Rugby League Player #25

FACES OF LEAGUE

SEASON 7

Issue 25

AUS $9.95

the GUTS t h e G L O RY t h e S T O R I Es

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| CONTENTS

38

the GUTS 4 6 8 46 72 100 104

Team Page Gil’s Offload Clubs in Focus Blood Bin In My Words

the GLORY 17 Retro Rugby League 48 Photo Series - A New

Generation of Success

74 Nigel Vagana & The Islander Influence

98 Bring Back the Bears

InstaWatch

t h e S T O R I Es

the cover

32 Tim Sheens - For Club & Country

38 Cameron Smith - A Leader, A Legacy

66

FACES OF LE AGUE

At Home with Ronnie Palmer

80 Manu Vatuvei -

Behind the Beast

80th Minute

88 Ian Roberts - Pride

SEASON 7 Issue 25 AUS $9.95

& Progression

A core member of the new generation of success, Dallin Watene-Zalezniak encapsulates everything that this magazine represents - passion, pride, flair and promise. Shot by Aristo Risi.

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66

88

| TEAM PAGE

meet

the team EDITORIAL Publisher: Michael Gilbert Editor: Lachlan MacPherson Sub-Editor: Jesse Cross Online Editor: Wilson Smith Editorial Assistant: Jack Hislop Contributors: Bonnie Baker, Will Evans, Nick Campton, Jack Hislop, Patrick Fahy, James De Jesus

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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.

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| GIL’S OFFLOAD

GIL’S OFFLOAD Issue 25 - the quarter century; the follow up to our comeback issue. As always and as expected, it was another big old journey to get this issue to print. Encountering more hurdles than Sally Pearson, we did do it rough , but who doesn’t love a good last ditch effort? We know the Cows do and this years Grand Final was, in my opinion, the best yet. The pace of the game was lightning, the quality of play was better than ever and the overall atmosphere was electric. o have a final like that, and to have everyone from your die hard AFL-nut uncle Russell to your pacifist, netball-loving aunty Jeanette on the edges of their seats - it’s a shot in the arm. And when you consider the contentious issues that the game has endured over the past few years, it is good to have so much hype surrounding the quality of rugby league in Australia, and witness the remarkable growth that it is capable of.

Often, the game as a whole cops a bit of flack for attracting bogans 6

We are, without a doubt, the world cLAss magazine that australian rugby league needs and deserves”

and meatheads, but our reality is that the stories that can be told need to be told and will be told - no matter the social standing or perceived intelligence of our loyal readers.

Our team continues to improve and although we are still technically punching above our weight, we are producing the best quality print product that rugby league has seen. It’s all about understanding and appreciating the depth of this great game with both style and substance - through written perspective and visual expression that allows us to differentiate ourselves from mainstream media outlets and run our own race.

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| CLUBS IN FOCUS

NEWTOWN JETS The Newtown Jets Rugby League Club is one of the oldest clubs in Australian Rugby League history.

Founded in 1908, the Jets play their games at Henson Park and compete in the NSWRL VB NSW Cup. he Jets quickly became a spirited club with their gritty, never-say-die attitude. Newtown had success early, winning a NSW Rugby League premiership in 1910, which included seven players who went on to represent Australia in 1911/12. The club waited 23 years before winning their second premiership in 1933, shortly followed by their third a decade later.

In 1983, Newtown Rugby League Club began to experience financial difficulties due to the changing social and cultural landscape and was suspended from the NSW Rugby League premiership. After a seven year absence, the Jets were reinstated into the NSWRL Metropolitan Cup competition, which was seen as a third-tier senior competition. The club dominated this competition and won premiership titles in 1992, 1995, 1996 and 1997.

The President of the Newtown Jets, Barry Vining, has been part of the club since 1980 and says the club are one of the true survivors of the game.

“We didn’t have a team for seven years between 1984-90, but now we have an active and hard-working Board, we draw the biggest crowds in the NSW Cup, and we are the only club to own their own trademark.”

The President acknowledges the great history and the family-orientated 8

We didn’t have a team for seven years between 1984-90, but now we have an active and hard-working Board, we draw the biggest crowds in the NSW Cup, and we are the only club to own their own trademark” Barry Vining, President

culture of the club.

“When we have our games at our historic home Henson Park, we organise Family Days with lots of fun activities for the whole family.”

The Jets boast some talented NRL players who began their rugby league careers with the club. The team had a partnership with the Sydney Roosters from 2006 to 2014 and many of the current players at the Roosters have worn the Newtown jersey. Players such as the Roosters’ captain and halfback, Mitchell Pearce, Queensland representative, Aidan Guerra, and New Zealand international, Shaun Kenny-Dowall, all played for the famous old inner-western club before making their first grade debuts with the Roosters.

The Newtown Jets had a mixed season in the VB NSW Cup this year, finishing in ninth place. Newtown’s head coach Greg Matterson summed up the season as disappointing.

“We had about six or seven games where we have lost by fewer than six points, we could have won those games,” Matterson said.

“We are battling to be competitive against some of the bigger clubs because they have greater resources, but we will look to build a stronger team next year.”

The Newtown Jets are optimistic about the future. They began a new partnership with the Cronulla Sharks in 2015 and hope to build a strong relationship with the Sutherland Shire-based NRL club. The club knows it will not be able to compete in the top-tier competition as in previous years, but the fighting Newtown Jets will always aspire to play rugby league at the highest possible level.

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| CLUBS IN FOCUS

WINDSOR WOLVES Set in the backdrop of the Hawkesbury region, the Windsor Wolves are one of the most well-known clubs in Sydney. The Wolves have a rich and proud history in the game and have big plans to continue their success in the future.

he earliest recordings of football being played in Windsor date back as far as 1891, when it was reported in the Richmond Gazette on Saturday, June 6. In the early days, they played only rugby union.

The club as we know it today was established in 1912 and it is now both one of the oldest and largest clubs in the Penrith District Junior Rugby League.

Windsor’s first major success came in October 1922 when they became the B Grade Premiers, defeating Auburn 9-5 at The Sydney Sports Ground.

The derivation of the term ‘Windsor Wolves’ was first used in 1972 when the first division team came up with the name in order to differentiate themselves from the third division team.

The term was not widely used until the amalgamation of the Windsor Junior Rugby League Football Club and the Windsor Leagues Club Ltd, but was adopted by all teams and the 10

club generally during the 1990s.

In 2003, the Wolves joined the New South Wales Rugby League Jim Beam Cup (now known as the Ron Massey Cup), which they

The origins of football in the area go back even further than the game of rugby league itself have competed in ever since. Until then, the Penrith A Grade competition was the highest level of football for the club. The Wolves won the old Jim Beam Cup com-

petition twice, in 2005 and 2008, defeating the Sydney Bulls in the Grand Final on both occasions.

The Wolves are undoubtedly best known for their affiliation with the Penrith Panthers, where they served as the feeder team to the NRL side between 2007 and 2013. A number of current NRL stars, including Matt Moylan, Michael Jennings and Blake Austin have all previously worn the Wolves colours.

Although the Panthers now field their own team in the NSW Cup, the Wolves still maintain a relationship with the club. The Panthers Holden Cup players can drop back to play for the Wolves in both the Ron Massey Cup and the Sydney Shield.

The Wolves enjoyed a successful 2015 season, finishing fourth and second in the aforementioned leagues, with their Sydney Shield team going down in the Grand Final to minor premiers Wentworthville Magpies at Pirtek Stadium.

Over the years the Wolves have produced a number of juniors who have gone on to play in the NRL, including current players Lachlan Coote and Reagan Campbell-Gillard.

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| CLUBS IN FOCUS

CLUBS IN FOCUS Blacktown Workers

S

port is an intrinsic part of any community around Australia, and Blacktown Workers play a huge role in theirs. One of the bigger clubs in the Penrith Junior Rugby League District, the Workers have been extremely successful in taking in and nurturing great junior rugby league talent.

This is evident through the clubs honour roll of First Grade players. Brad Izzard, Ben Galea, Gary Allsop, Gary Moore and Ray Cotton have all gone on to play in the highest competition that Rugby League has to offer, after learning the ropes at the H.E Laybutt Sporting Complex on Reservior Road.

Blacktown currently participate in the Penrith Junior League from Under 6s to A Grade, as well as competing in the Sydney Shield and Ron Massey Cup competitions.

Bondi United

B

ondi United have seen no less than seven of their own juniors go on to represent Australia, with Ashton Ferris, Ray Bevan, Paul Dunn, Kevin Junee, John Mayes, Greg Pearce and Luke Ricketson all donning the green and gold.

The club was established in 1946 as a means for some Ex-Servicemen in the Bondi area to retain their friendships. From this humble beginning, Bondi United was founded.

The club vaunts 19 club championships and over 120 respective premierships. In recent memory though, United have been in a championship drought. That was up until their recent victory in the A Reserve Grand Final where they beat South Eastern 20-18.

One of their most recent stars is junior Tom Symonds, whose family is heavily involved with the club. Symonds has gone on to establish himself as a quality first grader, initially with the Roosters and now with the Manly Sea Eagles, for whom he played with in the 2013 Grand Final.

Central Queensland Capras

T

he Central Queensland Capras, previously known as the Central Queensland Comets, are a semi-professional Rugby League club who represent the area between Bundaberg in the south, to Longreach in the west and Sarina in the north.

The Capras were formed in 1996 and are a foundation member of the inaugural Queensland Cup competition. Since its initiation, the club has been able to create an avenue for aspiring junior talent to rise through the ranks.

The club boasts two of its former players who have gone on to represent Australia, Matt Sing and Ben Hunt. Whilst Dave Taylor, Steve Bell and PJ Marsh, also Capras juniors, have gone on to represent Queensland at State of Origin level after dazzling the local Central Queensland crowds as youngsters.

The organisation currently fields teams from the Under 16s, who compete in the Mal Meninga Cup to the strongest rugby league competition in Queensland, the Intrust Super Cup. 12

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| CLUBS IN FOCUS

CLUBS IN FOCUS East Campbelltown Eagles

N

ot only can the East Campbelltown Eagles boast the fact that they produce juniors that go on to play professional rugby league, but now they’re also yielding NFL players from

their ranks.

That’s right, the Eagles are one of Jarryd Hayne’s junior clubs.

Founded in 1961, the team was initially part of the Group 6 Rugby League District until the end of 1983, when all the Campbelltown sides were required to form the Western Suburbs District League.

Since then, the club has achieved great success and can now lay claim to being the most successful club in Campbelltown, having won premierships in Wests A Grade, Canterbury A Grade, Group 6 First Grade, CRL Claytons Cup and the NSWRL Sydney Shield.

Mackay Cutters

T

he feeder club for the North Queensland Cowboys, the Mackay Cutters are one of the more recent additions to the Queensland Cup and equivalent junior representative competitions in Queensland. Although the Cutter’s organisation has only recently been formed, rugby league has experienced a rich history in the Mackay region, with competitive competitions taking place in the area from 1919 onwards.

There have been a number of players from the Mackay area that have gone on to either play for Queensland or Australia at representative level. Some of these players include, Martin Bella, Dale Shearer, Wendell Sailor and Brett Dallas.

The Cutters have achieved some admirable success since joining the Queensland Cup, becoming premiers in the 2013 season. Under new coach Kim Williams’ guidance, they had an outstanding season, finishing second on the ladder before going on to beat Easts Tigers in an epic Grand Final 27-20 to hand Mackay their maiden premiership.

Wyong Roos

T

he Wyong Roos, hailing from the NSW Central Coast, date their history back to the foundation days of rugby league in Australia.

The Roos are the oldest established football organisation on the Central Coast. The club’s history begins around the time of 1900, where its origins were initially entrenched from rugby union.

Firstly, the club played out of Baker Park in Central Wyong, but have since moved to Morrie Breen Oval, where lots of great memories have been created and cherished.

These memories include 17 A Grade premierships, which have covered both the Central Coast and Newcastle Competitions.

These days, Wyong are the feeder team for the Sydney Roosters and compete in the NSW Cup competition, where they had a successful 2015 campaign, making it to the Grand Final.

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RETRO RUGBY LEAGUE

RETRO RUGBY LEAGUE

Australian hooker Ian Walsh walks from the field after the Kangaroo’s 22-14 win in the first Test of the 1959 Ashes Series at Swinton.

RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 17

| RETRO RUGBY LEAGUE

Like any rugby league fan growing up in the ‘golden years’, the passion that Ian Collis possessed for the game was constantly fuelled by whatever grainy, grey scale shot he could find. Ripped straight from the pages of his recently published book, Retro Rugby League, here are six pages full of them. Go ahead – reminisce.

Photos Courtesy of New Holland Publishers

Left: The beaten Cronulla players after their 10-7 loss to Manly in the 1973 Grand Final. Draped in swapped Sea Eagles jerseys from left are Cliff Watson, Ken Maddison, Grahame Bown, Tommy Bishop and Bob Wear.

18

South Sydney winger Brian James evades Balmain fullback Bob Smithies tackle and is headed for the tryline with Balmain winger George Ruebner in pursuit. In front of a packed SCG, Ruebner made the tackle to prevent James from scoring.

| RETRO RUGBY LEAGUE

20

A critical moment in the 1969 season. Bob Batty attempts to convert winger Danny Gough’s second try from next to the posts in the second half of the final. A successful conversion would have given his Manly side a six point lead and put a Grand Final berth out of reach for Balmain. As history shows, Batty missed the kick, opening the door for Balmain to come back with a shock win, 15-14.

| RETRO RUGBY LEAGUE

Clive Churchill signing a rugby league ball for a charity in the mid-1950s.

John Sattler receives his marching orders at the SCG in 1964 for flattening St George hooker Peter Armstrong.

the photos brought the game to life for me. my yearning to know more about rugby league was constantly fed by any snapshot i was able to find�

Ian Collis, Author The great Frank Hyde, MBE, OAM (1916-2007) was the doyen of radio broadcasters in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

Artie Beetson shows his skills in this wonderful aerial shot of the 1972 Grand Final where the Roosters eventually went down to Manly, 19-14.

22

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| PROFILE

GEORGE ROSE RLP: It was a rollercoaster year for you boys. Looking back, what are your thoughts on it all?

GEORGE: We had something like eight wins on the trot and then like seven losses in a row. It has been a tough year, but at the same time it has been a good experience for our younger fellas in particular, who have had the chance to come through the ranks. This team was always a rebuilding team, so to make the eight this year with a new coach, new squad and new style of play, is good for us.

You’re one of only two Indigenous players to have played in every All Stars game – with the other being JT. What does a statistic like this mean to you?

It’s an honour – it’s an absolute honour. Without a doubt it has been one of my favourite games each season for the last five or six years and it’s something that I am always proud to be a part of. To be voted in by the fans and then to be able to represent my family and my people – it’s something that is an absolute honour for me.

And you were awarded the Preston Campbell Medal for your Man of the Match performance in this years All Stars fixture. That must have been incredible!

Yeah, that was unbelievable. I was in a bit of shock when they said it at first – I didn’t believe it. Preston is someone that I have always admired – not only as a player, but also as a person. So to win that medal on his behalf in such a prestigious game was massive. It’s one of my best memories from rugby league.

On a more grassroots level, you were named Player of the Series at the Koori Knockout late last year. Would you say that’s your greatest honour?

It was definitely on the wish list of things that I’d love to achieve one day and to get that last year – again, it was a huge shock. It was a tough weekend for us – I really 24

doubted our ability to go all the way. But to receive that honour was huge for me too because I grew up watching Knockout footy and to win it with my brothers and my family was unreal. The guys I have seen play before who had won it – I always looked up to them and thought that they were absolute freaks. So to be one of the blokes who has won that award is unreal.

You have acknowledged your performance at the Knockout as the resurrection of your NRL career. Do you still feel this way?

I think I do, because at the end of last year I was over footy. I had a forgettable season and I wasn’t enjoying the game in the way that I always had. So playing in the Koori Knockout gave me a bit of a kick again, reminded me why I love rugby league and that it was something that I wanted to keep doing. So yeah, it’s something that sort of kept the love in footy for me.

At 32, to still be in the game, you must be loving your footy? What drives you to keep going?

I think it’s just my pure enjoyment of the game. I love playing footy, I love watching footy and I like the current crop of boys I’m playing with. So to be on the same field as them, you want to be competitive – you want to be the best you can be to not let them down. I think the mateship and the love of the game is mainly what keeps me going.

Pakalu Papito threw a line out on Twitter earlier this week saying ‘rt if u have a nice butt’ and naturally you responded. Do you fancy yourself as having the best rig in the Dragons side? (laughs) It’s out of me and Jack De Belin, without a doubt.

It depends on what you’re after – if you want a hard, cold physique you go for him and it’s getting close to summer now so it’s not really my months, but when you want to feel warm and snuggly, I’m the one to go to.

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| PROFILE

Kane Elgey RLP: We were watching a highlights reel of your 2014 season in the National Youth Cup and your support play is just as solid as your playmaking ability. Is this something you pride yourself on?

KANE: I guess support play backs up your performances.

I’ve always been told, through school, to support with anything. When I was younger it wasn’t so much of a focus, but this year and last year I was a lot more focused on it.

That same season, you were named Player of the Year in a comp where your team finished second from the bottom. That’s a pretty massive achievement.

Yeah, it was unexpected to tell you the truth. We were in the games every week, even though we did finish second last. We’d play 70 minutes of good footy and then in the last 10 minutes they’d put two tries on us. It’s not like it’d blow out. As I said, it was unexpected, but I was pretty happy for the hard work I put in.

After playing a couple games for the Titans’ Queensland Cup team, Tweed Head Seagulls, you got the call-up for First Grade and made your debut against the Sharks in Round 4. Describe that feeling for me.

Again, it was unexpected. I was hoping to get one game in First Grade throughout the year, but in Round 4 it came up pretty quickly with Mortsy getting that injury. I got that chance and the family came down. It’s probably a feeling you can’t really explain. To get a win on your debut - a few of the boys said that doesn’t happen too often.

We read on the Titans website that some advice that has stuck with you is expectations = disappointment.

Has that changed?

Nah, I’ve always sort of gone by that. Don’t expect too much - so I’m not going into next season assuming that I’m the halfback for the year. I’ve got to work hard in pre-season and don’t want to be too disappointed in the end if I’m not number seven. Got to earn my stripes.

26

What about ‘happiness is reality minus expectations’?

Little less morbid.

Yeah nice - I haven’t heard that one before.

On that same page, I saw that your choice of moment to re-live again would be the State Final for Palm Beach Currumbin. Tell me about that.

That was a big game. That was at Burleigh. I think we versed Canberra once that year and I didn’t get to play them. So to come back for that game was good. We were winning 24-6 at half time, but we let them back into it and it went to golden point and I kicked the field goal.

That was a pretty good experience, especially because the players in that side - we were all pretty close. That was a big highlight.

And how does that rate with your greatest footballing moments?

It’s up there. It’d be in the top three for sure. My debut would be one of them, but I had a man of the match performance against the Raiders and I think that was probably one of the best feelings aswell. Especially when we lost our five-eighth off the kick-off.

You re-signed with the Titans after they had just taken on Cherry-Evans to somewhat fill your spot; turning down a $200,000 and a chance to work with Andrew Johns at Manly. What made you stick around?

It’s a hard one. Well, it was a hard one, at the time. I think in my thoughts, Cherry-Evans was coming and he had learnt off Joey and I thought that I was going to learn off Cherry the same skills he learnt off Joey. It was a tough decision, but in the end family and the Gold Coast fans sort of made me stay. I am in my comfort zone here as well, so it’s probably a good thing for me for the next year or two to stay up the coast - the Titans sort of boost that confidence even more.

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| PROFILE

Bryce Cartwright RLP: You’re a born and bred mountain man. How was it growing up in Penrith?

wanted to go so that’ll be pretty good. It’s definitely on top of my list.

BRYCE: Yeah, it was good. It was pretty much just footy.

Everyone played footy. You’d come home from school and there was generally a game in the front yard. So I was playing football everyday.

What’s your favourite place in the world?

Who did you most admire as a footballer when you were younger?

Brad Fittler. He was my favourite player growing up, but I always loved watching Sonny Bill play. He was someone that I admired.

What about as a person?

I’d have to say someone like Johnathan Thurston or Cameron Smith. Just the way they go about the game and their attitude. Every game they play well and yeah, I think just the way they carry themselves is really admirable.

And away from the game?

I look up to my Dad a lot. He was my coach during the junior years, so I owe a lot to him and he is someone I really admire and look up to.

So we are pestering you while you’re a couple weeks into an awfully short off-season. What’s plans for it?

I’m going to Hawaii. It’s somewhere that I’ve always

I’d have to go with Penrith. It’s home - I love it down here.

It’s an easy place to live. Everyone’s pretty humble. I love the people around here.

How do you think you got to where you are now?

Just the way that my Mum and Dad raised me and stuff like that. I can’t thank my parents enough.

What music do you listen to?

I listen to a lot of old school RnB. Not like, too old school, but stuff like Ja-Rule, Nelly and R-Kelly - anything like that.

We asked Ronnie Palmer the same thing last week and here’s a bit of trivia for you - The Cougar went to see a band at Rushcutters Bay Stadium back in 1964 after his Mum won some tickets at the local shopping centre.

Who was it? (laughs) I wouldn’t have a clue. It’d have to be classical rock - something like that. Can’t think of a band actually.

ACDC? I dunno.

It was The Beatles.

The Beatles?! That’s awesome.

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| PROFILE

Kevin Naiqama RLP: A couple of months ago we saw a post on Reddit saying ‘Wests Tigers re-sign Kevin Naiqama’s hair until 2017’. What do you think about all the hype surrounding the flat top?

KEVIN: Coming into the season I didn’t think much of it. I had never had anything glam, and I’ve always been a big fan of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air so I decided to get it done like that. At the end of the day though it’s my footy that does all the talking so I didn’t buy much into the commotion.

On that post, someone commented that “Naiqama is the kind of guy who leaves your club and you just want him to do well.” What does it mean to hear that the fans have that kind of respect for you?

It’s real pleasing and humbling that people think that of me. It’s something that I like to build my character on – you know, I want to respect and contribute to the game, so hearing that just re-instates that I’m doing a good job which is nice.

You and Teddy worked off each other incredibly well this season. Is your combination with him your all time favourite?

Well this season has been my best in regards to playing every game and with Teddy also playing every game, we got to build a good combination on the field. It’s probably one of the best I’ve had, but in saying that it was my first full season of First Grade.

How does playing at Leichardt compare to playing at any of the bigger stadiums?

It’s real good – it’s a different feeling playing at the smaller suburban grounds. You feel like the fans are really close to you and to the action, so you really feel the love. All the fans get behind you and everything lifts you to play well.

30

You’ve played eight Tests for Fiji. What’s it like representing your country, lining up with players like Lote Tuqiri?

It’s an indescribable feeling. There is a lot of pride that goes into it when you pull on that jersey. You’re representing a lot of people and I am very proud of my Fijian heritage.

Both of my parents are of Fijian descent, so when you get on the field there is a lot of emotion that goes into it. All the boys we play with have a real good bond and it brings a tear to my eye every time we stand side by side singing that anthem. The 2013 World Cup was a trip that I will never forget and was one of the highlights of my career.

You threw a post on Instagram after the Auckland Nines, saying “Where God guides, He provides. Thanking the man upstairs for the opportunity to take part in the Auckland 9’s.” You obviously place a great deal of importance on your faith.

I’m a Christian and I believe that the main reason that I’m here is because of my faith and because of Jesus. He has blessed me and I’m here to do a job with what he has blessed me with – my abilities, my skills. Every game I give thanks because you never know when your last game is.

There are a lot of people who trial to be where I am, so I always take the chance to give praise and thanks whenever I can and yeah, Glory to God. Did you choose the game or did the game choose you?

I think the game more chose me. When I first started out playing rugby league, I was mainly doing it because my friends played and I wanted to spend more time with them. It wasn’t until I was about 18 or 19 that I figured out that I could make it as a career – coming through the 20s system. So if anything, the game chose me and every day I am thankful for that. It has provided for me financially, to not only support me, but to allow me to support my family.

CLUB AND COUNTRY FOR

Written by Nick Campton

| FOR CLUB AND COUNTRY

Y

ou’ve seen it before. Every few weeks a different grumpy old-timer gets wheeled out in the papers and starts spitting grumpy old-timer rhetoric about how the games gone soft, how they should all be wearing skirts these days and how rugby league was a whole lot better back when men were men, postmatch beers were compulsory and clubs were held together with chook raffles and the smell of an oily rag. But Tim Sheens, who’s been coaching teams since before these old-timers hit the top grade and has every right to be the oldest, grumpiest man in rugby league, reckons the quality of the game has never been better.

“Since I started I’ve seen the game move forward in leaps and bounds from when I played, let alone when I first started coaching. Now it’s fulltime and a much better game, from my point of view anyway. A lot of the old boys will tell you that their era was better but I don’t think so.”

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“The game today is tremendous but it’s evolving all the time and you’ve got to be ahead of it if you can and not just go along with it. It’s about thinking of ways to improve yourself, your team and the individuals within the team.”

“You’ve got to try and reinvent yourself regularly to stay in front of the game.

You’ve really got to be working hard at making sure that you’re creative and think hard about how what you did yesterday can’t be what you’ll do today – you’ve got to keep moving forward with the game” Sheens has more yesterdays than tomorrows after his 31 years and 700 odd games of top-line coaching, so he’s become a master of reinvention. How else could he thrive in the rough and tumble 80s, engineer success throughout the turbulent 90s and master the lightning fast rucks of the early 2000s?

In the cut-throat world of coaching you adapt or die and Sheens says a willingness to embrace new ideas and possibilities is one of the keys to his

longevity.

“You’ve got to think about and realise that other people pick up on what the best coaches are doing and you need to be mindful of staying ahead of your competitors.”

“Not change for the sake of change, but you’ve got to evolve.”

In a business filled with unadventurous, stick-in-the-mud coaches who toe the status quo for wretched fear of being thrown on the scrapheap, Sheens will walk the path less travelled. When his brilliant Raiders side of the late 80s and early 90s was gutted by salary cap breaches in 1991 and lost Test prop Glenn Lazarus, future Origin representative David Barnhill and a host of other talents, Sheens backed a roughie.

“At that point we’d lost a number of players and had to reinvent ourselves after 1992, so me and Dean Lance went down to the Pacific Cup in New Zealand to look at a few players that had been recommended to me who turned out to be Noa Nadruku and Ruben Wiki. We

signed up quite a few players.”

Those “few players” turned out to be future Kiwi stalwarts like Sean Hoppe, Quentin Pongia and John Lomax.

Combined with future 300-gamer Wiki and Nadruku, the original Fijian flyer, they brought the Raiders straight back to the top and Sheens was rewarded with the 1994 premiership and a critical place in rugby league history. Clubs had signed Maori and Polynesian players before, but never in those numbers.

“The success of New Zealanders like Lomax and so on, it started a procession of managers and clubs heading to New Zealand looking for players before the Warriors came in.”

“Before that a lot of them had stayed in Auckland or headed to England, not a lot played in Sydney.

There were sprinklings of it but nothing like the numbers we brought in in ’93.”

“Of course that really set the clubs thinking about how much talent was

there and away they went.”

“Now these days I think something like 60% of all players in the Under 20’s are of Islander or Indigenous descent and something like 39% of NRL players are

WE ONLY HAD SEVEN PLAYERS UNDER CONTRACT AND COULDN’T AFFORD SIGN-ON FEES. WE SIGNED GREG ALEXANDER ON MATCH PAYMENTS ONLY. THAT’S SOMETHING THAT’S UNHEARD OF TODAY” as well, so it’s huge and it’s only going to get greater.”

Sheens never stops looking for those innovations, although not all are quite

so successful. There was the American he brought down to the Raiders and the Russian hooker who had a stint at Wests; but he was also one of the first coaches to use a computer to analyse game film and one of the first to implement a full time strength program for his players. Even in his previous role of coaching the national side, Sheens would still take a chance.

Faced with an enormous injury toll, Sheens brought in nine debutants, including David Klemmer, who was yet to start an NRL game, and Sione Mata’utia, who had played just seven first grade matches at the time and became the youngest Kangaroo in history when he debuted against England.

“There were over 30 players unavailable for that squad, most people don’t know the numbers. That includes guys like Dugan, the next level of player who plays State of Origin but weren’t available.”

RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 35

| FOR CLUB AND COUNTRY

“There was that many issues with surgery and so on that it did strip the options so we went for the best kids. I thought they all put in a great effort and taking nothing away from New Zealand – they outplayed us – but we still gave ourselves a chance to win it in the last minute through Dylan Walker and Sione Mata’utia. I thought the kids performed well and will do so again.”

Despite a strong rep resume, Sheens’ greatest accomplishments will always be in club land. Four premierships is good enough for third on the all time list of non-playing coaches and he’s one of the rare few to win grand finals with more than one club. However, one of his proudest achievements is far more low key.

“One of the achievements I was very proud of was taking Penrith to their first semi-final. I played through the 70s and had eight first grade coaches in a 13-year career, so that tells you the turmoil we had from 1970-82.”

“That achievement with that young side with mainly spare parts players and some future young stars was something I really got a kick out of and that really helped get Penrith off the ground. In ‘84, my first year, they said to me ‘win one game and we’ll be happy’ because I was appointed late in December and we only had seven players under contract and couldn’t afford sign-on fees, so everyone we got was on match payments only.

36

One of the achievements I was very proud of was taking Penrith to their first semi-final. I played through the 70s and had eight first grade coaches in a 13-year career, so that tells you the turmoil we had from 1970-82” We signed Greg Alexander on match payments only. That’s something that’s unheard of today.”

“Those sort of things stand out, the youngsters and the strong characters, guys like Royce Simmons, Mark Levy, Brad Waugh and Lew Zivanovic. The club was in turmoil but they held the place together and then the young guys we recruited through the system like John Cartwright, Mark Geyer and Colin van der Voort – some great young players who really got the club started – that’s an achievement that I feel not so much proud of, but really pleased to be a part of after being a Penrith junior who grew up in that area.”

At 64 years old, Sheens knows that the end is approaching, but he’s not ready to hang up the clipboard just yet. He recently re-entered club land as a consultant for dysfunctional Super League side Salford. There’s been no

word on if he’ll ever coach a first grade side full time again, but Sheens has been around long enough to never close the door on an opportunity.

He’s been around the block more times than anyone could count, but talk of retirement, legacy and his place in history will have to wait. One day he’ll run out of tricks, advancements and wildcards, but not yet – there’s still coaching to be done.

“Retirement is coming for me, there’s no doubt, but right now I don’t know if it’s coming in the foreseeable future. It’s a hard thing to know in this business – often you don’t get that choice”.

“In most cases, players and coaches are retired rather than retire, but it’s one of those things that I’m not really considering at the moment. It always comes down to opportunity – everyone’s got to step aside for the young fellas at some stage”.

A Leader, A Legacy Written by Jack Hislop

All hail King Cameron of Logan – the devourer of titles; the keeper of records and a leader of men.

Disclaimer: Quotes from Matthew Condon and Scott Bailey.

| A LEADER, A LEGACY

40

36

Games

S

imilar to every tactician that has gone before him, Cameron Smith has always used aptitude over sheer force. In an era of bigger, stronger athletes dominating the National Rugby League, Smith is a throwback to the days where the players with big brains, not frames dominated the game of rugby league. One of only a handful of players to have won every major trophy on the planet with club, state and country, the boy from Logan is now a legend.

Hailing from Brisbane’s south, from a young age Smith had always envisioned a career as a professional footballer.

“He’d run so much in this back yard that he actually wore the grass down to the dirt,” Sonia Smith, Cameron’s mother recalls.

“He used to practice his tackling on Buster, the family dog. I’d say to him:

308 Games

‘Cameron, leave Buster alone!’”

From those early days, it was clear that the boy from working class Logan was made for rugby league. The little kid running amuck around his parent’s backyard had always dreamt of making it to the big time. But not even that young boy could have dreamt of what was to come.

Good Genes Smith was brought up in a strong and passionate rugby league family.

His father, Wayne Smith, was heavily involved with Logan Brothers, Smith’s junior club and had been a noted footballer for Brisbane Easts back in the 1970s. Wayne was similar to his son; a tough and wiry hooker who was a respected figure in the Queensland Cup competition.

43

Games

Cameron Smith’s greatest trait is the amount of time he spends on a football field. This stems straight from his father, who played the game in a very similar fashion. Wayne was a tenacious competitor, like his son – not an imposing figure, but one that carried himself with grace and style.

The skipper’s work rate is one aspect of his game that sometimes can go unnoticed. Similar to his old man, Smith’s tenacious spirit and willingness to do whatever it takes for his team is something that can never be questioned.

It is quite remarkable that for one of the most creative players in the game, Smith is also one of the hardest workers. Continually making 40 plus tackles a game, whilst controlling the direction of his teams attack is no mean feat.

RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 41

| A LEADER, A LEGACY

Rapid Rise to the Top

Longevity

One Club Player

Deemed not good enough to represent Queensland at under 17 level, it was former Brisbane Broncos coach Anthony Griffin who saved Smith from the rugby league wilderness in 2001.

“At the time he was playing for Logan Brothers, but we went to see his parents and signed him for $5000. It turned out to be a pretty good investment,” says former Melbourne coach Mark Murray, who alongside Griffin brought Smith from Queensland to the Storm via Melbourne’s feeder club Norths Devils.

A year later, as a fresh-faced 18 year old, Cameron Smith ran onto Melbourne’s Olympic Park as the Storm’s halfback for his first grade debut against the Canterbury Bulldogs in round 5 of the 2002 season.

“My debut was a bit of a shock actually, I’d been playing a fair bit of football up at Norths Brisbane and was driving home from training one day when Mark Murray called.”

“He asked me if I could get on a flight in three hours, I didn’t know what to do. I was that nervous I could hardly drive my car!”

After impressing in his first two matches at halfback, Smith made the transition to first choice hooker for Melbourne the following year. His form so good that he was picked to play Origin football after Queensland’s first choice hooker PJ Marsh was struck down by injury on the eve of Game 2.

From that point, Smith never looked back, taking his opportunity and flourishing on the big stage. It is here where he has always played his best football, in the big matches at the big moments.

Smith’s endurance in the game is remarkable. Tucked away in the isolated rugby league area that is Melbourne, Smith’s record is sometimes brushed aside compared to his counterparts who play for bigger Sydney clubs.

“What he’s achieved during that longevity is what he’ll be remembered for,” says Melbourne Football Director Frank Ponissi. “Sometimes you get carried away with records, but he’s going to have the most games for the club and I can’t see anyone beating that in my lifetime.”

Having played in 89% of Melbourne’s games since 2003, taking into account games that he has not been able to participate in because of State of Origin representation, it is no wonder that Smith is now a member of the elite 300 game club.

“I pride myself on my ability to be available every week for my mates,” Smith states.

“I never want to sit out with an injury or anything. I want to be alongside them. It’s about looking after myself physically and training as hard as I can. I attribute my longevity and the resilience I’ve been able to build up to that ability.”

Smith is only the tenth player of all time to reach 300 games for the one club and holds the record for the most games as a Melbourne Storm player.

He remembers as a teenager when he first signed for the Storm, staying a one club man was something he always

2001

2002

2003

Signs a $5000 contract with North’s Devils, Melbourne Storm’s Feeder Club as a 17-year-old. Plays his first season at hooker and captures the attention of the Storm coaching staff.

Makes his NRL debut as an 18-year-old at halfback after Melbourne’s two first choice number 7s, Matt Orford and Marty Turner, both go down with injury.

Makes his State of Origin debut in game 2 of the series after first choice hooker PJ Marsh pulls out of the match because of injury.

42

I pride myself on my ability to be available every week for my mates”

wanted to do.

“I remember when I joined the club as a 17 year-old, I hadn’t played a first grade game but I said to my parents I would love to be a one-club player.”

It is this devotion and passion for the Storm,which has typified his

career. A big money deal to go home and play for the Broncos in 2013 was extremely tempting to take for Smith, but it was that loyalty, which is almost non-existent in today’s game, that Smith held above everything else.

His long-time coach and mentor

Craig Bellamy is ever grateful for the commitment Smith has shown to the Storm as well as rugby league in Melbourne as a whole.

“For what he has done for the club and what he has done for the game in Melbourne – he put us on the map.”

2006

2007

2009

Wins the Dally M Medal for the best player in the competition and tops off a fantastic year by being named in the Kangaroos side for the end of year trinations tournament.

Wins the Wally Lewis Medal for the best player in the state of origin series, as well as the NRL premiership with Melbourne after they defeat Manly 34-8.

Wins his second premiership with Melbourne, his first as captain as they beat the Parramatta Eels 23-16. Becomes the Storm’s highest ever points scorer, taking over from Matt Orford.

RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 43

| A LEADER, A LEGACY The Leader By his own account, the Test hooker has never been the type of leader that is going to go out on the park and bark instructions for 80 minutes. More subdued, Smith’s style has been unassuming, yet extremely effective. Now the captain of the Storm, Queensland and Australia, Smith describes himself as more of a forerunner.

“My type of leadership is not a dictatorship. I play a team sport, I don’t play an individual sport. If the boys are on the same page as I am, I don’t need to say anything. In the same breath, if something needs doing straight away, I can do that as well.”

This style has been ever so effective and Smith brings success wherever he goes. Over the years, as a leader of his men, Smith’s teams have never been ones to go down lightly, always fighting until the last minute, no matter what the score. Tenacious, ruthless and unrelenting, Smith’s passion and competitiveness always rubs off on

his teammates.

As former Queensland great and ex-teammate Petero Civoniceva recalls, Smith has always been one to be able to sum up a situation perfectly on a football field.

“I can’t believe how cool Cam is in pressure situations. You see that every week when he is playing for the Storm and when other guys are tired and making wrong decision, you have someone like him who is very level headed and can find clarity in those moments when there is a lot of fatigue out on the field and that’s what you need from your skipper.”

2012

2013

2015

Following Darren Lockyer’s retirement from the game, Smith becomes the full time Queensland and Australian captain.

Also wins his third premiership with the Storm, defeating the Bulldogs 14-4.

Wins his second Wally Lewis Medal for best player in the State of Origin series and captains the Kangaroos to the 2013 World Cup in England.

Plays his 300th NRL game for the Melbourne Storm, only the eighth person to achieve the feat for one club in a 5210 rout of the Penrith Panthers.

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The Football Brain Matthew Johns recently described Smith as having “a better football brain than nearly every coach in the NRL, outside except Wayne Bennett, Des Hasler and of course Craig Bellamy.”

Johns even went far enough to say

that Smith had the football smarts to become captain-coach of the Storm once Craig Bellamy hung up the clipboard.

“It hasn’t been done since the ‘70s but this bloke could do it.”

Smith adds, “If I didn’t have my footy brain I probably wouldn’t be a footballer. How many times have you heard people talk about my physique?

It’s not your typical rugby league physique. But what gets me through those games is knowing you can almost see a play ahead what’s going to unfold.

That’s what helps you make those critical decisions.”

It is this ability to play steps ahead of everyone else that makes Smith so unique. His ability to control, manipulate and dominate a game is far greater than any other player in the competition today. A true thinker and tactician, the game has never seen a player quite like him in its 100 years of existence, nor will it see one in the near future.

RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 45

| BLOOD BIN

David Shillington, Round 21

Return to Redfern, Pre-Season

Bryce Cartwright, Round 22 46

Tim Mannah, Round 17

Johnathan Thurston, Grand Final

Sauaso Sue, Round 16

FIRE FEELING THAT THE NRL IS LETTING YOU DOWN? TOO MUCH TALK OF STRATEGIC PLANS, PATHWAYS AND INTEGRITY UNITS? DO YOU STRUGGLE TO RELATE TO A GAME MADE UP OF NIGGLE, BEEP TESTS AND VANILLA PLAYER INTERVIEWS? WELL, HELP IS AT HAND.

LISTEN TO FIRE UP!

Widely regarded as the Who Weekly of rugby league, co-hosts, Stephen Ferris and Kris Gale, dive in head first to dissect the lunatics, atrocities and human monuments that make up the greatest game of all. And that’s just the refs.

FIRE UP! Fall in love with league all over again.

Fire Up! broadcasts weekly all season at 9.00am Fridays on FBi Radio (94.5FM on the Sydney radio dial).

All episodes are podcast for free on iTunes: FBi’s Fire Up!

Facebook: Fire Up! | Twitter: @FireUpOnFBi | Instagram: fireuponfbi

LEANER, FITTER, FASTER, STRONGER

A New Generation of Success Written by Lachlan MacPherson

Y

ou consistently hear it, ‘age is just a number’ and ‘if you’re good enough you’re old enough’, but nowhere does this ring more true than in the National Rugby League.

Exuding the confidence and maturity of seasoned professionals and playing with the flair and ferocity of some of the game’s greats, there is a strong sense that these players truly do represent the genesis of a new age for rugby league in Australia.

From Valentine Holmes and Jake Mamo to James Tedesco and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck; we are currently witnessing another promising pack of youngsters in the pantheon of the NRL’s ones to watch – and with more than half of the current group of international players over the age of 30, the time will soon come for the game’s fresh faced superstars to stand up and take charge.

The inexorable progression of these younger athletes is naturally supplemented by advancements in materials, science and coaching but let this not take away from the fact that the new breed are better than ever.

A whole lot rests on the broad shoulders of these men, but if their collective performances in the 2015 season are anything to go by, we’re in for a bloody good time over the next decade.

The old guard is fading out and the new generation of success is upon us.

| A NEW GENERATION OF SUCCESS

IMAGE: ARISTO RISI

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RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 51

| A NEW GENERATION OF SUCCESS

IMAGE: ARISTO RISI

RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 53

| A NEW GENERATION OF SUCCESS

IMAGE: ARISTO RISI

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RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 55

| A NEW GENERATION OF SUCCESS

They’re just leaner, fitter, faster and stronger _ and the game has evolved which is GREAT. it’s a young man’s game and to have all these kids bursting through who are superstars is amazing” Clinton Schifcofske

IMAGE: BRYCE THOMAS

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RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 57

| A NEW GENERATION OF SUCCESS IMAGE: ARISTO RISI

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| STARTING THIRTEEN

RLP’s graphic designer JOHNNY LARANGEIRA lines up his

STARTING THIRTEEN

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Carnival for

Change Written by Bonnie Baker

ugby League has always held a special place in the heart of Indigenous Australians across the country. A large majority of the greatest players to wear the green and gold have been of Aboriginal descent. Perhaps the greatest of all time, Arthur Beetson; the first Aboriginal man to captain an Australian sporting team, was seen as such an icon of his time.

The Arthur Beetson Foundation, which was inaugurated by Beetson’s son, Brad, aims to continue ‘Big Artie’s’ push to help bring people together and improve their lives. This is shown no less in the foundation’s support of the Murri Carnival.

The carnival is a three day tournament for Aboriginal and Torres Straight Island rugby league teams. The aim of the tournament is to provide structure in a drug and alcohol free environment for Indigenous players to have the opportunity to develop a direction into representation at a national level.

The event includes teams from all across Queensland competing in three competitions; open men’s, open women’s and under 15’s boys. A requirement of all players willing to compete is for them all to receive a health check as a prerequisite before they are able to participate.

With over 35,000 people in attendance for 2015, the carnival was once again a massive success. Demonstrating the value of rugby league as a pathway for delivering healthy lifestyle messages as well as supporting behavioural change.

Queensland Senator Glenn Lazarus, who successfully lobbied the Abbot government to help fund the tournament, describes how important the Murri Carnival is for the people of Queensland.

“The Arthur Beetson Foundation Murri Rugby League Carnival is one of the country’s most successful sporting events and a shining example of the quality of Queensland’s commitment to achieving social outcomes through sporting and recreational activities.”

“The carnival is now in its fourth year and is an alcohol, drug and sugar free event which promotes good health across Australia’s First Australian community.”

The Institute for Urban Indigenous Health secured the naming rights sponsorship of the event to help promote its ‘Deadly Choices’ campaign.

Its aim is to ‘empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to make healthy choices for themselves and their families – to stop smoking, to eat good food and to exercise daily.’

| CARNIVAL FOR CHANGE

It takes a comprehensive view of all aspects of health to try and cut the gap between the life expectancy between Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians, which remains so relevant within rural communities and can only be closed by employing the most necessary of health reforms.

Keiron Lander, a proud indigenous Australian and captain of the Ipswich Jets Queensland Cup side who recently won the NRL State Championship final, expresses the power that these initiatives have been gaining.

“We have seen an enormous growth, especially here in South East Queensland. The amount of people through social media has grown, as well as the use of Aboriginal medical services, with the help of Deadly Choices.”

“There were 110 programs across South East Queensland last year in schools and communities which have caused significant change, especially around knowledge and attitude as well as the education side of things.”

“The Murri Carnival also plays a big role in discouraging bad lifestyle choices. The compulsory health checks at the event allows for prevention and management of bad habits.”

Staged importance, which this year was staged at Dolphin Oval Redcliffe, cannot be underestimated as it plays

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The increase in the amount of health checks has gone through the roof. It has Risen by nearly 400%” Steve Renouf

such a big part in helping Indigenous Australians understand the facts about health and the importance of education. In doing so over 8000 people have completed health checks, there has been an increase in school attendance for Aboriginal boys and 15 young indigenous men have been placed on a fully funded scholarship program at Ipswich Boys Grammar and Nudgee College.

This is why Senator Glenn Lazarus lobbied for a long time to accrue funding for the event, “As the only independent Senator in Queensland, I am proud to be involved with the carnival and to have secured Federal Government funding for the event

this year.

“I am also proud to be assisting the great code of Rugby League to support the community to achieve the important advancements in the areas of social welfare, health and education and personal betterment.”

Steve Renouf is also an ambassador for the tournament, the former Brisbane, Queensland and Australian flyer expressed his delight at the wonders that the Carnival is achieving, as well as the great progress that the ‘Deadly Choices’ campaign is making.

“It is through events like the Murri Carnival that you see the Deadly Choices brand as well as the Institute for Indigenous Health. The increase in the amount of health checks have gone through the roof, which five years ago just wasn’t happening. It has increased by nearly 400%, which is smashing.

The ambassadors are doing such a great job at driving these programs.”

Habitual lifestyle choices and socio-economic factors have led to a critical situation in the health and life expectancy of Indigenous people – but, initiatives involved in league competitions and activities are guiding communities to the right path. By tackling issues of mental illness and chronic disease via initiatives with the sport, change does not have to be a chore.

HE ANZACSTwenty years on from the public announcement of his homosexuality, Ian Roberts remains a man ahead of his time.

LACHLAN MACPHERSON

AT HOME WITH

RONNIE PALMER Interview by Lachlan MacPherson | Photographed by Aristo Risi

n the late 70s, Ronnie Palmer the Balmain Charmer was teaching at Holy Cross College in Ryde, instructing a dance aerobics class, doing a Masters in Human Movement Science at Sydney University, had three kids under two and was helping out at the Roosters two nights a week with Arthur Beetson. It’s safe to say that this rugby league legend knows exactly what the game was built on – hard work and cold beer.

And as we battled with the Qantas A380s flying above, the soft but strident bark of his dog Charlie and the somewhat overbearing flash of Aristo’s camera, we realised that he did absolutely none of it for himself. Walking into his home, this piece was about Ronnie, but as a flat out reflection of his character, he made it about the game – giving nothing on himself, just as he has taken nothing for himself and giving everything on the game, just as he has given everything to the game.

RLP: How did it all begin for you?

When did rugby league come into your life?

Ronnie: I was born not too far from here – Ryde.

I lived over at Putney on the water and as a young fella we’d play all day because there wasn’t much else to do. We would run home from school, grab a chunk of bread and go out and play until mum and dad called us to come in for dinner. If it was summer time you’d throw your dinner down and go out and play a bit more.

When I was about five, I did the whole go down to the park and play with my mates thing and I played until I was about 33. I ended up having a knee re-con and it was in the old days when they butchered you, so that put an end to my playing days. But yeah – I had a good time.

And you have siblings?

Yep – I have one brother and two sisters. That’s exactly what I ended up having – two boys and two girls. We’ve always been heavily family-orientated.

I made it a focal point because I grew up in that sort of environment. We had a swimming pool and when you had the swimming pool everyone used to come to your joint.

I think I fell into it just like I fell into so many things.

Looking back, I probably didn’t take the opportunity seriously and I wish I had maybe another shot at it – think I could have done a little better. But, you know the saying – the cream always rises to the top and the better players, the real footy players who excelled when we were young ended up going through and were the best as they got older as well.

At what point did you know that this was the career that you wanted to pursue?

| AT HOME WITH RONNIE PALMER

It was while you were at Balmain that you picked up your first of many nicknames.

You’ve had Ronnie Palmer the Balmain Charmer, The Cougar, 40/20 and a whole heap more.

Yeah, while I was at Balmain, Laurie Nichols – the man in the singlet – had a nickname for everybody at the club. Some were better than others though. The Cougar is one of those opportune names that stuck.

Remember the Cougar Bourbon ads? Well there were a number of them and the bloke looked like – well I guess I looked a little bit like him rather than him looking like me. But yeah, that’s where The Cougar came about. It wasn’t from the sheila who grabbed a hold of young blokes.

Jumping forward to your current profession and true obsession – you started out as a trainer under Arthur Beetson in the off-season of 1986. How was that?

Pretty casual – but I learnt so much from and about him. He was a people person – he wasn’t overly technical, but he was one of those guys in those days who was a real god to everybody. It didn’t matter where you went – whether you were playing in another country or walking around the streets of Sydney – everybody loved Artie.

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What was he like in terms of his coaching?

Pretty relaxed and non-technical. He relied on the ability of each of the players and he trusted them – so that was an important thing. The game was nowhere near as technical in those days though. However, he had a good mentor in Jack Gibson for a couple of years at the Roosters and for a couple of years at Cronulla and I learnt a lot from Jack. They didn’t call him the super coach for nothing. He innovated a lot – he plagiarised a lot too – but mostly he innovated a lot.

I’ve gotta confess, mate _ I didn’t hit the lycra, but I was an aerobics dance teacher for many years during my early days”

Whilst working with Artie, you had a whole heap of different things on the go and it’s pretty common knowledge that aerobics instructors have the most outrageous work attire. What was your kit like during your time in the industry? (laughs) I’ve gotta confess mate, I didn’t hit the lycra, but I was an aerobics dance teacher for many years during my early days. At that point, I was teaching at Holy Cross College in Ryde, helping Arthur Beetson out with training at the Roosters two nights a week, doing a Masters Degree at Sydney University and I had three kids under two, so get that mate – that was my life in the late 70s.

But no, I didn’t wear any lycra, just very short shorts.

And you were at the Roosters for...

24 years. Then Brian Smith came in and saw it the way that he should go to empty the staff. Freddy was coach and Freddy’s one of my best mates in life. I had already trained him, obviously, as a footy player – at the Roosters and in Origin – so we got pretty tight over the years. But when Smithy came in he got rid of us all and that’s when I went up north with another good mate of mine, John Cartwright.

During that time, you outlasted nine coaches.

Yeah, it went Arthur Beetson, Russell Fairfax, Hugh McGowan and ahhh Bunny, Bunny, Bunny – what was his name? I should know this – he was an absolute legend. Bunny Reilly! Then it went to Mark Murray, Phil Gould, Graham Murray – then it went to Ricky Stuart, then Chris Anderson – Chris Anderson to Freddy and that was it.

Some pretty big names there. Who do you see as the one person that has revolutionised the game the most?

I think that Jack Gibson was the first and main innovator – because he brought the military-style discipline into the game.

Footy players were footy players in those days but he made it so that you did what you’re told, trained when you had to and football became very important.

I remember a good story with Jack – a fellow arrived late for training and Jack said ‘how come you’re late?’ and he said that his sister had just had a baby. Then Jack said ‘well you’re going to enjoy playing with the baby when you’re not playing footy’. He just dropped him like that. But that’s the way Jack was.

As someone who has taught them all his life, what is the best lesson you’ve learnt during your career in the game?

Don’t take it for granted. Your career comes and goes before you know it. There’s an old saying that goes ‘It’s never too late to be the person that I should have been’. I played footy because I enjoyed it – I enjoyed the drink and I enjoyed chasing women, but that was a different era. If you get an opportunity to do what you love, grab it with both hands and make the most of it because you won’t get another shot at it.

And what is your best memory from it?

My first ever First Grade game, with the Tigers. Your debut is always a cracker. In those days we used to have to play a full reserve grade game and the coach would then ask you to sit on the bench for First Grade. Then, two minutes into the game, I was a centre at the time and the starting centre got his head spilt open from his eyebrow right through to the crown of his head and at that time there was no coming back, so after playing a full reserve grade game, with 78 minutes to go, I came on and was marking Bob Fulton and a bloke called John McDonald in the centre’s – so that was memorable.

And what were your favourite gee-up tracks? (laughs) Ah geez – see I’m pretty open with music. I like everything from way way back to the real current stuff. I don’t get too absorbed in just one era. Two of the best concerts I’ve been to were Bruce Springsteen and the Stones. Here’s a bit of trivia for you – in 1964, when I was a young lad – at 14, I went and saw the Beatles in Sydney. My mum won some tickets at the local shopping centre and I took my mate along to the old Rushcutters Bay Stadium.

You would have seen a fair share of them, but what is the most random injury you’ve witnessed in your time?

Mate, there’s been some shockers. I’ve seen three hips dislocated and they’re probably among the worst because you just find it very, very difficult to get them back in. Ironically, one of them was Ivan Cleary. He was a player, I was a trainer – he was playing at the Roosters. He had been ankle tapped and as he was about to fall to the ground his knee was driven into the ground at the same time as a fella jumped on his back and drove his hip out the side of his body. So yeah, that’d have to take the cake.

RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 69

| AT HOME WITH RONNIE PALMER

There has been a bit of talk about the increasing pressure that is being put on the men in orange with the rule changes for concussion. Where do you stand on it all?

Mate, the players’ welfare has always been of the utmost importance to me and to the club. So I have always held that in high regard even way back in the old days when we didn’t have as much training. Concussion is a tough one, because when you’re used to your players – you know how they tick, their idiosyncracies and how they roll – sometimes you can assess them a bit better than others.

Moving forward, how do you think the game is going to progress and how do you think it should progress?

I think it’d be good if we were to get a bit more attrition in the game. The interchange keeps players fresh, but the days of staying and outlasting your opponents have gone. I remember in the 2000 Grand Final, the Broncos used 44 interchanges and we used 14. Wayne would just bring the big boppers on and off to bash our blokes and then have a breather. So I think that if we reduce the number of interchanges. It will slow the game down a little but it is what the game needs. And in regards to safety, I don’t think it’s going to be an issue because the more tired you are the less likely you are to go out and roll someone.

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I’ve got a big sign in our gym that says ‘There’s no magic – just hard work, an iron will and the strictness of discipline” What’s the main thing keeping you in it?

How much longer have you got in you?

Look, it’s better than a real job. It’s the sort of job where I wake up everyday looking forward to doing it. And it’s a challenge for me and it’s a privilege because I’m able to work with elite athletes everyday and that sort of opportunity doesn’t come to a lot of people.

How long is a piece of string mate?

Nah, I honestly don’t know. I have truly enjoyed every step of the way, have met some fabulous people and have been in some of the best footy arenas in the world. However, I have never really chased the career and longevity. Each year, I roll up and go again. I guess a typical example of that is when I was at the Roosters for 24 years and I didn’t sign a contract until I think about the last two years I was there.

And in terms of your field, with training techniques, nutrition and the likes, how much has the game developed?

I think all of that has improved. The knowledge that the players possess is rising and the nature of the game now is more physically demanding. I’m not saying it’s tougher, but it is definitely more demanding. So, first you’ve got to look at recovery; second, you’ve got to acknowledge that we’re a bit smarter in the way we train and we can’t run them into the ground anymore; and finally, we now know the importance of prehab as well as rehab. Other than that, the players have the ability to become more mentally strong if they really want to.

As someone who used to play the game to chase women and drink booze, what do you do after you knock off nowadays?

As players do, I need my downtime. But I’m lucky – I can have a drink at work as well. I enjoy a couple red wines most nights and my wife and I enjoy socialising, but I don’t have to play at the end of the week. On that actually, can I offer you boys a beer? What’s your poison?

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NIGEL VAGANA

and the Islander Influence Written by Will Evans

Trawl through any NRL team sheet in 2015 and the prevalence of players with Pacific Island heritage is palpable. The likes of Petero Civoniceva, Jarryd Hayne (Fiji), Michael Jennings, Willie Mason (Tonga), Ben Te’o and Josh McGuire (Samoa) have all starred at Test level for Australia or at Origin level in recent years - but the phenomenon has only developed over the last two decades.

B

rothers Apisai and Inosi Toga, hailing from Fiji, were among the first Islanders to feature prominently in the premiership, playing for St George in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Former New Zealand Test player, Oscar Danielson, who played for Newtown from 1970-72, is believed to be the first Samoa-born player to feature in the Australian competition.

A succession of Kiwi representatives with Pacific backgrounds – Dane and Kurt Sorensen (Tonga), James Leuluai, Fred Ah Kuoi and Olsen Filipaina (Samoa) – followed, while Tongan forward John Fifita was a Dragons mainstay of the 1980s. Fiji-born backs Manoa Thompson and Noa Nadruku piqued the interest in Islanders further during the early-1990s.

Nigel Vagana was a promising youngster coming through as part of the mid-1990s wave of players from Pacific Island backgrounds that swept through the Australian premiership, coinciding with the advent of the Auckland Warriors in 1995. While most clubs had a Pacific Islander or two on their books, the Warriors’ foundation squad featured a huge Pacific Islander contingent, including established players Manoa Thompson, Duane Mann, Tea Ropati, Tony Tuimavave, Tony Tatupu, Hitro Okesene and Se’e Solomona, and rising stars such as Anthony Swann, Nigel Vagana and his cousin, Joe Vagana.

Of Samoan heritage, Nigel was born in Auckland in 1975 and came through the Richmond Rovers junior rugby league ranks. He represented the Junior Kiwis in 1994, and although he managed just one First Grade appearance during the

| NIGEL VAGANA AND THE ISLANDER INFLUENCE

Warriors’ first two seasons, Vagana was a tryscoring star in the centres for the club’s Reserve Grade side that snared a historic grand final berth in ‘96 (a 14-12 loss to Cronulla).

Vagana believes the strong Pacific flavour at the Warriors made his transition to becoming a professional athlete far smoother than if he had cut his teeth with an Australian club.

Having his family close by also helped with his transition.

“It made it heaps easier. Awen Guttenbeil started out at Manly when he got into the elite level, and he ended up coming home (to the Warriors) and then kicking on,” Vagana said.

“I think I was pretty lucky to be around a lot of familiar faces and in a familiar environment, which helped me understand what was expected and how to adjust as a professional athlete.

“A big thing was the fact we had a lot of Pacific Islanders – not just players, but people in and around the environment

A BIG THING WAS THE FACT WE HAD A LOT OF PACIFIC ISLANDERS – NOT JUST PLAYERS, BUT PEOPLE IN AND AROUND THE ENVIRONMENT AT THE WARRIORS AND IT MADE US FEEL COMFORTABLE” at the Warriors and it made us feel comfortable. Training, travelling together, hotels abroad, I think that really helped, and then the family was the icing on the cake to have them nearby.”

The quicksilver three-quarter nominated a couple of Auckland-raised products that had cracked the big time – along with his cousin, blockbusting front-rower Joe – as huge influences that aided his development, on and off the field, during those formative seasons.

“Se’e Solomona, he was coming to the back end of his career then after some time in England and Australia, and playing for the Kiwis. But he was also a local (Auckland) boy, and we came from the same club, Richmond, and our families sort of grew up together,” Vagana recalled.

“To see someone that grew up across the park from us, it was great to follow him and pick up bits and pieces from him on how to be a professional.

“I also spent a lot of time with Tony Tatupu. Tony was a local hero at the time and played in that first game 20 years ago against the Broncos, so I picked up a lot off Tony and we actually went to England together with Warrington before I came back to the Warriors.

“Also Joe – he was always cracking teams about a year 76

Left: Fellow Richmond Rovers’ junior, Se’e Solomona had a massive impact on Vagana’s development throughout the mid1990s.

Right: Another Auckland local, Tony Tatupu was a hugely influential character during the five-eighth’s formative years.

Nigel Vagana finds a hole in the Kangaroos’ defence during the Kiwis 30-18 Tri-Nations loss to Australia at Ericsson Stadium in 2006.

or two before I got there, so he went through all of that and then sort of gave me the blueprint to work my way through.”

Vagana’s one-season stay at Warrington in 1997 proved to be a breakout success, scoring 17 tries before being lured back to Auckland.

He became a permanent fixture in the Warriors’ backline for three seasons and scored 37 tries in 70 games, while also making his New Zealand debut in the Kiwis’ unforgettable upset victory over Australia in the ‘98 Anzac Test.

Wiry and evasive, with underrated ball skills and versatility to go with his innate ability to find the try-line, Vagana went on to become the Kiwis’ greatest Test try-scorer with 19 touchdowns in 37 appearances (a record that was eclipsed by Manu Vatuvei in 2014) at wing, centre, fullback and

five-eighth from 1998-2006.

Vagana enjoyed a career-defining stint with the Bulldogs from 2001-03, scoring an astonishing 61 tries in 76 games – including a club record 23 touchdowns in ‘02 before crossing 22 times in ‘03 – and won back-to-back Dally M Centre of the Year gongs in ‘01-02.

The popular veteran then spent three seasons at Cronulla and wound up his First Grade career in 2008 after two years at South Sydney, retiring with 140 tries in 240 games – a premiership record tally of tries for a non-Australian player (also broken by Vatuvei earlier this season).

Vagana embarked on a fitting farewell to a decorated career by getting back to his roots and captaining Samoa at the 2008 World Cup. “I really wanted to do that for my family. I was born in New Zealand and RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 77

| NIGEL VAGANA AND THE ISLANDER INFLUENCE

I never thought I’d ever get to play for the Kiwis, and if I got close, just playing one game would be really special for me. So to get the time I did in that black jersey was amazing,” Vagana explained.

“And then when I had the opportunity to help Samoa – I could see the potential coming through the Pacific, but I didn’t want to be an ex-player who tried to say, ‘you should do this and you should do that’ – I wanted to help start developing the game internationally.

“Also I wanted to pay respect to my background, to my heritage. I grew up as a Samoan kid in Grey Lynn, fighting Joe for his taro and chop suey, so to be able to pull on that blue jersey and captain Samoa was something really special.”

Vagana and a host of former Kiwi stalwarts laid the platform for the success the Samoan national side has experienced in recent seasons – culminating in an outstanding 2014 Four Nations campaign – which is progressively being replicated by Tonga and Fiji.

“Once you set up a culture that allows

people to flourish and appreciate the environment, players will come from all over the place to be involved. As you’ve seen over the last few years – it didn’t just happen overnight, it’s been growing steadily since 2007.

“In Tony Puletua, Ali Lauiti’iti, David Solomona, Matty Utai and Francis Meli, we had a lot of guys that had played for New Zealand and all felt the same need to give back, represent their cultural background, but at the same time try and help grown the

has been an NRL Welfare and Education Officer, helping players from all backgrounds whilst spearheading countless valuable initiatives.

But obviously the development and wellbeing of players from Pacific Island backgrounds is close to his heart.

“Through sport and sport migration, a lot more opportunities have opened up, and our Pacific athletes are flourishing. In 2005 the NRL was at about 28 percent Pacific heritage, and we’re at 42 per cent this year,” Vagana said.

“From a Pacific perspective, there’s extra cultural challenges on top of those usual elite athlete challenges. And the Indigenous boys here in Australia have the same challenges, so we’ve set up a lot of cultural programs over the last six or seven years. When I first came into the system, there wasn’t any culturally-specific programs, so now we’re doing a fair bit in that space.

“All anyone wants to do is be the best person they can be, and support their family and provide their family as best they can.”

ALL ANYONE WANTS TO DO IS BE THE BEST PERSON THEY CAN BE, AND SUPPORT THEIR FAMILY AND PROVIDE THEIR FAMILY AS BEST THEY CAN”

78

international game.

“When that group went back, it actually gave a lot of credibility to the young guys coming through thinking, ‘you know what, if it’s good enough for these guys who have done so much in the game, then it’s good enough for me’.”

Since hanging up the boots, Vagana

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RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 79

the

BEHIND BEAST Written by Will Evans

A gentle giant off the field and an unstoppable force on it, ‘The Beast’ has trampled the critics during a record breaking decade on the big stage.

| BEHIND THE BEAST

M

anu Vatuvei rose from humble beginnings to become a rugby league icon. Nicknamed ‘The Beast’ for his explosive performances on the park, the Warriors tryscoring freak’s endearingly unassuming nature has rendered him one of the code’s most popular figures – and one of its most fascinating characters.

Born in Auckland to Tongan migrants, Manu – the fourth of five children in the Vatuvei household – experienced a childhood typical of most Pacific Islanders in Otara in the city’s south: strict, modest and nestled securely beneath the pillars of family and church.

“We were a pretty average family, we didn’t have everything that we wanted but we survived on what mum and dad put on the table,” Vatuvei recalled.

“There were a lot of temptations around there, but my strong family kept me away from it.”

After showing early promise in athletics, Vatuvei began playing rugby union before switching to league at age eight. Boasting the same size, power and speed attributes that would eventually carry him to the code’s heights, he terrorised junior opponents coming through the ranks with Otara Scorpions and Otahuhu Leopards – even if fitness wasn’t his strong suit, describing training as “torture, but all worthwhile”.

It eventually dawned on a teenage Vatuvei that rugby league could become his career, rather than something he did with his mates after school and on weekends.

“It kind of hit me when I made the Warriors development squad. That was when I thought if I took it serious, I could kind of make something out of it.

“I used to make the Auckland (age-group) teams when I was young, and there was heaps of guys in those teams that I thought were way better than me. So I was just lucky enough to

82

(My debut) was a blur - I just couldn’t believe that I was on the field with all the legends of the Warriors, me with my big blonde hair” get picked up by the Warriors.”

A keen fan of the club as a youngster, entering the Warriors’ system meant rubbing shoulders with many of his heroes – and eventually running onto Mt Smart Stadium alongside them.

“When I first started (with the Warriors) Francis Meli and Henry Fa’afili were the senior players in my position, and they were the guys that I looked up to. I was overwhelmed with all the guys that were there, like Ali Lauiti’iti, Stacey Jones,” he recalled, still starry-eyed more than

a decade on.

Vatuvei made his maiden NRL appearance as an 18-year-old midway through 2004, against Souths at the Sydney Football Stadium. It was an eye-catching debut that provided several signs of things to come. With a spectacular try assist, a string of barnstorming runs and a radical bleached afro drawing plenty of attention.

“To be honest, I can’t remember too much about the game. It was a blur – I just couldn’t believe that I was on the field with all the legends of the Warriors, me with my big blonde hair!”

The burgeoning tyro was still just 19 years old and a veteran of only 17 First Grade games when he received an international call-up for New Zealand’s 2005 Tri-Nations campaign. Vatuvei scored two tries in the Kiwis’ shock upset of Australia in the final at Leeds.

“Everything came so fast from making my NRL debut and then getting selected for the Kiwis. I was overwhelmed. Making history with them in the final, winning 24-0, it’s something I’ll always remember,” Vatuvei beamed.

Main: The Warriors legend has played 210 games for the New Zealand outfit, scoring 146 tries Top: Vatuvei during his debut in Round 11 of the 2004 NRL season Bottom: The Beast hits a speed ball during a New Zealand Kiwis training session just days before his international debut RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 83

| BEHIND THE BEAST

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“My first (Kiwis) roomie was Nigel Vagana, and he’s someone that I never thought I’d play alongside. He looked after me really well, took me under his wing.”

Tries and Test jerseys continued to pour in for the giant winger, but a horror night at Parramatta Stadium in 2007 forced Vatuvei to take stock. ‘The Beast’ made a stack of handling errors – three of which led directly to tries – and was terrorised by the Eels’ kickers in one of the most notorious individual displays of the modern era.

“It was a wake-up call. I had been going away from what worked for me, catching those high balls and practising all the time.

It’s something I’ll never forget, I’m happy it happened near the beginning of my career not near the end,” he recalled of the fateful outing.

In contrast to the likes of Rabbitohs’ winger Steve Mavin and Eels fullback Paul Carige – whose careers never recovered after infamous, errorstrewn finals performances in 1987 and ‘98 respectively – Vatuvei took the Justin Hodges ro u t e , and turned a disastrous game into an overwhelming positive.

“It took me back down and made me more humble again, and I learnt from my mistakes. I’m not always perfect but whenever I make a mistake, I bounce back straight away and try and do something good.”

After a week in Reserve Grade, Vatuvei returned to finish the season strongly – and then stamped himself as arguably the game’s premier winger in 2008. Scoring 16 tries in 17 games – including a demon-exorcising hat-trick in the final round at Parramatta Stadium to propel the Warriors into the playoffs – Vatuvei helped inspire his team to the preliminary final, before starring in the Kiwis’ World Cup triumph.

Less than a year and a half after his meltdown against the Eels, Vatuvei collected the RLIF Winger of the Year award, and was named by David Middleton as one of The Official Rugby League Annual’s Top Five Players of the Year – just the third winger to achieve the honour in 22 seasons.

One of Vatuvei’s most admirable qualities is his ability to bounce back from a shock-

er and produce an out-and-out blinder a week later. After a mistake-riddled effort in the Warriors’ 2011 qualifying final thrashing at the hands of Brisbane, he was outstanding in their epic Semi-Final comeback against Wests Tigers the following weekend, before playing a vital role in the club’s charge to the Grand Final.

While he has a legion of fans, there’s still an army of critics that continue to focus on his handling lapses and perceived defensive deficiencies – despite the massive improvements Vatuvei has made in both areas, his phenomenal tryscoring strike-rate and the monumental amount of work he does carting the ball out of the Warriors’ end.

The 112kg, 193cm powerhouse has demolished the record books in the same manner he does opposition defences.

Vatuvei has scored a club record: 146 tries in 210 games – the most ever by a non-Australian player – and sits equal-12th in premiership history.

This year, he became the first player to notch 10 tries in 10 consecutive seasons.

Vatuvei also owns the New Zealand Test tryscoring record with 22 touchdowns in 28 appearances for his country.

True to character, Vatuvei played down his glittering list of record-breaking efforts.

“I think when I’m retired I’ll reflect on all those achievements, but there are times when I sit back and wonder to myself how I achieved it and how blessed I am,” he said.

Although Vatuvei’s career has been regularly punctuated by leg injuries, he is one of just three players to break the 200-game barrier for the Warriors – but a shoulder injury ended his 2015 campaign early and restricted him to just 16 games, his lowest tally since becoming a permanent fixture in the top-grade side.

“It was really tough. This has been tougher than all my other injuries, because I still had that desire and that fire burning in me that I still wanted to play, so this injury took a lot out of me,” he lamented.

RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 85

| BEHIND THE BEAST The softly-spoken goliath is optimistic about the direction the Warriors are headed under coach Andrew McFadden and CEO Jim Doyle...even if the perennially underachieving outfit’s injury-ravaged finish to this campaign was regrettably familiar.

“There’s a lot of good signs at the club, good structure and that sort of thing. I know this season didn’t show that, but as a club we can feel it and see it ourselves.”

Aside from his role as a tryscoring, metre-eating machine on the paddock, Vatuvei takes great pride in his role as mentor for the Warriors’ younger brigade – in particular for the sizeable contingent from Pacific Island backgrounds.

“When you become a senior player you look to help all the young kids because that’s what I looked for when I first came to the club. Stacey (Jones), Awen (Guttenbeil), Henry (Fa’afili) and Francis (Meli) looked after me.”

Vatuvei’s blockbusting on-field attributes, along with his regularly-changing hairstyles, giant grin showing off a clutch of gold teeth, and his heart-warming laugh are integral to the rugby league persona so many know and love.

But dig down to big Manu’s core, and it’s obvious his family – wife Jen and three daughters, Makayla (9), Savannah (4) and Eva (2) – are his inspiration for strapping on the boots, playing through injuries and putting his patched-up body on the line week after week.

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(My family is) my motivation every time I play. They’re the ones that have sacrificed for me, so all I can do is go out there, perform and make them proud. It’s another reason why I like to do what I do” “They’re my motivation every time I play. Every time I go on the field, I give them a call and make sure they’re alright,” the NRL Women In League’s ‘Favourite Son’ of 2014 revealed.

“They’re the ones that have sacrificed for me, so all I can do is go out there and perform and make them proud. It’s another reason why I like to do what I do.”

“It has been tough – I’ve missed two of my kids’ births (while away with the Warriors). But it’s just a blessing to do what I do and still have them in my life. I try not to tell them that I missed their birth – I don’t want to make one of them feel less special than the other!”

Likewise, he names his father, Siosifa, as the greatest influence on his career, other than his wife and kids.

“My dad, he’s the one that sacrificed a lot. He took me to every training session, he’s the one that when I was young he’d make me breakfast before I go to a game.”

His parents’ preservation of the

family’s Tongan legacy is an aspect Vatuvei has come to appreciate more and more.

“It means a lot to me. I was born and raised in New Zealand and not knowing my culture that well, my mum and dad taught us a lot of things about our heritage. We were weren’t allowed to speak English at home, so it was good because it taught me how to speak Tongan properly.”

“I was lucky enough to go back to Tonga and see everything and experience the culture. How they live and how they do things over there.”

Vatuvei also revealed he is desperately keen to eventually follow in the footsteps of many of his former New Zealand Test teammates in representing the island nation of his forefathers – after his commitments with the Kiwis have finished.

“It’s always been a dream to pull on that red and white jersey,” he enthused.

“Hopefully, one day, when I know the Kiwis are looking for something different, I’ll definitely try and play for Tonga.

It’s always something I’ve wanted to do, represent my heritage.”

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PRIDE AND PROGRESSION Written by Lachlan MacPherson | Photographed by Aristo Risi

Twenty years on from the public announcement of his homosexuality, Ian Roberts remains a man ahead of his time.

| PRIDE AND PROGRESSION

A

ggressive, mindless and foolish – sketchy footage from the early nineties shows Ian Roberts, overcome by self-pity, laying into Garry Jack at Leichardt Oval. Living in a time of misrepresentation and misunderstanding, playing a code that had no place for homosexual men, the Manly-Warringah and Australian second-rower was burying something deep down that was eating him up inside.

A year on from Roberts’ moment of madness at Balmain, his life changed forever and his journey towards pride and progression began.

Arriving home from training in July 1992, Ian Roberts received a call from his Dad telling him that he needed to go to their place, that his mother

I love my Dad deeply but if he and so many from his generation could just embrace difference and deal with me being gay – I’m telling you, it would open up a world that they’re not even aware of” was upset. Greeted by crossed arms and creased foreheads, Roberts, genuinely concerned, went through all the steps to try figure out what had gone wrong. Without reaching a conclusion, his Dad blurted “boy, I’m just going to say it – your Mum’s heard something at work and we just want to hear you say that you’re not gay and that’s good enough for us”.

Naturally curious, Roberts asked what had been said. His Dad explained that “there were two boys at your Mum’s work and they said that you got caught sucking some guy off in the middle of Oxford Street”. In a state of disbelief, Roberts stood in silence. “We hear talk in the stands every week, people always screaming stuff at you, but again, we just want to hear you say it – tell us that 90

you’re not gay and we will forget about it,” his Dad said with a stunning sense of ignorance. “Dad, I can’t do that mate,” Roberts responded. “I’m gay”.

Born in Chelsea, London, in 1965 to English parents who migrated to Australia two years later as “10-pound Poms”, Roberts was exposed to discriminatory behaviour right from the get go. “My folks were definitely conservative. Anything different was bad. In fact, they left England because there were too many blacks there,” he says while strolling through the colourful streets of Redfern.

Like most kids from working-class families in Sydney’s south, Roberts grew up surrounded by rugby league. “One of my first memories is scoring a try in the N-Grade Maroubra Grand Final where we went on to win 12-9 over Waterloo,” he recalls. During this time, however, he was much less fascinated by the game than he was by the people playing it.

“I would have been about 10 or 11 when I had my first big crush on another boy. He was from Muswellbrook and players from my team in Sydney and the boys from their club used to billet each other two or three times a year.”

Despite traditional views being pushed by mainstream media and the existence of draconian policies against homosexuals, Roberts was comfortable with who he was from an early age – making hiding this fact all the more difficult.

“Back in the 70s, I wasn’t your stereotypical example of what the media was portraying as gay.

I was playing sport, I wasn’t connected to the arts, I wasn’t slight,” he says. “At school though, there was always a group of people that you knew were different – that you knew were gay. They used to hang out together and people used to sling shit at them. I used to feel like a prick for not doing the right thing by them – still do.”

Top: Roberts represented Australia 13 times between 1990 and 1994 Bottom: 100 of his 213 games in the NRL were in the maroon and white of Manly-Warringah

RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 91

| PRIDE AND PROGRESSION

People who disagree with my sexuality, or who ask me to bury the fact that I am gay – it’s like asking me to cut my arm off because they don’t like that part of me”

92

At this stage, though, Roberts was concerned with neither his, nor his peers’ sexuality. He had more pressing issues on his mind.

“I couldn’t read or write,” Roberts says, visibly saddened by this confession. “I was petrified about that. Understanding that fear is what changed my life – more so than being gay.”

On the field, this was flipped, and the fear that he had struggled to come to terms with his whole life had become irrelevant and the inherent quality that made him who he was, his sexuality, was suddenly and shamefully brought to the fore. The lies started, the denial was upped and his happiness disintegrated.

“When I first started playing league and getting recognised, I did live a closeted life and it was fucking awful,” recalls Roberts.

At 17, after suffering multiple concussions and possessing a lack of confidence in the game’s ability to cope with his sexuality, Roberts decided to hang up his boots. “I didn’t think that it was a workable combination of those two areas of my life and I saw rugby league as a really intolerant sport,” he says.

After agreeing with his father to give the game another go, he returned to the game with a misguided and unusual determination to prove to himself and, in a sense, others that homosexual men were equal.

“It was almost like I was trying to convince myself that the myth wasn’t true that gay men are weaker or less somehow,” he says. “And in terms of being dumb, once you have a profile and people loved you it didn’t matter. People adored you because you were a footballer. I didn’t have to read and write.”

As he became more and more famous, the lies became more and more extravagant. He flaunted gorgeous ‘girlfriends’ at club functions to throw his Mascot Jets teammates off when they started to ask questions about his social life.

Frequenting Patches and The Exchange, it was the beginning of an increasingly compartmentalised life – one that created a heightened sense of confusion about his motives for living a closeted life.

“I always had this conflict within myself as to

why I had this need to protect people from something that I saw as absolutely nothing,” he says. “It was never a fearful thing for me that I felt this way – I was always fearful about upsetting other people and hurting other people.”

But while he began to establish himself in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community, he was also making a name for himself in the rugby league world.

Debuting for the Rabbitohs in the 1986 Winfield Cup season, Roberts wasted no time in firming as one of the most promising young forwards in the competition, gaining immediate respect amongst the South Sydney faithful with his hard hits and fighting attitude.

After a short stint at Wigan, playing under New Zealand coach Graham Lowe in the off-season, Roberts returned to Sydney with renewed confidence and the knowledge that he could match it with the best in the world.

Tall and super fit, he was labelled as being part of the new breed and with his game going from strength to strength, Roberts struggled to cope with the spotlight as he continued to live a double life.

“When I returned to Australia, a reporter hit me up about my sexuality, but I had never really thought about how I would respond to it,” he admits. “But that’s what living a closeted life is – you second guess everything and you live this bullshit existence. Everything is fake – everything is a fraud and it becomes this incredible burden that you have to carry around for everyone else to make them feel happy about you.”

That burden intensified when, early in the 1989 season, a gossip item written under a nom de plume appeared in the Sun Herald claiming that Roberts had been spotted in a gay club. The next time he set foot on the field, he was greeted by angry fans and uncomfortable Bulldogs players who openly baited and vilified him, horrified at the fact that he could potentially be a ‘poof’.

RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 93

| PRIDE AND PROGRESSION

Although Roberts had, many years prior, come to this realisation within himself, he still opted to keep his sexuality a secret from the general public; and shortly thereafter, he shocked Souths fans, players and management by signing mid-season with Manly, becoming the game’s highest paid player and re-uniting with ex-coach Lowe.

“It was around this time that everybody knew I was gay,” he revealed. “I had just met my first boyfriend, Shane, who was the Manly mascot, and I just wasn’t willing to play the game anymore.”

Despite having been comfortable with his sexuality all of his life, Roberts, emotionally stunted by living a lie, had only just come to terms with other people knowing about his secret. A sign of maturity and self-acceptance, at 27, he was finally able to see the situation for what it really was – a tragic case of suppression as a result of backwards societal views.

“I didn’t get why I even bothered about trying to conceal the fact that I am a human being that has the same needs and wants as everyone else. I was with Shane, so why can’t I just love Shane?”

It was then, in 1992, that he decided to reveal his sexual identity to his parents and stop “protecting them” from the truth.

“For me, it was just one of those things where I was just fed up. I was sick of my Dad’s prejudiced bullshit,” he admitted.

94

“But my Mum was even worse. Her reaction lent to every stereotype possible. She was like, ‘you didn’t play with dolls and you always played sport – you had G.I. Joe and I never put you in a skirt’. That’s why I get so upset with the whole macho thing and the fact that you can’t be gay in rugby league because it’s a macho sport. Like, fuck, Alexander the Great was a shirt lifter.”

This problem was not new and it is not old either.

Throughout history, competitive male sport has forced participants to demonstrate socially acceptable notions of masculinity; with masculine embodiment, identity and expression being engrained in boys and men since the game became synonymous with the working class in the post war era.

Determined to challenge this, in 1994, Roberts toyed with rugby league media and fans by doing a nude shoot for gay magazine Blue. It was around this point that he stopped worrying about other people’s perceptions of him and how his sexual identity was going to affect that.

“It sounds selfish, but it got to the point that I was just like – my happiness is much more important to me than the rest of you feeling happy about me.”

“I love being gay – I fucking love it,” says Roberts. “I just wish my family could have embraced as much because they could have discovered more about themselves and about

the world as well.”

However, during the peak of the homophobic slurs, just like his pre-occupation with a fear of illiteracy, Roberts had bigger things to deal with.

“A couple of my dear friends had died from HIV and when I went to visit one of them, Ben Swanson, I had a whole lot of bark off and my main concern was whether or not it was safe for me to have physical contact with him,” he says while shaking his head. “I remember thinking, ‘I am such a pig’.

That’s when it all changed for me – when some serious shit was happening and I finally understood that being gay wasn’t an issue – it was other people’s issue.”

In a moment of catharsis, Roberts came out officially to US LGBT publication The Advocate in 1995 and shared his sexuality publicly in Australia with a story in New Weekly, titled “A Man and his Match”, detailing his relationship with Manly mascot, Shane.

With the announcement dividing public opinion, Peter FitzSimons delivered a profound and righteous analysis of the situation, commenting in the Sydney Morning Herald that, “Roberts is not the first gay footballer, but the first with the courage to live it openly. Surely the wretched schoolyard taunt of ‘yer a poofta’ has lost an awful lot of sting.”

As the first professional Australian sportsperson to publicly announce his homosexuality, Roberts became a pioneer in a world that so desperately needed one. However, in a constant theme that has moulded his journey towards acceptance and understanding, his mind was elsewhere. The grief that he was receiving for coming out publicly was far outweighed by the pain that he felt for Arron Light, a troubled child who he had taken in, cared for and watched slip away – all in the space of five years.

“I met Arron while visiting the Children’s Hospital in Camperdown. He had always stayed in touch and I bumped into him when he was living on the street one night,” says Roberts. “I gave him my address and told him to come around and clean himself up. So then – once a week – he came over, had a shower and had a feed.”

After years of providing both temporary and permanent refuge for the teenager, Roberts received a call from the police – while he was on a book tour for the release of Finding Out – saying that they wanted to speak to him about Arron.

Having been aware of his issues with drugs and theft for quite some time, Roberts assumed it would be along those lines. The events that unfolded, however, were the most heartbreaking and gut-wrenching of his life.

I love being gay – I fucking love it”

RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER | 95

| PRIDE AND PROGRESSION

It was twenty years ago that I came out and there have been no other gay men to play footy in Australia since then, apparently”

“They sat me down and told me that Arron was a sex worker who was prostituting himself out to all these high profile paedophiles and that they had my house under surveillance.”

After going under police protection, Arron began making statements and it all went downhill from there. He stopped going to school and started stealing, using heroin and prostituting himself again. In the meantime, Roberts was made an offer to go to Townsville for a holiday. He took that offer and never came back.

“The last time I heard from Arron was not long after I signed for the Cowboys.

He was 17 at the time and had been arrested again. The coppers called me saying that he wanted to talk to me. I could hear him screaming at me to come and help him – he was wired. And as soon as I said ‘I don’t want to hear from him again’ and hung up the phone, I knew that was the moment that would change my life forever.”

Arron Light left the police station the next day and was never seen again. Five years later, his skeletal remains were found in a shallow grave on the banks of a canal in Sydney’s inner-west.

“That poor kid had no one. Everyone had rejected him – I was just the last person to do it.”

In a life that has had its fair share of shit; the one constant that remains is that Roberts has always been self-assured.

Real life struggles with illiteracy, death of friends and family as well as bouts of 96

depression and anxiety all supersede the trials and tribulations of being a gay man in a square world.

Roberts’ supreme amounts of pride and progression have laid the foundation for people like British rugby league player Keegan Hirst, who came out to the Sunday Mirror in August this year.

Roberts does not see this as a moment for celebration, rather a moment for reflection.

“While it’s great for him, we should never have got to the stage that he has had to make decisions that damage his wife, his kids and the ripple effect of it all,” he says. “His story will be much more powerful when it’s not newsworthy, because as a society we would have progressed to the point that it’s normality.”

Top: Roberts is one of only two professional Rugby League players in the world to publicly announce his homosexuality Bottom: A strong supporter of the PCYC, Roberts is currently pushing for the organisation to receive funding for referbishments

We live in a culture of decreasing homophobia, but that does not necessarily mean we live in a time of increasing acceptance of homosexuals. More can be done, and with sport’s unique ability to catalyse change, the game is not doing enough.

In a world where confidence and connectedness is everything, Ian Roberts was stripped of his. Something was taken from him that he will never get back – his identity. Twenty years on, he is able to look back and think forward to a time where the individual stands alone – not as a man, not as a woman, not gay or straight – but as a human being. He is and will always remain a man ahead of his time.

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| BRING BACK THE BEARS

BRING BACK

THE BEARS You may have heard whispers of it, but the team formally known as the North Sydney Bears are making serious groundwork in an attempt to return to First Grade footy. Headed up by Perry Lopez and Greg Florimo, the Central Coast Bears have high hopes in their bid to become the NRL’s newest franchise.

G

reg Florimo has red and black running through his veins. A Willoughby Roos junior, the former centre or five eighth went on to play 285 games for the team he grew up idolising on the hill at Bear Park.

‘Flo’, as he was affectionately known through the Bears heyday of the 1990’s, is one of North Sydney’s favourite sons. Holding the record for the most First Grade appearances, Florimo is as passionate as ever about the foundation club.

A one club career that spanned 12 seasons from 1986 to 1998, Florimo went on to achieve legendary status amongst Bears supporters. Looking back on his time in the game, Florimo recalls; “At the time I was so absorbed in getting myself up every week and listening to the game plan, I didn’t really sit back and appreciate how good I had it. I think back now and I’m very proud of what I achieved.”

The passion that Florimo speaks with has recently been focused on working towards, the re-inclusion of North Sydney into the NRL as The 98

Central Coast Bears. Currently the CEO of the franchise, Florimo speaks of his desire to once again see the red and black colours in the NRL. “To come back would be a righting of the wrongs. It would be recognition of a foundation club and a huge investment back in the game for the North Shore.”

I saw this team with such tradition and passion, which led me to want to become involved as quickly as I could” Greg Florimo

Since the ill-fated merger with Manly that was the Northern Eagles became defunct at the end of the 2002 season, the people of the North Shore have been lost to the game. Florimo exposes the fact that there is still a lot of animosity towards both Manly and the NRL these days.

“Every time we play Manly at North Sydney Oval in the NSW Cup there’s a lot of emotion in the air. There’s a lot of disenchantment with the NRL, which has turned the people of North Sydney away from the game and now they’re supporting other codes.”

To bring the Bears back into the competition would mean so much to Florimo.

Thinking of the day where the Bears are once again a force in the premier Rugby League competition in the world, the former NSW and Australian representative ponders.

“It would be a wonderful, wonderful day.

There’s a lot of generational support for the Bears, we may have missed a beat over the last generation, but there’s a lot of youngsters who have taken up the passion that their parents had for North Sydney.

I think it would be a reward for that hunger and desire to not only bring home the colours but to finally bring home a trophy to our supporters.”

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| EGROUP COMMUNITY CORNER

COMMUNITY CORNER “Our players are the most scrutinised segment of the Australian population and mate, with the pressures of your work ­— it doesn’t matter if you’re a bricklayer or a lawyer — at the end of your week you’ve got to have a release. If not, it’s Groundhog Day. Something’s got to give” Ronnie Palmer he Cougar was exactly right when he told us this while we threw back a beer with him on his balcony in Drummoyne. Something does have to give, but for the worst and most publicised part, it is our players’ control.

What we often and unfortunately don’t hear about are the great things that players engage in on a daily basis — and when we say daily, we mean it. The 2015 Ken Stephens Medal was hotly contended; with Luke Douglas, Joel Thompson, Tim Mannah and Michael Ennis being named as the four finalists for the prestigious award that recognises the efforts of an NRL player who has not only achieved on the field, but also contributed to community projects off it.

Douglas, the eventual winner of the award, has been a strong presence in the Gold Coast community since he joined the Titans in 2011. With his rap 102

“I think whilst ever you’ve got that mindset that you want to make a difference I think that’s the key” Michael Ennis

sheet of community contribution ranging from asking his wedding guests to make charitable donations instead of providing gifts, to being a instrumental in the Titans partnership with the Down Syndrome Association of Queensland.

Combine this with Thompson’s focus on teaching Australian students on the importance of education and living a healthy lifestyle, Mannah playing a pivotal role as an ambassador in multiple causes as well as

launchiing his own charity and Ennis acting as an integral member of Save Our Sons and having an ongoing contribution to Camp Quality, the competition for the somewhat forgotten honour was fierce.

Ennis, who has been involved in community work for the better part of a decade, has a unique outlook on the incredible impact that rugby league players can have on local communities.

“I think whilst ever you’ve got that mindset that you want to make a difference I think that’s the key. Each individual will find different interests in different areas, so as long as you’re kicking goals and enjoying it and helping where you can, that’s great,” said Ennis.

Whether it be providing assistance with coaching a local junior footy team or running a charity, it all matters. As we have said, time and time again, this great game has a unique ability to catalyse change and this runs through every arm of the game, from grassroots all the way to the top.

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