three. It became too easy to think a NSW dynasty would ensue, but the Maroons won the 2001 series as Darren Lockyer and several Origin newcomers such as Carl Webb had a great time. The return of Allan Langer, nearing 35 years of age, was the highlight as Queensland won the third and deciding game. Langer played one more year, with the Maroons drawing the third match to draw the series and retain the shield after Dane Carlaw scored a last-minute solo try. Andrew Johns and Luke Bailey were particularly prominent as NSW won the opening two matches of 2003 before Queensland won the dead rubber comprehensively. Without Andrew Johns, NSW won the 2004 series as well despite Queensland’s Billy Slater scoring an electrifying try in game two. NSW won the decider 36-14 after winning the first game 9-8 in ‘golden point’ after the drawn series in 2002 led to extra time being introduced in the event of a drawn result. NSW made it three in a row as the Blues took the 2005 series, with Johns prominent after missing game one. An intercept try to Matt Bowen enabled Queensland to win game one in extra time, but Johns inspired the Blues in the next two games in what was his final Origin series. RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 65
Pics: Rockpool Publishing
STATE OF ORIGIN
2006
they came from behind to stretch their winning sequence to four matches, including a breakthrough win at the Homebushbased stadium in Sydney where NSW had won 10 and drawn one of the first 11 Origin matches there. Despite missing Lockyer, Queensland won the 2008 series after a disappointing display in the series opener. The series went down to the wire, with the Maroons winning the decider by a converted try as the margin between success and failure remained very small regardless of what the scoreboard read. The likes of Johnathan Thurston, Cameron Smith, Greg Inglis, Billy Slater, Petero Civoniceva and Nate Myles became prominent for the Maroons, who went on to become the first state to win four straight Origin series’. After Ricky
2014
Having won only three series from 1992 to 2005, the Maroons appointed Meninga as coach. Queensland had a dreadful start to the 2006 series before salvaging a mere one-point loss in game one, and then Lockyer showed his class. Despite the Maroons copping the short end of the stick when it came to dubious decisions in the decider, Queensland overcame a 14-4 deficit in the last 10 minutes to snatch a 16-14 victory. It was the first time since 1995 that Queensland won backto-back matches in an Origin series. The Maroons also had to deal with adversity in the opening two matches of 2007, but
Stuart coached NSW in 2005, Graham Murray (two series) and Craig Bellamy (three series) did not savour a series win. Queensland won the opening two matches of 2009, and had to overcome plenty of adversity in game two, before NSW won a dead rubber which erupted in the dying stages to show that Origin still had plenty of passion. Whilst the Maroons seemingly had a settled, cohesive and skillful group of players, the Blues seemed to have trouble finding combinations, and there were a lot of dilemmas when it came to choosing a halfback as there was a lot of chopping and changing. Queensland clean-swept a series for the first time in 15 years as the Maroons were notably superior to the Blues in 2010. Game two was a rare case where one team was simply never in the hunt, although there were respectable margins of four and five points in the first and third games.
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STATE OF ORIGIN
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Bring Back the Biff: In the days before slapping and scratching, these were the moments that every fan waited for and the moments that truly made an Origin player into an Origin legend RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 69
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The most capped player in Origin history – Lockyer – made his farewell in 2011 as Queensland extended its series winning streak to six while Ricky Stuart was back in charge of the Blues. The Maroons won the opening match 16-12 after coming from behind in the last 10 minutes, before NSW broke its fourmatch losing sequence with an 18-8 win on home soil following a late try after Queensland threatened to produce another come-from-behind win. The Maroons were simply too good at crucial times in the decider, romping to a 24-0 lead before winning 34-24.Queensland farewelled Petero Civoniceva in 2012, with Origin proving as close a competition as it had ever been despite the Maroons winning again. The rub of the green went Queensland’s way in game one as the Maroons won before the rub of the green went NSW’s way in game two as the Blues squared the series. The decider was on a knife’s edge as the score was level in the last 10 minutes, before a one-pointer to Queensland halfback Cooper Cronk was followed by his counterpart Mitch Pearce missing his field goal attempt. Laurie Daley coached in Origin football 70
Top: Josh Reynolds and Luke Lewis celebrate the Blues drought-breaking victory in Game Two of the 2014 series Bottom: Darren Lockyer farewells fans after winning the 2011 series in Game Three at Suncorp Stadium
for the first time in 2013 as Queensland won a mammoth eighth straight series despite another very tight series unfolding. The Blues won game one 14-6 as the Maroons were out of sorts, before Queensland clicked into gear as game two was another rare case of one team never resembling Origin standards. The Maroons again found something extra as the decider was very close, with Queensland holding on to win 12-10 after a streaker disrupted proceedings in the dying minutes.
NSW narrowly won the 2014 series opener before game two was full of niggling play. Queensland led for the most part before Trent Hodkinson became NSW’s first halfback since Andrew Johns to be on a series winning side. Hodkinson scored the sole try of the match as NSW finally broke Queensland’s stranglehold on Origin football, before Queensland won game three comprehensively to suggest that the Maroons were not necessarily a spent force. LH
AGENTS of
CHANGE Eight people, from all corners of the Rugby League Community, come together to comment on the evolution of the game. PETER FEGAN & LACHLAN MACPHERSON
CLINTON SCHIFCOFSKE Ex-Player and Current Player Agent “In terms of player development, the young kids bursting through are just superstars. They’re leaner, fitter, faster, and stronger – and the game has evolved which is good. They’re all very athletic across all positions and that’s why you see the speed in the game. And with the rule changes that are occurring, including the outlaw of the shoulder charge and taking the wrestle and grapple out of the game, it is just going to get even faster. Throw in the talks of expansion, and if that’s done properly, it will be huge. I think the game’s in a really good place!”
RAY HADLEY Undisputed King of Rugby League Radio Broadcasting
THE ONE BOX THAT I REMEMBER THE MOST IS PENRITH. YOU HAD TO CONTEND WITH PIGEON DROPPINGS AND MAKE SURE YOU DIDN’T HIT YOUR HEAD ON A STANCHION AS YOU CLIMBED THROUGH FRANK LEE’S BOX TO GET TO YOURS. IT WAS A BIT LIKE THE COCKPIT OF A HANG GLIDER – YOU COULD FIT TWO IN AND NOT MANY OTHERS.“ “I don’t want to be one of those old blokes saying ‘ah the game was better when I started broadcasting back in the 80s’, you know, I don’t ever want to be one of those people. I grew up with a lot of old broadcasters that would say ‘ah it’s not as tough as it used to be’. It’s just as physical; it’s just as tough. The body mass has grown so the people hitting you are a lot bigger than they used to be and even allowing for my battles with the NRL about various things, the game has survived some instability and it’ll survive plenty more. There’s been some lunacy from players, from participants, from administrators, but the game prospers and survives because it’s durable and it’s, I think, one of the great gladiatorial sports that you could possibly watch.”
AGENTS OF CHANGE
SHANNON PONTON Rugby League Enthusiast I’d like to see the shoulder charge come back, I’d like to see us go back to one ref and to spend way less time with the video ref. I’m not a fan of thuggery, but I don’t think what the NRL’s doing at the moment by limiting the amount of biffs and big hits is having the affect that they want going through to the junior grades. I spend a lot of time with Harbord Valley in the Manly comp and the numbers are just falling off everywhere. The numbers in A-grade are falling off and the numbers of kids are falling off, so I think that whatever the NRL thinks they’re doing by making the game more gentle – what they think everybody wants to see – I don’t believe is having the knock on affect that they think they’re going to get.
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BILL PEDEN Ex-Player “The main changes I saw were the structures within the coaching system. In 1997, we were blessed with the likes of the Johns brothers, Lux and Chief and so we had our own roles and we were sort of a bit autonomous really, but things evolved and going into the 2001 Grand Final we had more defined roles from a coaching point of view. On top of that, and it may sound a little silly, but the accuracy of goal kickers improved incredibly over that period [1997-2001]. Early on, if a goal kicker was kicking 60% he was doing alright. It has improved dramatically and now we have players kicking in the high 80s. On the administrative side of things, obviously the game has an increased amount of corporate control, but it’s impossible to stop progression and that was always going to happen. As much as we would have liked it to stay the same and everyone reminisces about the old days, but the game has evolved, it is a business and things have improved.”
PETA CARIGE One of the NRL’s Leading Dieticians I think the sport itself is getting stronger and stronger every year – as is the competition. As far as the support that are provided to players on and off the field, I think we’re slightly behind some other codes, but the best coaches are well aware of where we need to be moving and they’re moving in the correct direction. Dieticians probably started in league with Holly Frail at the Broncos from when they were established but even then she didn’t actually have control over what was provided in the dressing sheds. It was still… beer. It wasn’t until the early nineties that everything started to ramp up as far as the professionalism of the game in regards to training loads and recovery and that’s when nutrition started to have an impact. So even to say that ten years ago dieticians didn’t exist and they do exist today, so that’s a huge step. RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 75
AGENTS OF CHANGE
CRAIG DUNCAN Sports Scientist “The use of technology in professional sport has evolved substantially over the previous decade. This evolution has been driven by the desire to achieve greater performance by enhancing training methods and athlete management. The game of rugby league has become increasingly faster as players and coaches become more advanced in the structure and implementation of training methods. One major influence to this advancement has been GPS where now every movement; be it an acceleration, a collision or a sprint is measured and can be viewed in real time. GPS has taken the guesswork out of training prescription and has seen the quantification of the game demands and permitted the accurate measurement of individual players training and playing physiological loading. Through the effective use of GPS coaches can ensure that players do not accumulate negative fatigue throughout a training week, phase or season. We know that more is not always better so now the coach can have an individual approach to player management so that they are ready to maximise performance when it matters most – game day.
BRENT KITE Game NRL Legend “Rugby League as a product is awesome and it’s only getting better. Across the board, you don’t get such a close game in any other sport. In this country, there’s no other game where you constantly see the bottom team knocking off the top team. And with the way the game is heading and what it’s worth – it’s pretty exciting. In terms of rule changes, taking the shoulder charge for example, I wasn’t really a fan but I’ve come around. Even in the span of my career, which is 14 years, I can probably even attest that players are getting bigger, stronger and faster. So given the fact that these collisions are now harder and more frequent, it’s probably been a good thing and maybe concussion is going to be the same. I don’t think they’ve got the application to the rule quite right, but it can only be a good thing – I mean, we’ve got to look after players” 76
Petersham RSL Club 7 Regent Street Petersham 2049 www.petershamrsl.com.au (02) 9560 8355
WILL EVANS
SHAUN JOHNSON
reg Inglis routinely tops ‘world’s best player’ polls, while pundits and peers alike have anointed the mercurial Johnathan Thurston as the NRL’s No.1 superstar. But if Rugby League’s man of the moment had been selected at the start of the year, it would have been impossible to go past Warriors and Kiwis halfback wizard Shaun Johnson. Consecutive man-of-the-match performances in New Zealand’s back-to-back Test victories over Australia propelled his country to a stirring Four Nations triumph at the end of 2014. He was adorned with the prestigious Golden Boot award soon afterwards, before launching the 2015 NRL season in Auckland (with Inglis) in January and being utilised as the unofficial ‘face’ of the Nines for the second year running. Speaking with Rugby League Player just before the premiership commenced, Johnson was typically understated and humble about his mind-blowing performances in the black-and-white jumper, which were some of the most dominant witnessed on the international scene in years. “It gives you a bit of confidence,” the 24-year-old said. “Any time you win or succeed – and you play well when you do – you’ve got to take the good stuff to come out of it. “I’ve still got a lot I need to work on, but I certainly have taken a bit out of that (Four Nations) campaign and hopefully I can keep building on it this season with the Warriors.” The ‘man of the moment’ tag is fitting in more ways than one – Johnson, with his peerless footwork, blistering speed and sleight of hand, has produced myriad instances of extraordinary brilliance since bursting onto the first grade scene in 2011. The No.7’s penchant for producing those moments when big matches are on the line is equally remarkable. Johnson’s cross-field jaunt to set up Lewis Brown’s match-winner in the Warriors’ 2011 preliminary final upset of Melbourne, his hot-stepping last-minute try in the 2013 World Cup semi-final eclipse of England at Wembley, and his sizzling touchdown – memorably skipping around Kangaroos fullback Inglis – in last year’s Four Nations final are destined to become ingrained in the fabric of Rugby League history. They are once-in-a-career type moments for even some of code’s biggest names – yet Johnson has been the architect of three iconic victories courtesy of his instinctive genius. But despite the adulation of fans, fellow players
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and former greats for his unique talents, Johnson’s fierce desire for tangible team achievements at NRL level override any notion of stepping back and contemplating the freakish plays he has produced in four short years. “I think it’s hard to reflect on things when you haven’t really done anything in the game yet,” Johnson said bluntly. “I’ve had individual moments and scored a try that people will talk about, but that’s not why I play the game. I think I would reflect on it a bit more – or at all – if we’d actually done something with the seasons that I’ve been a part of.” “It’s been pretty disappointing not to make the playoffs since 2011, so I haven’t looked back on anything in a positive light really. I’ve been pretty filthy
that, being the halfback of the side and not making the playoffs each year, something’s going wrong. “But hopefully over the next few years we’ll have a bit of success and I’ll be able to sit back at the end of my career and take it all in.” That may seem a harsh assessment, but Johnson can appreciate why his moments of inspiration attract so much attention. “I remember when I was a young guy on the other side of the fence and I had players that I looked up. And all the things they did, scoring the cool tries and the try celebrations or whatever it was – it’s cool to be on the other side and have kids look at me the way I used to look at my heroes. “I’m stoked that I’m in a position to put a smile on someone’s face or be talked about.”
Top Left: An ecstatic Johnson after the New Zealand’s victory over Australia in the 2014 Four Nations Final Top Right: Johnson celebrates with Elijah Taylor after winning the 2010 Toyota Cup Grand Final over the South Sydney Rabbitohs Bottom: In action at the 2015 Auckland Nines
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nderstandably, demand for interviews and public appearances have gone through the roof for the Warriors’ and Kiwis’ star performer and highest-profile player. While acknowledging the increased workload has taken its toll, the ultra-marketable Johnson is eager to do his bit and promote the code. “For me, being over here in New Zealand, I really want to be part of the process of growing Rugby League. I know how much we’re dominated by rugby (union) so any chance I can get to spread the word or shed League in a positive light, I’ll jump at it.” A glamorous part of that gospel-spreading was fronting the NRL’s 2015 season launch in Auckland – a watershed occasion for New Zealand Rugby League and a thoroughly enjoyable experience for the local lad. “It was awesome. It was something I’ve always been aware of, but it was never something I ever thought I’d be a part of – actually launching the season,” he enthused. “To do it in Auckland, it’s the place I’ve grown up. I guess I had an understanding of what a big deal it was
to have it here and it was just such an awesome night to be a part of with ‘GI’ and all the other superstars that were all there. It was cool to be in amongst them all.” Whether it’s humility or a blissful unawareness, Johnson seems genuinely oblivious to the fact he is on the verge of being regarded in the same class as the superstars he is referring to – if he isn’t already. Johnson’s exceptional talents have been lauded virtually since his debut, but many viewed his composed Four Nations displays as a pointer to the Warriors’ linchpin discovering elusive week-to-week consistency – a development that would help the club shed the pesky ‘enigmatic’ tag immeasurably. But Johnson – already a veteran of 14 Tests and closing in on 100 NRL games – was emphatic when asked whether he felt his efforts for the Kiwis, combined with Golden Boot success, had heaped more pressure on him to carry the talent-laden, but perennially underachieving, Auckland-based outfit. “No, not at all,” he said. “That’s what the outsiders see, the media see and everyone that writes the stories see. But at training I don’t get treated any different. I’ve gone in and
Bottom Left: Johnson prepares to kick a conversion during New Zealand’s Group B match against France during the 2013 Rugby League World Cup Top Right: Celebrating after the Warriors 2011 Semi Final win over the Wests Tigers Bottom Right: Feeling right at home during the Warriors Round 5 NRL Match against the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Mt Smart Stadium in 2013
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I’ve tried to work hard just like the rest of the boys. “I’m not the only one who wants to do something with their season this year. “I know the boys are all going to contribute, and they’re going to have to if we’re to have any kind of success this year.” When talking about the 2015 season and the Warriors’ future success, the desire and steely determination in Johnson’s voice is palpable – it’s clear the NRL trophy is infinitely more valuable to him than dazzling highlight reels and individual honours. He was also adamant about one of the most crucial factors in ending their three-season finals hiatus. “It’s a really long season, and everyone will be feeling the same after the pre-season, saying they’re feeling fit and ready. The key for us is that we’ve really got to start well,” Johnson said. “We’ve had a couple of seasons where we’ve been on the brink of making the eight – and a couple of those we probably should have (qualified) – but we were always chasing those games. We always had to win four of the last six, or whatever it was, to make the finals. “So I think if we can start the year well, it will go a long way to helping us play finals footy at the end of the year.” Fast forward to the end of April, and the Warriors
were under the pump thanks to another topsy-turvy start with three wins and five losses to their name – and linchpin Johnson was bearing the brunt of the criticism. Directing a new-look backline following a raft of injuries, Johnson’s timing was off, his energy levels seemed diminished and the trademark game-breaking plays were thin on the ground. Almost on cue, social media was flooded with frustrated supporters calling for their superstar to spend a stint in NSW Cup, while there was a groundswell of support for in-form St George Illawarra veteran and former Kiwis skipper Benji Marshall to usurp Johnson in the side for the Anzac Test. But New Zealand coach Stephen Kearney stayed loyal and that match proved a resounding turning point for Johnson. He pulled the strings brilliantly in the Kiwis’ stirring 26-12 triumph over the Kangaroos at Suncorp Stadium – New Zealand’s first mid-season Test victory over Australia since 1998, completing its first hat-trick of wins over the perennial heavyweights in more than 60 years. Johnson’s defensive commitment epitomised the Kiwis’ stoic second-half effort, and impressed just as much as his dazzling solo try and dominant playmaking in the first half. He had a message for the
Far Left: Johnson celebrates his teams epic win over the Cronulla Sharks in Round 9 this year Top Left: Slipping the tackle of Gareth Widdop in Round 7 of the 2013 season Top Right: Mobbed by teammates after his match winning try against the Melbourne Storm in Round 20 of the 2013 season Bottom Left: Throwing down a sanga during the Warriors NRL Golf Day at Titirangi Golf Club in 2013 Bottom Right: Scoring the last-minute try during New Zealand’s nail-biting semi-final victory over England at the 2013 RLWC
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critics amid euphoric scenes in the Kiwis’ dressing rooms post-match. “You know what’s been said about me over the last couple of weeks, so to get a win like we did tonight – all the boys were showing up for each other. It means a lot,” Johnson said. “I don’t think (my form) was as bad as everyone was making it out to be. There were areas that I was playing well, and other areas where I wasn’t doing so well. “Every player has his weaknesses, and I haven’t been as satisfied as I’d like to be over the first few weeks of the comp.
“I wasn’t really worrying about all the haters and everyone that was saying I didn’t deserve to be there. It was more, for me, about thanking everyone that stuck by me.” He subsequently rediscovered his mesmerising, match-winning best at club level, engineering a heart-stopping 20-16 win over Cronulla six days later with an outrageous individual try in the dying seconds. The following weekend, he featured prominently again as the injury-hit Warriors edged out Parramatta 17-13 in golden point to climb into the top eight. Johnson opened his side’s account with another Bottom: The Warriors thank the crowd after losing the semi-final to the North Queensland Cowboys in the 2014 Auckland Nines Top: Going over during New Zealand’s Group B match against France during the 2013 Rugby League World Cup
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phenomenal four-pointer that seemingly only he would be capable of scoring. While far from complete 80-minute performances from Warriors or Johnson, the defeats of the Sharks and Eels – the club’s first back-to-back wins in Sydney since the 2003 finals series – marked a tangible shift in their ability to win games under duress. A little over a fortnight after many were calling for his head, everyone was talking about Johnson’s unrivalled talents again. He was Rugby League’s man of the moment once more, and shapes as one of the most influential players in an incredibly even 2015 title race. The Warriors loom as a genuine threat this year, while their recent capture of Kiwi Test guns Roger TuivasaSheck and Issac Luke has pundits clambering to talk them up as 2016 superpowers – with Johnson pulling the strings. But given the manner in which he downplays his considerable swag of achievements to date, it’s clear Johnson won’t accept that he’s truly arrived as a member of the code’s top echelon until he steers the Warriors to a long-awaited maiden premiership.
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Max. sale price on 1. Cruze Equipe 1.8L petrol manual hatch or sedan 2. Barina X manual 3. Barina Spark manual sold and delivered by 30/06/15 unless extended, changed or while stocks last at Heartland Holden Penrith. Includes Dealer delivery, stamp duty, 12 months registration and compulsory third party insurance. Excludes prestige paint. Private or ABN buyers only. Not available with other offers. ^MyLink for compatible phones only. †Cruze Equipe sedan with inflator kit. DL18044 19534
THEY’RE THE PLAYERS THAT SLOG THEIR GUTS OUT FOR YEARS TO PROVE THEIR WORTH AND TO GAIN THE LEGENDARY STATUS THAT EVERY RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER CRAVES.
THEY ARE…
THE
MARQUEE MEN
LACHLAN MACPHERSON
ANDREW JOHNS Hailed as the best halfback of all time, Joey’s retirement was the catalyst for the Blues’ eight-year State of Origin drought. His ability to totally dictate a game and dominate opposing teams led to him being immortalised in 2012, joining Clive Churchill, Bob Fulton, Reg Gasnier, Johnny Raper, Graeme Langlands, Wally Lewis and Arthur Beetson as one of the nation’s greatest ever players.
THE MARQUEE MAN
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BRAD FITTLER
The first player to graduate from an Australian Schoolboys team to a senior Australian Rugby League team in consecutive years, Freddy quickly made a name for himself in the NRL with his trademark step, freakish kicking ability and resolute defence. His ability to play at centre, five-eighth or lock was a testament to his broad array of skills and resulted in him earning the richest contract in Rugby League history in 1996.
ALLAN LANGER
The somewhat forgotten star of the 90s, Alfie’s incisive bursts and immaculate short kicking game left some of the great defences of the modern era mesmerised. A major player in the Maroon’s State of Origin success of the late 80s and Brisbane’s back-to-back premierships in the early 90s, The Little General gave hope to every kid thought to be too small for the game.
BILLY SLATER
One of Australian Rugby League’s favourite sons, the aptly named Billy the Kid possesses one of the greatest minds in the modern game. Slater’s sublime ball skills, astute breaks, uncompromising defence and unique ability to read the game have earned him unanimous recognition as arguably the best fullback since Graeme Langlands.
RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 91
THE MARQUEE MAN
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JARRYD HAYNE
Playing with the flamboyant elegance of the great Wally Lewis and with a natural try-scoring ability matched only by the late Ken Irvine, Hayne was the shining light in an otherwise dull few years at Parramatta. The San Francisco 49ers recruit left the game as one of the greatest Parramatta players of all time, standing alongside legends like Peter Sterling, Brett Kenny, Ray Price and Mick Cronin.
RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 93
NRL Hardcore Fans, support Your Team !!!! with a case for your mobile and tablet from FlyGuy Brands. produced under license by
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THE MARQUEE MAN
SONNY BILL WILLIAMS
From Canterbury-Bankstown to Toulon to Canterbury to Hamilton to Ota to Auckland to Sydney and back to Hamilton – Sonny Bill has been to more clubs than Todd Carney, Blake Ferguson and Josh Dugan combined. During his six seasons in the NRL, ‘Money Bill’ was ridden for all he was worth, claiming titles in 2004 and 2014 with the Bulldogs and Roosters along the way.
STEVE MENZIES
Stalwart’ – this is a term thrown around more than any other when discussion arises about our game’s greats, but no player brings meaning to the word like Beaver. During his 20-year career at both club and representative level, the evergreen Sea Eagles legend played a staggering 529 matches, scoring 253 tries. His passion for the game is unrivalled and, at 40 years old, was re-affirmed when he revealed that he would play again for Manly on a $1 contract if asked.
DARREN LOCKYER
One of the most decorated players the game has seen. The Brisbane-born, Roma-bred playmaker was the glue that held together the Broncos second wave of success in the late 90s and early 2000s. His innate ability to understand the game and make critical decisions both out of the back and through the middle of the park were a cornerstone to the successes of both Brisbane, Queensland and Australia.
RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 95
THE MARQUEE MAN
GREG INGLIS
Six feet, five inches and 105 kilograms. Not your conventional centre or fullback, but when have you ever heard G.I. and conventional mentioned in the same sentence? Having made an even bigger name for himself since leaving the Storm, Inglis’ deadly combination of strength and speed added a much needed spark to the South Sydney Rabbitohs and has been a major factor in the 2014 NRL Premiers recent success. Further to breaking down defences, Inglis also breaks down barriers through his work with Indigenous community groups.
96
RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 97
THE MARQUEE MAN
JOHNATHAN THURSTON
Fondly referred to as the soul of Rugby League, the smiling Cowboy’s remarkable on-field talent is complimented by his humble off-field professionalism. From the time that he offered his premiership ring to the injured Steve Price after the Bulldog’s 16-13 Grand Final win in 2004 to the moment that he pulled on the Number 16 jersey in the Rise for Alex round last year, JT has stood tall as one of the most respected players in the game.
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CAMERON SMITH
He captains Melbourne, Queensland and Australia, but more importantly, as John ‘Cracker’ McDonald so kindly pointed out, Smith is a “very popular hooker”. Having started his career as a halfback in Brisbane, Smith joined the Storm in 2002 and immediately found success in his new role at dummy half. His combination with Billy Slater is one of the greatest partnerships of all time.
Phone: 94272002 | Mobile: 0449020498
COOL DOWN
BANKSTOWN BULLS The origin of the Bulls can be traced back to the 1970s with the Bankstown Central club, who won five premierships from 1977 to 1983. here is no debating that Sydney’s West is the backyard of our great game and situated smack bang in the middle are The Bankstown Bulls. In terms of breeding Rugby League stock, The Bulls can proudly take responsibility for the most exciting trio of brothers to bless our game since the Walters boys;
Chanel, Peter and, the youngest player to ever represent Australia, Sione Mata’utia. And it doesn’t end there. Heka Nanai and current NSW Blues and Kangaroos incumbent winger, Daniel Tupou, have both donned the famous Red and Black Bulls jersey. Currently, the Bankstown Bulls have over 300 players, spread over 20 teams, which includes Bankstown Collegians and Bankstown City.
AWARDS INTERNATIONAL CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP
BILL DELAUNEY MEDAL WINNERS - 16 TO 13 YEARS
1986 - Bankstown Collegians 2002 - Bankstown Cougars (joint winners)
1985 G. Daoud (1 Grade) - Bankstown Collegians
CBDJRL CLUB OF THE YEAR
MOD LEAGUE AWARD - 12 TO 9 YEARS
2007 - Bankstown Bulls
1988 S. Buckley (JR Grade) - Bankstown Collegians 1993 Andrew Parker (JR Grade) - Bankstown City
CBDJRL CLUB COACH OF THE YEAR
MINI LEAGUE AWARD - 8 TO 6 YEARS
• Awarded 1984-2001 1995 Mark Bird (Bankstown City) - C Grade 2000 Chris Haddad (Bankstown Cougars) - C Grade
1985 D. Byrnes (L Grade) - Bankstown City [Inaugural winner] 2010 Kaidyn Wright (U/6 Div 4) - Bankstown Bulls
NORM HOLMES MEDAL WINNERS - A/GRADE TO 18 YEARS
RON HODGKINSON MEDAL WINNERS
1988 P. Ross (B Grade) - Bankstown Collegians 1990 Q. Urquhart (C Grade) - Bankstown Collegians 1995 D. Mark (C Grade) - Bankstown City 2011 Daniel Mailata (U/17) - Bankstown Bulls
* Not awarded after 1997 1986 Barry Ward (F Grade) - Bankstown City 1991 G. Edwards (F Grade) - Bankstown Collegians
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REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN • The 2015 National Indigenous Women's Conference: Darwin, NT, 28th - 30th September
2015 INDIGENOUS CONFERENCE
SERVICES
• The 2015 National Indigenous Men's Conference: • 1st National Grief & Loss Conference: Darwin, NT, 28th - 30th September Adelaide, SA, 8th - 10th October • Say NO to Domestic Violence Conference: Gold Coast, QLD, 7th - 9th October
• The 2015 National Indigenous Health Conference: Cairns scheduled for the 1st - 3rd December
Calling for Submitting Paper for each of the Conferences. For more information call 07 4194 2803 or 0455 776 668 Email: adminics@iinet.com.au, website: www.indigeousconferences.com
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• Off-street parking with disable access • Daily specials 104 Magowar Road Girraween, NSW 2145 Phone: 9912 1752
• ANTHONY AYOUB B. App. Sc (Physio)
• PETER MOUSSA B. App. Sc (Ex. SP. Sc.) B. App. Sc (Physio)
PROUDLY SUPPORTING JUNIOR RUGBY LEAGUE 60 Meredith Street Bankstown NSW 2200 Ph: (02) 9790 4489 Fax: (02) 9790 4733 / email: info@sportsfizz.com.au
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3. STATE OF ORIGIN BOOK Written by RLP contributor Liam Hauser, this book celebrates the history beloved game, reflecting on the triumphs, pains and controversies of leagues greatest spectacle. www.rockpoolpublishing.com.au
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Is a small business that specialises in all facets of the games greatest rivalry, including concept, design, development, manufacturing, distribution, supply, wholesale, and retail of merchandise. Providing a wide variety of merch at affordable prices, stateoforigin. com.au is the number one choice for all your State of Origin needs
ShOw yOUR TEam PRidE wiTh ThE
bRiSbaNe bRoNcoS charm Bracelet
For quickest delivery, order online:
www.bradford.com.au/nrl Quoting promotion code:
79836
Show your pride for the team you love with a stunning new jewellery creation – “The Brisbane Broncos Charm Bracelet,” only from The Bradford Exchange. Officially licensed by the NRL, this Broncos bracelet features 13 magnificently hand-crafted charms gleaming with rich 23K gold plating and genuine Swarovski crystals. Individual charms include two Broncos emblems, a Broncos jersey and glass beads hued in the Broncos colours. A stunning 18cm rope-style bracelet completes the look.
Limited-time offer. Money-back Guarantee. Respond today! Complete with a jewellery pouch, gift box and Certificate of Authenticity, this bracelet is remarkable value at $199.95, which can be yours in 5 easy instalments of $39.99, plus $19.99 postage and handling and backed by our unconditional 120-day guarantee. To reserve your bracelet, send no money now. Just return the coupon or go online today at www.bradford.com.au/nrl
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See bracelets for all 16 NRL Telstra Premiership teams at www.bradford.com.au/nrl
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Please select Please allow up to 10 business days for delivery. All sales subject to product availability and reservation acceptance. Credit criteria may apply. Our privacy policy is available online at www.bradford.com.au. From time to time, we may allow carefully screened companies to contact you. If you would prefer not to receive such offers, please tick this box.
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