Around the Grounds Summer 2013 by K.Maree Design

Contents Introduction

Preview

From the CEO

Folau Gives Waratahs New Edge

Preview

Special Features

Jane McGrath Day Raises Record Funds

Sonny Future for Roosters

New SCG Stand Update

Review

Noble Intended to Replace Members Pavilion

34 SCG's Empire Games 75th Anniversary

Sixers Fall in Championship Wake

West Tigers Line Up with Anasta

Sydney FC's Italian Renaissance

Cheika Toughens Up Tahs

Coldplay's Dazzling Performance

43 Breakers Win Record Double Crown

Review 07

History of SCG Development

20 Allianz Stadium Celebrates 25 Years

Swans Target Back to Back Flags Sri Lanka's First SCG Test

SCG's Test History: Our Fastest Bowler

49 Bronzed: The Story Behind Our Sculptures

50 Art Prize Relives Bradman Era

Member News Gym's Xmas 'Casino Royale' Party

Get Ready for the Lions

10 42

SCG XI Beats Sixers Before Ashes Tour

View from the Members: A Test Photo Album

Full Winter Fixtures Calender

Street Address 1800 80 11 55 1800 80 11 55 1300 724 737 1300 724 737 1800 88 55 55

Membership Office Venue Service Office Main Entry Allianz Stadium

Editor Gary Spink • Design Circus Group Pty Ltd • Photo Research Caron Lefever

Driver Avenue Moore Park NSW 2021

Postal Address

Online

GPO Box 150 Sydney NSW 2001

membership@scgt.nsw.gov.au venueservices@scgt.nsw.gov.au sales@scgt.nsw.gov.au

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After a memorable summer of cricket, where we welcomed Sri Lanka to their first SCG Test and farewelled Mike Hussey at his final one, we can look forward to a footy season that sees the arrival of arguably the highestprofile group of players ever recruited by our home teams at the one time. When Israel Folau takes to the field for the NSW Waratahs, he will become only the second player to have played three football codes at an elite level (Karmichael Hunt is the other). At Allianz Stadium, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, we will be among the first to witness his transition to Super Rugby. We could also see his debut rugby union trial against international competition when the British and Irish Lions take on the Waratahs here in June. With the Lions only touring Australia every 12 years, Folau has been fortunate with the timing of his move. There have been many great union players whose careers have come and gone without the opportunity to compete against the Lions.

Sonny Bill Williams is another remarkable code-switching athlete, who comes to the Sydney Roosters this season after an immensely successful stint in rugby union. The World Cup winning All Black has already proven his league credentials with an NRL premiership for the Bulldogs and seven caps for New Zealand, so he makes an exciting acquisition to the Roosters’ squad for their 2013 campaign. Our premiership Sydney Swans have also pulled off a major recruiting coup, bringing Kurt Tippett to the SCG. He has a lengthy 11-match suspension to serve but that didn’t deter several AFL clubs from competing for the services of this prized key forward. He’s chosen the Swans because of his desire to play in premierships, so his assessment and his presence in the second half of the season are great omens for the Swans’ chances of back-to-back flags. And, of course, we have seen the biggest recruitment frenzy of all with Italian football legend Alessandro Del Piero signing for Sydney FC this season. His team is still in the battle to secure a finals place, but his

skills have been a thrill to watch and there is no doubting how he has rekindled interest in the club and the sport generally in Australia. Apart from the crowds that have followed him at games and the special fan day at Allianz Stadium, Sydney FC matches are now shown live on Italian TV. The Wests Tigers too have signed a major star in Braith Anasta, although he is far from a new arrival to our precinct. It will be difficult for Roosters fans to see him at Allianz Stadium in different colours. Any line-up that adds the skills of Anasta to one that already includes Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah is going to be a serious finals contender. SCG Members will have a chance to see them in action this year too, with the team playing a huge Heritage Round game against the St George Illawarra Dragons at the SCG on 14 April. That clash commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Wests/Dragons 1963 grand final, the match etched in history because of the famous ‘Gladiators’ photo of rival captains Norm Provan and Arthur Summons walking off a muddy SCG. The Sydney Sixers also brought us a major acquisition since the last edition

Season Opening Rivalry

Finals Race Clash

Big Blue

Premiership Flag Unfurls

v South Sydney Rabbitohs

v Central Coast Mariners

v Melbourne Victory

v Gold Coast Suns

7 March Allianz Stadium

9 March Allianz Stadium

16 March Allianz Stadium

6 April SCG

of ATG − a Champions League trophy. The world T20 champions went on to have a disappointing domestic season but congratulations to them for the win in South Africa.

I am confident that you will feel it worthwhile when you can reap the rewards of the new facilities. You can see the latest artist impressions of what to expect on the following pages or visit www.scgdevelopment.com.au.

Another big arrival we’ll see in the precinct this year is the growing presence of the new SCG stand, which is on track to be ready for Ashes action next January. The lower level seats will be in place for the Swans season.

Your first opportunity to experience the new stand in person is only a few months away, when we host what promises to be a very exciting Ashes Test on 3 January next year. Ashes series are always special but with this one following on so quickly from the July/August series in England, it’s going to be a unique year for following one of the greatest rivalries in world sport. We couldn’t ask for a more appropriate setting for unveiling the new stand.

Once again, can I thank you for your patience with the disruption that inevitably this kind of major development causes. The Trust has made significant efforts to minimise this. There was no reduction in Member seating capacity for the January Test for example. Many of you took advantage of the additional reserved seating in the Churchill and Brewongle stands we acquired from Cricket Australia. But I would also like to recognise the individual efforts of Trust staff and our partners who took their own initiative during the Test to assist Members.

I wish you happy viewing in the coming months. I’ve nominated my top 10 events below and there is the full schedule printed as a calendar on the inside back cover.

Jamie Barkley Chief Executive Officer

Heritage Round Gladiators

Friday Night Classic

Champions Visit

ANZAC Cup

Lions Tour

Anasta Home-Coming

v St George Illawarra Dragons 14 April SCG

v Geelong

v Chiefs

v St George Illawarra Dragons

v British & Irish Lions

v Sydney Roosters

19 April SCG

19 April Allianz Stadium

25 April Allianz Stadium

15 June Allianz Stadium

August 16 – 19 (TBC), Allianz Stadium

New Vision of Northern Stand As the first framework of the SCG’s new northern stand starts to appear on the skyline, ATG can reveal some updated artist impressions of what Members can look forward to. We can also show you some more detail of additional facilities we plan to add in the next stage of the precinct’s development – including Sydney’s first Museum of Sport, a public fan zone plaza linking the two stadia, new tennis courts and a 50m swimming pool.

Images 4 and 5 show the same views from the opposite direction, highlighting the terrace off the level 2 dining areas. There will also be a roof terrace at the top of the stand where Members can enjoy food and drinks while enjoying views to the CBD and beyond.

That next stage of development requires further government funding, but in the meantime the northern stand construction is on track to be operational for next summer’s Ashes Test.

The final artist impression, image 6, shows what we have in mind for the next stage of development once the northern stand is completed. The view looks across the precinct from what would be a new Sports Central Pavilion on the site of the current Indoor Centre.

By the time the 2013 AFL season begins, we will have enough of the new stand seats in place to increase ground capacity to about 36,000. Also in place will be the new stand’s videoboard that is approximately double the size of the one that it replaces from the old Messenger Stand. Image 1 is an elevated view from the Walk of Honour towards the rear of the stand, showing how the Noble Clock Tower is being retained and integrated into the modern design. You can read more about the significance of the Art Deco clock tower to the SCG in the feature on page 32. Images 2 and 3 show closer views, from the Walk of Honour, of how the area behind the stand will appear on some match and non-match days. On the right is the spectacular entry atrium that will link all spectator levels with escalators while offering views across the Members’ precinct. For major events, the tennis courts available to Gold and Platinum Members will be converted into an alfresco dining area which will allow us to provide the wider range of food and beverage options you are used to enjoying in the Village Green at Test matches.

SUMMER 2013

The pavilion would house a new headquarters for Cricket NSW, a crèche, cafe and medical centre, upgraded Members’ gym and other areas for sports administration. In the foreground are the 50m pool, tennis courts and new outdoor practice wickets. An indoor cricket complex would be built below ground. In the background to the left, between Allianz Stadium and the SCG, we are planning to create ANZAC Plaza – a site for a dedicated memorial to elite sports men and women who have served in our defence forces, as well as providing a public fan zone with giant video screens that will come alive before and after games. The memorial would also serve as an entry to the Museum of Sport which would be created below the plaza. We still have a lot of work to do before securing funding to make these latest plans a reality, but it is all part of our wider long-term vision to give Sydney a world-leading sports and entertainment hub within minutes of the CBD.

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Modern Stand to Display Heritage While the exterior on the new northern stand takes shape, the Trust is working with heritage specialists to ensure that the inside has a strong sense of the SCG’s unique history alongside the modern facilities. Heritage consultants Godden MacKay Logan have been engaged from the earliest planning stages on the project to ensure historically important aspects of the old stands were properly documented for posterity, and they are now working with the design team to develop ideas of how many of these can be incorporated into the new stand’s interior. While retention of the iconic Noble Clock Tower is currently the most visible symbol of such heritage measures, Members can expect to see significantly more after entering the finished stand. We didn’t just want to salvage historically important items from the old stands. We want to find innovative ways of using them, alongside other items in the SCG Museum’s collections, in the interior design in ways that creatively communicate the objects' importance. Among the options being considered are: • c reating ‘pictorial timelines’ using photos and paintings of significant events and matches that occurred during the life span of the old stands • u sing canvas rolls of numbers from the 1924 scoreboard as art works • t hrough words and scores carved into the interior walls, recording significant sporting feats in the ground’s history • c reating visually-striking glass display walls of historical sports equipment and other memorabilia • r estoring plaques, photographs and paintings from the Bradman and Noble stands to the walls of the new bar and dining areas

Modern history: The interior designs will reflect our past in new ways

Telling the sCG Story

• m aking use of the increased size of dining and bar areas to display larger memorabilia and historic equipment and furniture currently held in storage • d eveloping a Media Hall of Fame that will, through photos, art works and memorabilia, commemorate the most significant contributions of journalists, photographers and broadcasters in recording events in SCG history

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Changing times: In 1911, the SCG had an established cycling track but this was its first game of rugby league

As the latest stand development grows in prominence on the Moore Park skyline, the SCG Museum is running a timely exhibition tracing the history of construction and development of our ground since British soldiers first turned some sandy scrub into an area for their recreation in 1851. Through fascinating photographs, drawings and artifacts, mostly drawn from the museum’s archive, The Sydney Cricket Ground: A Story of Cultivation and Construction documents the key milestones and people that created one of the world’s most historic and socially significant sports precincts. Museum Curator Leah Domanski and her staff spent eight months preparing the

exhibition, which opened at the January Test, and are delighted to be able to share the historically-valuable material from collections that are rarely displayed. “Many people know of the heritage works the Trust does preserving the Members Stand and historical machinery like Boxer’s roller, but far fewer will be aware of the extensive collection of archival and photographic material that chronicles the development of the grounds and the history of the Trust,” Leah said. “The Trust has put a lot of resources into building this important collection, documenting and carefully archiving it, so it’s wonderful that it is being showcased in this way.”

Exhibition visitors walk along a pictorial timeline of SCG stand development, the creation and replacement of ground icons such as the ‘Hill’, the cycle track and the temporary tennis courts that were once a regular feature. The history of Allianz Stadium and its predecessor, the Sydney Sports Ground, are also documented but the exhibition strives to present more than an architectural history. “We wanted to demonstrate the broad social significance of our grounds. In many ways we record our sports heritage and the incredible feats that individuals have achieved here, but there is an importance of this precinct to Sydney that goes beyond that,” Leah said.

“That broader social significance can be seen in what we chose to build here and how the site was cultivated for specific purposes or, in the case of the Ladies Stand, specific genders. “People have been gathering here in large numbers for more than 150 years to share in all manner of social activities, and the exhibition explores how the SCG came to be that important site in NSW and why it continues to be the case today.” The Sydney Cricket Ground: A Story of Cultivation and Construction will continue at the museum throughout 2013. The museum is open to Members on major event days, and the public can access it as part of the SCG Tour Experience.

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Swans Target Back to Back

Flags

Worth waiting for: Tippett will add value after his lengthy suspension 8

SUMMER 2013

The Swans return to the SCG with a premiership to defend, and the AFL’s most sought after recruit to help them do it. Tall key forward Kurt Tippett joins the reigning premiers from Adelaide, after he chose the Swans ahead of reported keen interest from several other clubs. He has to first serve an 11-game suspension resulting from the AFL’s pre-transfer action against the Crows for salary cap and draft breaches, but few doubt the impact he will have in the second half of the season. Tippett has made it clear that his move is driven by a desire to win premierships and he believes Sydney is the best place to do that. “Sydney was the perfect fit for me. It’s a tremendous club, a very successful club, a premiership-winning club. The future here is very bright,” Tippett said. “The prospect of coming here and playing alongside blokes like Jarrad McVeigh, Adam Goodes and Sam Reid is very exciting.” That trio is a mix of champion veterans and talented youth, something that the Swans believe is their strength going into 2013 and beyond. They point out that Sam Reid, Lewis Jetta, Dan Hannebery, Luke Parker, Kieren Jack and Josh Kennedy are all 25 or younger. Given the influence that group is starting to have on games, and that they now have

premiership experience, it’s little wonder Tippett sees a bright future.

Dean Towers, and 18-year-olds Harrison Marsh, Tim Membrey and Matthew Dick.

Jetta in particular impressed last season, taking his goal tally from nine in 2011 to 45 in 2012 and just missing out on All Australian selection. Kennedy was another who lifted his game to another level, winning the club’s best and fairest and polling strongly in the Brownlow Medal.

Kinnear Beatson, Swans Recruiting and List Manager, described the four new draftees as “big, strong and quick”.

Apart from the evergreen Goodes and McVeigh, the Swans can again rely of the valuable experience of Ryan O’Keefe, Jude Bolton, Ted Richards and Lewis Roberts-Thomson within the squad.

“All of them have bodies that are capable of playing seniors in 2013 so it will just depend on their form and opportunities that are presented to them.”

McVeigh is one of three Swans players expected to play their 200th game this season. He is on 194 games and, barring injury, will reach the milestone in round six against Brisbane at the SCG. The other potential 200-gamers are Rhyce Shaw (currently 187) and Ted Richards (181). All going well, club champion Kennedy could play his 100th game against Carlton at the SCG in a Friday night blockbuster on 28 June. From the pre-season rookie draft, the Swans have picked up some new faces with familiar names. They have recruited Brandon Jack (brother of Kieren) and Xavier Richards (brother of Ted). They come to the Swans alongside fellow rookies Jake Lloyd, 203-cm Sam Naismith, Daniel Robinson and Dane Rampe. The latter three, as well as Jack, are NSW players, which speaks well for the development of AFL in the state. From the national draft, the Swans have targeted young talent with a strong physical presence, recruiting 22-year-old

“We’re pleased with the pace, the power and the size of the guys, and they can all kick the ball with a bit of depth,” he said.

The club told ATG that ‘Fortress SCG’ was the foundation for their 2012 premiership. Strong performances at home, backed by large, passionate crowds, would be key to their chances for back to back success this year. They play nine home games at the SCG in 2013, starting with the Saturday afternoon clash against the Gold Coast Suns on 6 April where the premiership flag will be unfurled before the match. Concourse level seating in the new northern stand will be ready for the start of the season. The Trust will assess on a game by game basis if this will allow us to reintroduce Club card use. We’ll let you know via the weekly Member e-newsletters and information on our web site. Also in place for the Swans season will be the new stand’s videoboard that is approximately double the size of the one that it replaces from the old Messenger Stand.

v Gold Coast Suns SCG, Saturday 6 April (1.45pm start) Celebrate with the Swans as they unfurl the 2012 AFL premiership flag. This will be the best opportunity to reflect on the grand final triumph and what the club is vying for in 2013.

v Geelong SCG, Friday 19 April (7.50pm start) Nothing beats Friday night football at the SCG, especially against the team that has won three premierships in the last six years. Last year the result came down to one set-shot on goal by Andrejs Everitt from 45metres out on a tough angle which he converted to see the win for the Swans.

v Carlton SCG, Friday 28 June (7.50pm start) Another Friday night classic! The Swans and Blues have developed a recent tradition of tight clashes and the strong rivalry that goes with that.

v GWS Giants

SCG, Sunday 14 July (1.10pm start) GWS travel east for the first Sydney derby at the SCG. The Swans will be looking to continue their winning ways against GWS after taking the early bragging rights, winning both matches between the two teams in 2012. SUMMER 2013

NSW v

125 Years o Anticipation is already building for the British and Irish Lions tour and their Saturday night match against the NSW Waratahs at Allianz Stadium on 15 June. The Lions only tour Australia every 12 years, so rugby fans know this is a special sports event to make the most of. And of course, now that Israel Folau has signed with the Waratahs we get the chance to see the former rugby league champion against international competition of the highest level in his chosen new code. The game will also have a historical significance, commemorating the 125th anniversary of the first British team to tour Australia in 1888. The tourists played a series of three matches against NSW at the SCG, winning all comfortably.

The tourists then tried their hand at Australian rules in an extension of their tour across Victoria and South Australia. The outcome was reported as “mixed results”. The star of the British side was Andrew Stoddart, who also represented England in cricket in four tours of Australia. His claims to fame included touring in the 1891 team under WG Grace, outscoring his more famous captain across the series. The SCG Museum is organising a special display to mark the anniversary and has already discovered some fascinating photos of that original game in its archive collection, one of which appears (as the background image on this page). They will also offer a guided tour of the sculptures in the Allianz Stadium forecourt, with a former player explaining the achievements of the rugby union greats immortalised there in bronze.

Lock in Best Seats for Interstate Tests With a British and Irish Lions tour coming around only once every 12 years, fans are set to travel all across the country for their ‘Lions fix’ in June and July. The opportunity for a perfect rugby weekend away looms, but the last Lions tour sold out in 20 minutes. You can ensure you can get the pick of the best seats with a platinum ticket package

SUMMER 2013

NSW v Britain at the SCG in 1888

organised by Australian Sports Tours. The specialist tour outfit based at Allianz Stadium is offering joint ticket and accommodation deals for the crucial first Test in Brisbane and the pivotal second game in Melbourne. A range of hotel options is available within the following packages.

Lions

of Tr adition This year’s Lions-Waratahs tour match is part of the SCG Trust’s 10-year agreement for international rugby to be played annually at Allianz Stadium that started with the Wales Test last June. That match was highly successful from every aspect − the result, the atmosphere, even the glorious winter sunshine played its part. The Trust is also planning to repeat the popular off-field events for Members, replicating the social environment that the Village Green creates at the cricket Test. The ‘Rugby Club’ sports bar will be recreated in the Indoor Centre with large screen TVs, billiard tables, TAB facilities and a pre-match event offering expert commentary on the chances of both sides. The bar will stay open after the game with a live band to give you a full night of entertainment.

An alternative pre-game meeting point will be Azure café, which plans to open the terrace above its poolside bar and provide a special gourmet menu. There will be plenty of atmosphere during the game too, with a sell-out crowd a certainty and around 40,000 red-shirted Lions supporters expected to arrive in Australia for the tour. Members’ seats will be in huge demand for this event too, so arrive early and please allow extra time to get to your seats for the 7.30pm kick-off. Club cards cannot be used for this game and the Trust will organise a ballot for purchasing reserved seats. Details of this will be communicated to you via the weekly Member e-newsletters and put on our web site soon, but it will operate in a similar way to the system used for the January Test at the SCG.

First Test, Brisbane – 22 June

Second Test, Melbourne – 29 June

• Platinum tickets

• Two nights in 4 or 5-star accommodation

• Pre-match function

• Commemorative tour jersey

Priced from $1015 per person

Priced from $852 per person

For full details, visit the Australian Sports Tours website − www.astsports.com.au or contact their sales team on 1800 026 668 or info@astsports.com.au.

DON'T MISS v

British & Irish Lions

Allianz Stadium Saturday 15 June (7.30pm kick-off) Clear your diaries for this one. The Lions only tour here every 12 years.

SUMMER 2013

Be a Tahs Supp

SUMMER 2013

or te r

Trust Members who already have access to games at Allia nz their colours with Stadium can show a Membership that Waratahs Suppor ter of fers access to exclusive club ev ents, news upda te member-only m erchandise for ju s and st $40. For more inform ation go to w w w.waratahs. com.au/membe rship or call 1300 733 899 (9am-5pm to Friday). Monday

The Waratahs 2013 campaign received a huge boost last December when they pulled off a recruitment masterstroke to sign Israel Folau Folau had been expected to return to the NRL after his brief AFL career with the Giants, but instead he opted for Super Rugby. In doing so, he will become only the second player to have represented teams in rugby league, AFL and rugby union at the elite level. New coach Michael Cheika is determined to bring a fresh approach to the NSW side that is yet to achieve Super Rugby glory (see story on page 36) and said Folau was ideal for those plans. “We’d been discussing the option of a marquee player who could really add something to our squad and the strength we already have to develop from within NSW,” said Cheika. “When the opportunity came up with Israel, who’s a local, and what he could bring in this short space of time, our needs met. He is the perfect fit for us. “Israel has a brilliant capability to beat a man one-on-one and also has great aerial skills that are very important these days. He’s got a natural ability to

read the game and assess attacking opportunities. There’s a bit of learning to do around the ruck area, but at 23, he’s still very open to learning and we’ve already started that journey.” The try-scoring back said he was excited to resume playing rugby union having played the game in his school days in Sydney’s west. “When I first met Michael (Cheika) I liked his personality as a person and a coach. We talked about what he wants to do with the team, the style of rugby he wants to play and the quality of the squad that he has with all the Wallabies guys. That’s what got me interested,” he said. The hype surrounding Folau’s signing has overshadowed the Tah’s other key recruitment of Michael Hooper, who makes the switch from the Brumbies. The openside flanker, who is highly rated for his incredible work rate and tenacity at the breakdown, made his Wallabies debut last year. Cheika has promised to restore NSW pride this season, with a team that has the kind of ‘hard edge’ that typified him during his 300 games at Randwick. He has conditioned his squad with a tough pre-season of high-intensity training to deliver that. “Past successful NSW teams had a little bit of edge about them. I want to instil that into the squad. You’ve got to have that edge behind the flair. It’s insurance as some weeks the flair will not always work,” explained Cheika.

Don't Miss v Melbourne Rebels Allianz Stadium Friday 1 March (7.20pm kick-off) The first home game of the season will have an ‘armed forces’ theme, with the teams contesting the Weary Dunlop Shield.

v Blues Allianz Stadium Sunday 24 March (4pm kick-off) It will be a big family day out with the first of two traditional Sunday afternoon matches in consecutive weeks at Allianz Stadium.

British &

v Chiefs

v Irish Lions

Allianz Stadium Friday 19 April (7.40pm kick-off)

Allianz Stadium Saturday 15 June (7.30pm kick-off)

The Tahs take on the Super Rugby defending champions in this Friday night highly anticipated contest.

These matches only come around every 12 years, and this one commemorates the 125th anniversary of the first game played between a British team and NSW on the SCG in 1888 (see story on page 10).

SUMMER 2013

Sonny

Future Rooste

SUMMER 2013

Sydney Roosters have secured arguably the biggest recruitment coup of the NRL offseason, bringing Sonny Bill Williams back to rugby league.

for

ers

Williams joins the Roosters after a highly successful five-year stint playing rugby union in France, Japan and, most notably, New Zealand where he won the 2011 Rugby World Cup with the All Blacks and the 2012 Super Rugby title with the Chiefs. The signing is a massive boost for the Roosters, and was enthusiastically welcomed by new head coach Trent Robinson. “Sonny is quite a remarkable athlete, an instinctive footballer, and I am really looking forward to working with him as part of our squad,” Robinson said. After a disappointing 2012, the Roosters are hoping Robinson can repeat the kind of transformation he produced as head coach of Super League’s Catalan Dragons. In his first season, 2011, he took the only non-English side in Europe’s premier rugby league competition from last to sixth and was named ‘Super League Coach of the Year’. They continued to improve last year, finishing fourth. Robinson also has Roosters’ pedigree as a player in the junior ranks from 1995 to1998, and more recently as their assistant coach in charge of defence in 2010. While much of the early season hype will surround Williams, the Roosters believe new five-eighth James Maloney will command his share of attention as part of the club’s halves combination alongside Mitchell Pearce. The talented playmaker was the Warriors’ leading point scorer last season and his ability to puncture opposition defensive lines was unmatched by other pivots in 2012. With Pearce on one side of the field and Maloney calling the shots on the other, the Roosters will pose a true threat once they hit the red zone.

All Roosters home games are played at Allianz Stadium this season, including the traditional ANZAC Day match against the Dragons. The annual commemoration of ANZAC and rugby league history is always a blockbuster, with the pre-match showcase put on by the military adding to the special atmosphere. Allianz Stadium becomes a cauldron of colour and energy and the Roosters will be out to avenge last year’s tight loss in the last 30 seconds of the match and to prevent the Dragons from taking home the ANZAC Cup for the fifth successive year. Arguably rugby league’s greatest rivalry, the Roosters will host the season-opener against arch-rivals South Sydney on Thursday 7 March. Matches between the two sides have traditionally gone down to the wire, as was the case last season with each side scoring a dramatic win in the final seconds in their two encounters of 2012. Back-to-back home games will follow in rounds three (against the Brisbane Broncos) and four (in an Easter Monday clash with the Parramatta Eels) before the Roosters host the Bulldogs, in what’s sure to be a sell-out encounter. While the squad looks strong on the field, the off-field team has been setting new records. The Membership department is on target to reach in excess of 10,000 members for the third straight season and has introduced the Sydney Roosters Loyalty Program which recognises and rewards members for their commitment to the club. See details on this page of the special package that can add benefits to your Trust membership.

Don't miss v South Sydney Rabbitohs

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Allianz Stadium, Thursday 7 March (8pm kick-off) These traditional rivals played two heart-stoppers in 2012 with the Roosters producing a spectacular comeback in round one to snatch victory in the final seconds, only to have the result reversed when the Roosters hosted Souths later in the year. This is the season-opener, expect a massive crowd and an electric atmosphere.

v Canterbury Bulldogs Allianz Stadium, Friday 12 April (7.30pm kick-off) There has always been a rivalry between the two sides, and this will no doubt be intensified with Sonny Bill Williams joining the Roosters against the club where he started his NRL career.

Anzac Cup v St George Illawarra Dragons Allianz Stadium, Thursday 25 April (4pm kick-off) The traditional ANZAC Day clash is always a spectacle and one of the season’s highlights. Expect a huge crowd and a massive atmosphere. SUMMER 2013

New Tiger for

SUMMER 2013

New stripes: Anasta joins a star-studded line-up

r the Jungle Wests Tigers have added some key on and off-field strength to their already formidable line-up for the 2013 NRL premiership, in what they are declaring a “new era”. Certainly the highest profile player recruit will be no stranger to Allianz Stadium with Braith Anasta switching allegiances from the Roosters. The club sees the experience and leadership of ballplayer Anasta as invaluable, especially in the big games, and hope his presence will give greater freedom to key attacking players like Robbie Farah and Benji Marshall. Anasta arrives alongside new coach Mick Potter, the former premiership winning Canterbury Bulldogs full-back and dual Dally M medallist. It’s Potter’s first season as an NRL coach but he is no novice with seven seasons of experience managing teams in the English Super League where he was twice named Coach of the Year. His appointment brings fresh enthusiasm to Wests Tigers, and fans will be hoping he can iron out the inconsistent form that narrowly robbed the team of a finals place last season after they started 2012 as premiership favourites.

Accepting his appointment last October, Potter described it as an exciting opportunity. “The club has some promising young talent coming through the ranks, mixed in with some world-class players as well − the playing roster is full of potential.” He will have plenty of attacking artillery at his disposal, inheriting a line-up of internationals in Farah, Marshall, Adam Blair, Chris Lawrence, Lote Tuqiri and now Anasta added to that mix. The toughness of Blair, combined with experienced prop Keith Galloway and young rep prop Aaron Woods, gives Wests Tigers plenty of aggression up front, and they will be supported this season by the recruitment of Eddy Pettybourne from the Rabbitohs and Bodene Thompson from the Titans. In the backs, the emergence of Curtis Sironen, James Tedesco and flying Fijian winger Marika Koroibete mean Wests Tigers have some of the most potent, attacking players in the game. Koroibete scored four tries in his memorable debut late last year, while

Sironen has bulked up over the preseason and, although a natural fiveeighth, he could find himself in the back-row given his size, strength and ball skills. Wests Tigers will play three big home matches at Allianz Stadium in 2013 − against Cronulla, Sydney Roosters, and South Sydney − and a huge Heritage Round clash against St GeorgeIllawarra Dragons at the SCG in April. The heritage match marks the 50th anniversary of the 1963 grand final between Western Suburbs Magpies and St George Dragons. St George won 8-3, but the match is arguably best remembered for photographer John O’Gready’s ‘Gladiators’ photo of rival captains Norm Provan (Dragons) and Arthur Summons (Magpies) sharing their famous congratulatory hug as they walked off a muddy SCG. It became one of the most widelypublished sports images ever taken in Australia, and it has been immortalised as part of the NRL premiership trophy since 1982.

Don't Miss George Illawarra v St Dragons

v Cronulla Sharks

v Sydney Roosters

Sydney v South Rabbitohs

SCG Sunday 14 April (3pm start)

Allianz Stadium Friday 10 May (7.30pm start)

Allianz Stadium 16 – 19 August (TBC)

Allianz Stadium 30 August-2 September (TBC)

This will be one of the most anticipated blockbusters of the season, and the first Heritage Round clash between these sides at the SCG. It commemorates the 50th anniversary of the famous 1963 grand final (see main story).

The home team could be facing a couple of high-profile former teammates in this game after the off-season departure of Beau Ryan and Chris Heighington to Shark Park. See what sort of welcome back they receive.

Braith Anasta, the driving force behind the Roosters for so many seasons, faces his old club for the first time since becoming Wests Tigers’ prize recruit. It sets the scene for a dynamic Allianz Stadium derby.

The Bunnies are coming off their best season for 25 years and they now have a taste of finals success they will be keen to continue as the season closes. This could be a huge game for the top ladder positions.

SUMMER 2013

Sydney FC’s Italian Renaissance

The Alessandro Del Piero frenzy that has enveloped Allianz Stadium during the current A-League season has transformed the landscape of Australian football but still has some significant chapters to play out as the finals approach. Perhaps the most significant are the home games in March against two of Sydney FC’s biggest rivals – the Central Coast Mariners and Melbourne Victory. In the tightest A-League season for many years, only the very top final positions are looking established and there are several candidates in the battle for fifth and sixth − including the Sky Blues. Sydney FC underwent a renaissance in form to match their Italian superstar halfway through the season, but a lack of early wins has left them without finals certainty and made the results of their two last home games (against the Mariners and Victory) crucial to their chances of being part of the April action. The club acknowledges the “tough start” to the campaign but has never doubted the value of signing Del Piero. He has clearly delivered a strong return for that A-League record salary with immediate boosts in crowd numbers, memberships, merchandise and corporate sales, and in the way his arrival raised the club and league profile around the world (Sydney FC matches are now shown live on Italian TV), but he also displayed his footballing skills and class on the pitch from the outset. The then coach, Ian Crook, certainly wasn’t blaming Del Piero for the two-win, four loss record from his six games in charge, speaking more about lifting the performance of the team around him.

SUMMER 2013

Crook though, did feel the pressure of the Del Piero hype, calling it “bigger than Ben Hur” and acknowledged it added to the burden that led to his resignation. The arrival of his replacement, former Socceroos coach Frank Farina, halfway through the season coincided with an improvement in Sydney FC’s results, but some of the credit must also go to Jason Culina’s return from long-term injury and the introduction of new striker Joel Griffiths in January. Both have diverted the attention rival defences can focus on Del Piero as the major attacking threat. In particular, with Griffiths playing in the true lone striker’s position it allows the Italian greater freedom to be creative in his preferred role as an attacking midfielder. The trio demonstrated how potent this new strategy can be in their devastating 7-1 crushing of Wellington Phoenix at Allianz Stadium in January. Del Piero set up Griffiths for the opening goal in their first game together, before going on to score four of his own. In between, Culina scored his second goal for the club in three matches. Substitute Yairo Yau added another to complete the rout. The Del Piero/Griffiths combination produced a goal again a week later in the last ‘Big Blue’ on Australia Day in Melbourne. However, the 3-1 defeat served as a reminder of the challenge ahead. If the renaissance continues in the final games, the Cove are in no doubt about the threat their team can pose to the top clubs in the finals, with Socceroo Brett Emerton and captain Terry McFlynn delivering evergreen performances and the coming-of-age of youngsters Sebastian Ryall and Rhyan Grant. With the Mariners and Victory among those top clubs, March provides an exciting test of Sky Blue potential.

Star attraction: Del Piero has boosted crowds and interest in Australian football

Don't Miss v Central Coast Mariners

v Melbourne Victory

Allianz Stadium Saturday 9 March (5.30pm kick-off)

Allianz Stadium Saturday 16 March (7.45pm kick-off)

It was Sydney’s 1-0 victory over the top-of-the-table Mariners here at Christmas that was a turning point for their season. A repeat of that heading into the finals would be invaluable.

This latest instalment of the ‘Big Blue’ traditional rivalry is Sydney’s last home game of the season. The clash will be crucial for finals positions.

SUMMER 2013

Allianz Stadium

Celebr ates

25 Birthday 24 September 1989

24 January 1988 The new stadium's 'opening spectacular' was held, two days before the major bicentenary celebrations on Australia Day.

John 'Chicka' Ferguson scored a dramatic last-minute try to send the rugby league grand final into extra time. The Canberra Raiders eventually triumphed over the Balmain Tigers by 19-14.

28 September 1997 26-27 November 1993

Two phenomenal U2 concerts light up the stadium.

Michael O'Connor kicked an amazing sideline conversion in torrential rain, just before full time, to secure a 14-12 victory for NSW over Queensland and level the State of Origin series.

The first match was played at the stadium - St George Dragons defeated Eastern Suburbs Roosters 24-14.

July, 1989

11 September 1988 The first rugby league grand final was played here, with Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs defeating the Balmain Tigers 24-12.

6, 8 & 12 December 1988 Performances of Verdi’s opera Aida play to massive Sydney audiences.

14 July 1988 Australia thrashed football giants Argentina 4-1 in the Bicentenary Gold Cup. Three days later Australia met Brazil in the tournament final, losing a tight clash 2-0.

Wallabies George Gregan pulls off ‘that tackle’ on New Zealand's Jeff Wilson which jolted the ball free just as the All Black was diving to score. It ultimately proved to be the difference in the Wallabies retaining the Bledisloe Cup.

29 May 1991

4 March 1988

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The Wallabies play the British and Irish Lions in the first and third Tests of the three match series. The Wallabies won the first Test 30-12 but lost the third and deciding match by a single point in a climatic finish.

17 August 1994

July-August, 1993 South Africa tours Australia for the first time in 22 years and beats the Wallabies 19-12 in the first Test here. The Wallabies later capture the threeTest series with a win in the final match also played here.

31 October 1993 Australia met Argentina in the final round of World Cup qualification, with the great Diego Maradona in action. The result was a 1-1 draw in front of a record football crowd of 43,967. Aurelio Vidmar scored Australia’s equaliser in the 43rd minute.

Darren Albert swept over for a fairytale try in the dying seconds to win a maiden rugby league grand final for Newcastle over Manly-Warringah.

23 May 1994

29 August 1998

Mark Coyne scored a miraculous last gasp try to snatch victory for Queensland in the rugby league State of Origin. Down 12-10 and with 40 seconds left on the clock, the Maroons started one of the most memorable try-scoring movements from deep insider their own half before Coyne completed the 11- pass movement to thwart NSW.

The Wallabies’ claim a memorable 19-14 victory over the All Blacks - a match which saw the Australians complete a 3-0 Bledisloe Cup series whitewash.

Allianz Stadium turns 25 this year. It’s been a short life when compared to the 162-year history of its SCG neighbour, but there are a lot of memories packed into its first quarter-century. Built on the site of the old Sydney Sports Ground and the SCG Number 2 Ground, the stadium opened on 24 January 1988 as a major Bicentennial project. But plans for a new football stadium on the site date back to the early 1950s. In 1951, management of the SCG and the Sydney Sports Ground was brought together under the current Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust, following a NSW

Government proposal for a new stadium that would accommodate120,000 to 130,000 people and secure an Olympic Games for Sydney. Those plans never came to fruition and the current ground, known initially as the Sydney Football Stadium, was built and funded by the Trust for $68 million. From the outset, Allianz Stadium prepared for its role in Australian sports history, with a time capsule built into the foyer floor of the

December 2006

28 August 2005

16-28 September 2000 The stadium was the main venue for the Olympic Games football, hosting 226,519 patrons for 10 games, including the women's gold and bronze medal matches and the men’s bronze medal match.

More than 25,000 fans witness Sydney FC's debut game in the A-League. Twenty minutes after kick-off, the gates were opened to allow the remaining 1600 queuing fans in for free. This is only the second time that the Trust has opened the gates to an event, (the first was for World Series Cricket at the SCG in 1978). Sydney FC drew with Melbourne Victory 1-1.

5 March, 2006 Sydney FC created history by beating Central Coast Mariners 1-0 to win the inaugural A-League grand final before 41,689 fans. Midfielder Steve Corica scored the winning goal to enable his captain Dwight Yorke to lift the trophy in triumph.

Robbie Williams returned after his 2003 performances here for two concerts as part of his 'Close Encounters' world tour. More than 50,000 fans packed the stadium each night.

13 October 2012 26 February 2010

17 December 2010

English pop sensation George Michael performed in front of more than 40,000 fans.

Rock legends Bon Jovi became the first artists to play to three sell-out concerts at the stadium.

The Edinburgh Military Tattoo performs here. It was the first time that the official tattoo had performed in Australia, and only the second time it had performed overseas in its 55-year history.

The stadium hosts five Rugby World Cup 2003 matches with a total attendance of 168,948.

17 May 2006 The stadium hosted its first boxing match when Anthony Mundine unanimously outpointed Danny Green in the WBA super middleweight title eliminator before over 30,000 fans. The bout was the biggest grossing match in Australian boxing history.

Sydney FC sets a new stadium record for non-finals domestic football, when 35,419 fans pack the stand to see Italian superstar Alessandro Del Piero make his home debut for the Sky Blues. The Newcastle Jets with their own European marquee player, Emile Heskey, spoil the party by winning 3-2.

18-19 November 2012

February, 2005

OctoberNovember 2003

Members’ entrance due to be opened at the ground’s centennial. The contents include press articles, team jerseys, footballs and video footage that paint a picture of the sports played at the ground in the ‘80s era. Everybody is hoping that there will still be an old video player available in 2088 that will allow future generations to view the footage. Here are some of the most memorable events from the past 25 years:

British rock sensations Coldplay dazzle with two sellout concerts.

25 November 2006 A runaway try by Kangaroos skipper Darren Lockyer in the second period of extra time handed Australia a 16-12, golden-point victory over New Zealand in a thrilling Tri-Nations final.

7 July 2007 The stadium held the first concert as part of a global seven continent, 24-hour series of Live Earth concerts. The monumental music event brought together more than two billion people to raise awareness of climate change.

24 February 2008 The stadium hosted its second A-League grand final with Newcastle Jets defeating Central Coast Mariners 1-0. Jets striker Mark Bridge scored the winner in the 64th minute.

11 September 2010

23 June 2012

The Sydney Roosters defeated Wests Tigers 19-15 in the golden point extra time of a match regarded as one of the all-time greatest rugby league finals. Roosters captain Braith Anasta kicked an after-the-hooter field goal from 30 metres to tie the scores at 15-all and send the match into extra time. In the 100th minute, Roosters centre Shaun Kenny-Dowall takes an intercept pass and runs 60 metres for the match-winning try.

A stadium record Test rugby union crowd of 42,889 watch the Wallabies capture a nailbiting 20-19 win over defending Six Nations champions, Wales, to score a 3-0 series whitewash.

SUMMER 2013

Hussey Test First for Sri Lanka, Last for

SUMMER 2013

In the end, Australia cruised to victory in the historic first SCG Test against Sri Lanka but it will remain long in our memories as the farewell match of Mr Cricket, Mike Hussey. With a Test batting average over 51, the sixth highest of all time by an Australian, he retires with his place cemented amongst the elite. He loved the SCG as much as we loved having him here, recording an incredible 94 average from his eight matches on our hallowed turf. He may have been a late starter on the Test scene, making his debut after his 30th birthday, but he certainly made up for lost time. The January Test wasn’t one of his most memorable − he was uncharacteristically run out in the first innings for 25, and he failed to hit the winning runs in the second despite the best efforts by partner Mitchell Johnson to give him the opportunity. If there was a stand-out performance from the four days, it belonged to Matty Wade for his 102 not out in the first innings. It gave the Australians a precious 138-run advantage as Sri Lanka went to bat a second time and set the home team up for victory. He achieved the century, his first at the SCG, in dramatic fashion as the crowd feared for several nerve-racking minutes that he might run out of partners. When last man Jackson Bird came to the crease, Wade was on 75. Bird has recently enjoyed the compliment of having his bowling compared to that of Glenn McGrath, but also the derision that he might have similar batting skills. McGrath averaged seven with the bat.

Bird was yet to make a Test run. That judgment may be harsh on Bird so early in his Test career, but Wade started swinging at anything he could reach and the crowd cheered every time his partner put bat on ball. The partnership only lasted 20 minutes. Wade celebrated his century jubilantly, and Australia declared almost immediately. Bird finished on 6 not out, just one short of what he needed to equal McGrath’s average.

Matthew Wade

Bird made another notable contribution, finishing the best of the Australian bowlers with 7-117. For the Sri-Lankans, spinner Rangana Herath also picked up seven wickets, while skipper Mahela Jayawardene hit 72 and 60 to lead a revival of his team’s top order after the disastrous Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. In case you missed it, Australia won by five wickets on the afternoon of the fourth day but the match remained evenly poised until Wade’s century on day three. At more than one point, commentators were questioning Michael Clarke’s controversial decision to send Sri Lanka in after winning the toss. In the end, fears of having to chase a tricky total while batting last on a traditionally spin-friendly SCG wicket didn’t eventuate. When Sri Lanka returned for the One Day International in January, they were looking a lot more competitive and had the upper hand when rain forced the match to be abandoned.

Jackson Bird

Nuwan Kulasekara

The pace bowling of Nuwan Kulasekara troubled the Australian top and middle order for the second consecutive match, and he finished with 3-30 from 10 overs to help restrict the Australian total to 222. Unfortunately, the visitors had barely started their run chase when the weather intervened.

Another wicket for Kulasekara

Lasith Malinga

View From The Members a test photo album

SUMMER 2013

Members turned out in force for what is always the most popular event on the SCG sports calendar − the January Test. The new pavilion construction presented a challenge but with a temporary stand in place for Members wanting their favourite view from behind the bowler’s arm and additional seats in the Brewongle and Churchill stands acquired from Cricket Australia, Member seating capacity was unaffected. As usual, there was plenty of action off the field with special events in and around the Members’ precinct offering opportunities to socialise with like-minded cricket lovers and engage with past sporting greats. The death of cricket legend Tony Greig in late December created a sombre tone in the lead-up to the match, but the timing also allowed the SCG to present a fitting tribute to the man who had given us so many great memories from the ground and the Channel Nine commentary box. Here are a few photos from those events to rekindle some memories.

70 up: James Matthews

Vale Tony Greig: An SCG tribute to the cricket legend

Our latest 50 year members

70 YEAR MILESTONE James Matthews joined an elite group during the Sri Lanka Test when he became the latest of our colleagues to be inducted as a 70-year Member. The 84-year-old started his membership as a teenager, but his memories of attending the SCG go back even further. His first match he watched here was a Wallabies rugby Test against the Springboks in 1937. He was eight at the time. James became an instant SCG convert, and returned the following year to watch the Wallabies do battle with the All Blacks. Despite his love for rugby, it’s cricket that has provided his favourite moments from seven decades of SCG memories. “Watching Don Bradman was the

highlight. He was undoubtedly the greatest of the many great batsmen I’ve seen at the SCG,” James said. “My membership has provided me with a real privilege − to see so many talented sportspeople at such an exceptional ground.” James was back at the SCG for the January Test, where he attended the 50/70 Year Member morning tea on day three and his milestone was recognised by Trust Chairman Rodney Cavalier. The membership path started for James when his father, also a Member, put his name down on the SCG waitlist. If you know somebody who would get as much out of membership as James, there is an application form included in the mailing of this magazine.

Mr Gregory Allardice

Mr John Walsh

Mr Philip Alterator

Mr Stewart White

Mr Dallas Fay

Mr John Wotton

Mr Ian Hunter

Br David Curtin

Mr Dougal Mac Diarmid

Mr William Rowlands

Mr David Mc Donald

Mr Mark Chandler

Mr Peter Nicholas

Mr Barry Murphy

Mr Peter Talbot

Mr John O Neill

Mr Denis Woolmer

Mr Brian Paterson

Mr Bruce Glover

Mr John Strickland

Mr Raymond Bent

Mr Anthony Springett

Mr Allan Bloom

Mr Frederic Wheeler

Mr John Booth

Mr Ian Booth

Mr Geoffrey Brauer

Mr Kevin Lewis

Mr David Cush

Mr David Bear

Mr Stephen Davidson

Mr Anthony Britz

Mr Campbell Edmondson

Mr Leo Christie

Dr David Eizenberg

Mr Peter Finley

Mr John Fagan

Mr John Gannon

Mr Andrew Falk

Mr Peter Hearl

Mr Ian Felton

Mr Michael Hills

Mr Patrick Fitzgerald

Justic Peter Johnson

Mr Peter Herman

Mr Dean Mitchelmore

Mr John Irwin

Mr David Palmer

Mr John Kent

Mr Graham Purves

Mr John Love

Mr David Sim

Dr Geoffrey McCaughan

Mr John Toohey

Mr Allan Moore

Mr George Franki

Mr Christopher Penman

Mr William Barnes

Mr Robert Reed

Mr Arthur Dumbrell

Mr Paul Slater

Mr Peter Hartigan

Mr Warwick Waddell

Ms Julia Taylor

The Pink Test

SUMMER 2013

For the fifth consecutive year, the SCG Test donned a distinctive pink hue on day three to support the work of the McGrath Foundation. Member and public areas filled with colour as fan efforts to recognise Jane McGrath Day ranged from the simple bandana to more elaborate character costumes. It created a great spirit around the ground as people united for a common cause and once again were very generous with their support. More than $475,000 was raised from the day through the sell-out Jane McGrath High Tea, contributions poked into collection tins, the purchase of McGrath merchandise and the postmatch auctions of memorabilia like the players’ pink caps.

The final amount was up $50,000 on last year, and will be used to help fund placement of McGrath Breast Care Nurses around the country. The support these nurses provide is greatly valued by women with breast cancer and their families. Former Australian Test bowler Glenn McGrath and his late wife Jane created the charity after she was diagnosed with cancer in 2002. Jane lost her cancer battle in 2008 but her legacy is an organisation that has helped more than 10,000 families. Visit www.mcgrathfoundation.com.au for more information about the foundation’s work.

New Talent B No New Troph The Big Bash League tournament for 2012/2013 has wrapped up with the Sydney Sixers failing to replicate their success of last season. After winning the Champions League in South Africa last October, against the world’s best domestic T20 teams, the Sixers entered BBL|02 full of confidence and ready to defend their title but won only three of their eight games to finish seventh on the table. Injuries to key players such as Josh Hazlewood and Nic Maddinson early in the season, and the loss of pace bowler Mitchell Starc as he became a permanent fixture in the Test squad, led to a lack of strike power. However, the Sixers say the season has delivered some great discoveries and valuable lessons for next summer. Among the international recruits, Sri Lanka’s Jeevan Mendis and Sachithra Senanayake and West Indian Sunil Narine proved to be valuable additions to the squad, with Senanayake especially producing economical bowling figures for the two games he played. The return of Michael Lumb after Christmas was also a welcome gain with the Englishman continuing his strong form from the Champions League (where he was the competition’s top scorer) and for England in their recent tour of India. The opening batsman was instrumental in the Sixers’ best win of the summer, hitting 61 off 55 balls in the victory over the eventual champions, Brisbane Heat. The emergence of some local players was another bonus. NSW rookie Daniel Hughes came of age in the second half of the season with a composed half century against Sydney Thunder.

SUMMER 2013

Luke Feldman also proved an excellent addition to the squad. The Queensland pace man took 10 wickets to become the magenta men’s leading bowler for the season. The core of the Sixers squad, and the players contracted for more than one season, includes Brad Haddin, Brett Lee, Steve Smith, Moises Henriques, Steve O’Keefe and Nic Maddinson. These players contributed well to the campaign. Their performances also led to higher honours with Haddin, Smith and Henriques being called up to the Australian ODI team. BBL|02 was also the last for Dominic Thornely, who has retired after contributing much to cricket for NSW and the Sixers over the last 12 years. After playing 80 first-class matches and scoring over 5,000 runs, Thornely ended his career at the SCG on 9 January when the Sixers took on the Melbourne Renegades. The next six months will see some changes with General Manager Stuart Clark moving on to new opportunities. Clark, a former Australian Test bowler, has been with the Sixers from the outset of the revamped domestic T20 competition and leaves the outfit in a strong position despite the disappointing on-field performance this year. Under his leadership, they won the inaugural competition and are still the reigning world club T20 champions. In their difficult season, the team is reporting a doubling of membership and some strong corporate and spectator attendances. Clark remains in his role for the lead-up to BBL|03, and will spend the next few months planning how to return the team to the top of the table next summer.

But hies

SUMMER 2013

Sweeping change: Haddinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performances earnt him a call-up to the Australian ODI team

coldplay’s dazzling spectacle Expectations were high ahead of Coldplay’s sell-out concerts at Allianz Stadium last November, and the band went beyond meeting them. More than 90,000 fans came for the music over the two nights, but they left amazed by the spectacle created by fireworks, lasers, creative lighting and (as the Sydney Morning Herald put it) “confetti canons in overdrive”. This was stadium rock as it was meant to be. Illuminated wrist bands, provided at entry and activated during the set by the band, brought the fans into the show,

SUMMER 2013

as did five huge circular video screens and a runway stage extending into the crowd. Most of the music was from Coldplay’s latest Mylo Xyloto album, which has reached number one in 30 countries, but these British rock giants included plenty of their most popular older material to keep everybody happy. The performances won the SMH music critics’ ‘Metro M Award for Live Act of the Year’ and were voted by readers as winners of the ‘Peoples Choice Award for Best Live Act’, capturing 21 per cent of the vote.

What do you want from a stadium rock show? Erupting fireworks, dazzling lasers and confetti cannon in overdrive? Spectacular sights such as 50,000 raised fists illuminated by flashing multicoloured wristbands? Anthems that can fill such an expansive venue and a frontman who can seemingly connect with everyone in it? These Brit-rock world-beaters provided all this before the end of the second song of a show that just kept getting bigger and better. - George Palathingal, SMH SUMMER 2013

$50†* discount

for Trust Members Trust Members get up to $50†* off if you switch your comprehensive car insurance to Allianz before 30 April 2013. You can also benefit from Roadside assistance after the first year at no extra cost.^ Call 13 1000 or visit allianz.com.au and use promo code “STADIUM1”.

You’ll be ok with Allianz.

Insurance is issued by Allianz Australia Insurance Limited (Allianz) ABN 15 000 122 850. AFS License no. 234708. Policy terms, conditions and exclusions apply. Please consider the Allianz Product Disclosure Statement available by calling 13 1000. † Conditions for $50 discount: (1) Applicable only to new comprehensive motor policies (discount is not redeemable on policy renewals). (2) Discount is valid for new policies purchased before 30 April 2013. (3) Discount is not available to comprehensive motor insurance policies that are purchased under any other promotion, or have any negotiated discount or benefit applied. * Minimum premiums apply. Any discounts/ entitlements only apply to the extent any minimum premium is not reached. If you are eligible for more than one, we also apply each of them in a predetermined order to the premium (excluding taxes and government charges) as reduced by any prior discounts/entitlements. ^ Roadside Assistance is provided by AGA Assistance Australia Pty Ltd ABN 52 097 227 177 trading as Allianz Global Assistance. Roadside Assistance benefit is only available to Allianz Direct Comprehensive Motor Vehicle Insurance customers from the date of their first policy renewal and only where the renewed Motor Vehicle Insurance policy was purchased by the customer direct through the Allianz online at allianz.com.au (Eligible Policy) at policy inception. Service limits and Conditions of Use apply to Roadside Assistance service. MKT-039 01/13 2013 32Contact Centre orSUMMER

HALF BUILT NOBLE PART OF SCG HISTORY

Deco dominance: An expanded Noble was planned to replace the heritage pavilions

The distinctive red-brick clock tower was retained when the rest of the M.A. Noble Stand was demolished last year to pave way for the latest SCG upgrade, but when it was built it was seen as a replacement for our beloved Members Pavilion and Ladies Stand. The tower has been kept and integrated into the design of the new building as a reminder of the interesting aspects the Noble Stand added (and was planned to add) to SCG history. The stand was named after the Australian cricketer and SCG Trustee Monty Noble, and was ‘completed’ in 1936 in time for the Empire Games two years later. From an architectural perspective, it was designed in the fashionable Art Deco style of the period and was the first SCG stand to use the modern techniques of reinforced concrete and steel structures. Like many Art Deco buildings, it was originally planned to have a symmetrical horizontal design with the clock tower being one of two central vertical features from which huge curved grandstands would extend equally on each side. The Noble Stand that was built was only one half of the original plans. As such, the ‘central’ tower ended up placed at one end.

The other half of the stand that would have extended west from there, and replaced the Members Pavilion and Ladies Stand, was never built. It’s not clear if there was ever a specific moment when this original intention was abandoned (it was known as the ‘New Members Pavilion’ for more than a decade) or if it was just a series of circumstances that killed off the proposal. The first of these circumstances was money. Construction of the Noble Stand was to be the initial step in expanding the ground to accommodate 100,000 spectators. It was recognised that the elegant oldest stands were much loved by the Members but would not be able to deliver the target capacity. This development was always going to be completed in stages as Trust finances permitted, something Monty Noble himself noted pessimistically might not be achieved until the 21st century. Expansion plans were shelved again with the outbreak of World War II. Afterwards the Noble Stand gained some more significance with the press box moved from the Members Pavilion to new purpose-built print and broadcast facilities developed in

the Noble in 1946. They remained in use until last year’s demolition. By the early 1950s, with the formation of a new body (the current Trust) to oversee the SCG and the Sydney Sports Ground, the NSW Government focused more on expanding the latter. It ambitiously planned for a new football stadium with a 120,000 to 130,000 spectator capacity in an attempt to secure the Olympic Games. The proposal came to nothing, and it would be another 20 years before the SCG saw its next stand development. That began with the building of the Bradman Stand in 1973 and continued around the ground over the next 15 years with the Messenger, O’Reilly, new Brewongle, Churchill and Doug Walters stands but the vision to transform the SCG in a mega sports stadium never resurfaced and the future of our heritage pavilions was ensured. As for the Noble Stand, its media and corporate facilities were modernised in 1994. The external terrace that was added at the same time partially covered the distinctive horizontal design as if symbolically ending any plans to build the ‘second half’. SUMMER 2013

PRIDE of the

empire For eight days in February 1938, the SCG was the main venue for the Empire Games (Commonwealth Games). As the 75th anniversary of those games approaches, Philip Derriman recalls a few of the ups and downs of that memor able week.

The SCG was judged to be ideal in every way but one, when it was chosen as the main athletics venue for the 1938 Empire Games. Its one shortcoming was that it did not have a cinders track, so the athletes would have to run on grass. Even then, grass tracks were regarded by athletics people as primitive. Good for school carnivals maybe, but certainly not for a top-class international competition. At the Olympics, athletes had been running on cinders tracks since 1896. There was talk of having a cinders track installed at the SCG especially for the Games, but the idea came to nothing. In the end, the athletes had to make do with a running surface of “fine couch”, as the SCG’s grass was described. A grass track was for various reasons slower, which helps explain why only one world-record time was set on the track at those games − by a South African in the men’s 120 yards hurdles − and even this was disallowed because of wind assistance. Otherwise, the SCG did everything expected of it as a venue. Sydney had wanted to stage the 1938 Empire Games as a way of celebrating the 150th anniversary of the First Fleet’s arrival in 1788.

SUMMER 2013

Golden girl: Decima Norman sprints to one of her five gold medals on the controversial grass track

Once Sydney got the nod from the Empire Games Federation the SCG was virtually an automatic choice as the games’ main stadium, for it was certainly Sydney’s premier sports ground. Most track and field events were contested on the SCG. The track for the sprints ran across the field from the present site of the O’Reilly Stand towards the Members Pavilion. The opening ceremony was held there too. Of course, sports like swimming and cycling that needed special facilities had to be contested elsewhere. The swimming was at the recently constructed North Sydney pool, the cycling at Henson Park, the boxing at Rushcutters Bay Stadium and the rowing on the Nepean River at Penrith. The Showground next door to the SCG housed the athletes’ village. The route of the marathon wound through numerous southern suburbs, but the race did start and end at the SCG, via Anzac Parade. The winner was a South African named Johannes ‘Johnny’ Coleman, a well-muscled railway guard from Natal. Coleman had finished sixth in the Olympic marathon at Berlin 18 months earlier, so he was expected to do well here, but nobody expected him to win

as easily as he did. He broke the Empire Games marathon record by more than nine minutes and finished the race 1.5 km ahead of the runner-up. As he sprinted around the SCG in the final lap he was cheered wildly. At that point, he would have been voted the games’ number one hero. Four days later, the crowd hooted and booed him after he was seen to jostle and impede other runners in the six-mile race. While it seems Coleman did all this not for his own benefit, but to help a fellow South African to win, the end result was that he was disqualified and the other South African ran a poor third. Ten years later, aged 38, Coleman was still able to run fourth in the marathon at the 1948 London Olympics. He lived until 1997. The star of the games proved to be a short (157 cm) and slightly-built athlete from Western Australia named Decima Norman. She won five gold medals in the sprints, relays and long jump. On winning her third gold medal in the 220 yards, she received such an enthusiastic ovation that, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, it “made one think of those accorded Bradman for his mammoth scoring achievements on this same ground”.

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Waratahsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Blue Collar

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There is a refreshing old school approach to rugby by new NSW Waratahs Head Coach Michael Cheika. Sports science, video analysis and other new age coaching and player education devices and programs are still key parts of the training and match day armoury, but there is now a strong blue collar ethic which Cheika is instilling into the squad. As a gnarly 300-game cauliflowered-eared veteran with Randwick over a decorated 14-year career which included seven premierships, Cheika was a tough, uncompromising number eight in an era when the Galloping Greens were noted for their attacking flair and enterprise. While the Ella brothers, David Campese and Lloyd Walker and others dazzled oppositions with their deft hands and peerless attacking vision, Cheika was busy at the coalface stoking the fires in the forwards furnace. The lessons learned at Coogee Oval, and later when playing the off-season in France with Castres and CASG Paris, have shaped Cheika’s coaching career. “There was a degree of ruthlessness at Randwick. When I first came into first grade, I was the youngest player in the team and so everything was my fault. I couldn’t wait until Warwick Waugh joined the team so he would be the youngest and then everything was his fault. But once you crossed that white line, you just had to get on with business,” said Cheika. “Playing in France also really toughened me up. It’s like playing in the wild, wild west over there.” As he stands on Allianz Stadium with the Nick

Shehadie Stand towering overhead on the eastern touchline, there are similarities between Cheika and Shehadie, the immediate past Chairman of the SCG Trust. Both Randwick premiership winners are the sons of Lebanese immigrants, who grew up in Sydney’s east with a love of sport and hard work embedded into their DNA. When it comes to preparation, there is no hiding from Cheika. He is not a clipboard holding coach directing his assistants like a military general from the safety of the sidelines. Instead, he is front and centre leading by example. As the squad completed punishing pre-season stair runs in the summer heat at Coogee and Queenscliff, 45-year-old Cheika was going through the torture himself, shoulder to shoulder with his younger players. “Past successful NSW teams had a little bit of edge about them. I want to instil that into the squad. You’ve got to have that edge behind the flair. It’s insurance as some weeks the flair will not always work,” explained Cheika. During pre-season training, Cheika deliberately worked his players to the limit. “We’ve done a lot of high intensity training where I’m putting pressure on their heads as well as their bodies. I don’t want to see the players default to the easy option when the pressure is applied in a game,” he said. Nobody will be under more pressure than Cheika himself. As Australian rugby’s flagship Super Rugby team, there have been great expectations about the Waratahs since the competition commenced in 1996. Beaten finalists in 2005 and 2008 have been as close as the Waratahs have come to winning the Super Rugby title. And failure has not been well accepted by Waratahs fans or its administration. In its quest for championship winning success, Cheika is the Waratahs’ fourth Head Coach in five years and he arrives at Allianz Stadium having

previously coached in Italy, Ireland, France and Randwick. “I was never looking to become a rugby coach. It was David Campese who suggested I look at it in 1999 when a position at Petrarca in Italy came up. I had never coached before at any level and I had no clue what I was going to do. But it was offshore and I could speak Italian so I went ahead,” he said. Cheika’s coaching career soared in 2005 when appointed at Leinster in Ireland. In his first season, he guided the team to the Heineken Cup semi-finals only to be beaten by eventual champion, Munster. Then in 2008-09, Leinster rose to capture the cup with a stirring 19-16 win over the formidable Leicester Tigers. Described by NSW Chairman, Rodger Davis, as a ‘change agent’, Cheika can see great similarities between the Waratahs and Leinster coaching roles. “The circumstances are similar. Both are capital city based teams that have underperformed. The brief is to change the culture, get the team to identify with the people, play with a good style of rugby and hopefully bring back some silverware,” Cheika explained. Although Waratahs players are fully professional, Cheika still views rugby as a game. “Playing rugby is not a job. You play it because you love it. It’s a competition, just like playing tag in the school yard.” And what can Waratahs fans expect in 2013? “I want the supporters to be proud of the team and for the team to be proud of itself. The results will come with hard work,” he said. “There is a proud history for everyone to aspire to and the team will be set up to play with a more attacking style so individuals can show their talents.” Story by Greg Campbell

SUMMER 2013

Casino

SUMMER 2013

Royale Christmas Party Glamour The casual sophistication of Azure café was taken to a new level last December when the venue hosted the Stadium Fitness Centre’s annual Christmas party. With a theme of ‘Casino Royale’, the location was shaken, not stirred, with the glamour provided by more than 200 Members in black and white finery. Almost matching them for dress impact were some Vegas-style showgirls

mingling with the crowd trying their luck at the gaming tables or dancing to the rhythms of Jellybean Jam. Kids were catered for with their own special entertainment, leaving parents to enjoy the wonderful cocktails and gourmet canapés. Fitness centre and Azure staff would like to thank all the Members who attended and made the night one to remember.

Allure of Azure Azure café is making special arrangements for pre-game dining ahead of all home games at Allianz Stadium this season.

Before each game you can relax with a drink at the poolside bar and choose from the menu of gourmet salads, steak and fish dishes.

So whether you are following the Waratahs, Roosters, Sydney FC or Wests Tigers, Azure makes a great meeting point for Gold and Platinum Members.

For major events, such as the Lions’ visit in June, they will be opening the upstairs Terrace Bar and firing up the grill for their famous Wagyu burger. Watch out in the weekly Member e-newsletter for further details. SUMMER 2013

SUMMER 2013

Around the Wicket

Baggie blacks: Trust Chairman Rodney Cavalier presented the SCG XI with official tour caps

SCG XI Prepares for Ashes Tour with Sixers Victory The SCG XI has reached new heights this year − on and off the field. In July, as most of us are preparing for some late-night Ashes viewing in front of the TV, the Members’ social team will be embarking on their first UK tour which will include a day at the Lord’s Test and a game at the home of cricket against an MCC XI. The game at Lord’s will be one of six tour matches for the SCG XI, and their 16-member playing squad was presented with their ‘baggy blacks’ by Trust Chairman Rodney Cavalier at the Members’ Breakfast during the January Test. Supporting them in England will be a touring party of other SCG XI members and cricket enthusiasts. You can stay in touch with their progress by

Momentous victory: The SCG XI cleans up the Sixers

following them on Facebook at www. facebook.com/SCGXI. The SCG XI’s summer has had some memorable moments, including opportunities to play on our own ‘hallowed turf’, but the performance highlight would have to be the victory over the Sydney Sixers in a T20 at Drummoyne Oval in January. The SCG XI caters for players of all standards, and teams are assembled from its membership to be competitive with their opposition, but playing against the current T20 world champions presented a new challenge. They managed to produce a squad of strong grade-level players but headed into the match as clear underdogs. The new lights at the ground were switched on for the first time, and a crowd of 3,000 gathered for this family-friendly event. It may not have been the strongest Sixers squad ever assembled but it was still a team sheet filled with international and state representatives, including captain Steve Smith, Brad Haddin, Michael Lumb, Nic Maddinson, Dan Smith,

Steven O’Keefe and Kurtis Patterson. Collectively, they amassed 8-161 after winning the toss and batting first. The SCG XI opened with prolific run scorer for University of NSW David Dawson and former Victorian and South Australian wicket-keeper Adam Crosthwaite. Crosthwaite delighted the crowd with four sixes and five fours in his 81 not out off 51 balls. He and Dawson put on 106 for the first wicket. After Dawson departed with 35, Crosthwaite joined with fellow Manly players, Tim Cruickshank (16 off 16 balls) and Cameron Merchant (23 not out off 23 balls). At the end of 19 overs, the SCG XI were 2 for 157 needing five runs to win off the final over to be bowled by Australian leg spinner Steven Smith. Merchant hit the winning single off the penultimate ball of the match to record a remarkable victory. Trust Members can join the SCG XI for an annual fee of $75. Email Paula Booth on pbooth@scgt.nsw.gov.au for further information.

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First, they won their eighth consecutive Women’s National Cricket League title by defeating the Queensland Fire by 15 runs in the January final at the SCG. The win extended their incredible record run in the history of the 50over competition, but they made their season especially memorable a week later when they finally won their first T20 trophy. The T20 championship has proved elusive for the Breakers (they had lost the previous three finals), but they can now add that silverware to their impressive trophy cabinet after beating the Western Fury by five wickets at the WACA. Solid batting displays from Leah Poulton (41 off 31 balls) and captain

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Alex Blackwell (unbeaten 41 off 38) allowed the Breakers to successfully chase down the Fury's total of 5-126 with four balls to spare, cementing the NSW squad’s position as the country's most successful elite women's sports team.

The NSW Breakers took their stunning achievements to a new level this summer, becoming the first team to win both major national women’s cricket championships in the same year.

Record Breaking Breakers Finally Do Double

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In the WNCL final at the SCG, Queensland got off to a strong start after being sent in to bat. Their captain, Jodie Fields, made 102 not out from 122 balls, including 11 boundaries, in what was only the second century in 17 seasons of WNCL finals. Her performance laid the foundation for setting the Breakers a target of 233 from their 50 overs. Rachael Haynes and Blackwell put NSW firmly on the front foot with 47 runs for the second wicket. Then, just as Queensland struck back with a couple of quick wickets, the storm clouds loomed and Duckworth-Lewis threatened to be a factor. Thanks largely to a 45-run partnership between Blackwell and Alyssa Healy, the Breakers were 4-135 (15 runs ahead of the par score) when rain forced the teams from the field.

Double crown: Blackwell leads the Breakers to dual championships Photo by Steve Christo / Sportshoot

South Africa’s Early SCG Display Members were among the first to see the touring South African cricketers in action this summer when they played a three day match against Australia A at the SCG in early November. As well as seeing the tourists in action, the match provided an opportunity to assess the form of a few local players pushing for first XI selection. NSW players Steve Smith and Moises Henriques were among those called up to the Australia A squad, and they were to be part of the national ODI team before the end of the summer.

Their former state teammate, opening bastman Phillip Hughes, joined them for the game against South Africa and it proved to be a stepping stone for his move back into the Test team. The game essentially provided the tourists with some match practice ahead of the Test series, but that shouldn’t take anything away from the quality Australia A showed to put together a first innings of 7 (dec)-480 against the formidable South African pace attack. Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla replied with half centuries, both retiring to give teammates a chance to bat. South Africa declared their innings at 6-277 to get in some more bowling practice, before the match played out to a draw on the third day.

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Series preview: South Africa prepared for action against Australia A at the SCG.

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Blues Press for Shield Glory

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NSW Blues were still in Sheffield Shield contention as ATG was going to press, with next month’s SCG home game against the South Australian Redbacks looming as potentially crucial for final table positions.

NSW has won the coveted state title a record 45 times but it’s been five seasons since the trophy has hung in the SCG home dressing room. The team had a change of coach midseason with former Sri Lankan Test allrounder Chandika Hathurusinghe taking over from Anthony Stuart. Hathurusinghe had been Stuart’s assistant, and took to the head role with an early sense of optimism. His team were fourth on the table at the time, but with a game in hand and little separating them from the leaders on points. Hathurusinghe believed the Blues had the players to win the four-day competition this season. "We have a very good chance and I'm sure that if we play to our potential we can be in the final at the end of the season and then we'll take it from there," he said. Meanwhile the Blues have found this summer tougher going in limited-overs cricket. Their One Day Cup campaign started promisingly with a 27-run victory over the Warriors, but losses in the next four games destroyed their chances of making the final.

Sheffield steel: Brad Haddin celebrates another SCG century Photo by Peter Bannigan

Country Cup Dream

last 18 overs to combine for a 136-run partnership.

Two country cricket clubs lived a dream in early February when they got their chance to play on our hallowed turf in the final of the SCG Country Cup.

Rain delayed the start to Albury-Wodonga’s run chase and their target was reduced to 175 off 43 overs, but they were in trouble early at 3-8 with former Australia A paceman Mark Cameron creating havoc with two early wickets. Captain James Tonkin offered some resistance with a fighting 32 before Cameron struck again.

More than 60 teams from around NSW and the ACT entered for the eighth season of the prestigious knock-out competition but it was Albury-Wodonga and Newcastle-based team Merewether who made it through the rounds, with the latter lifting the trophy. Merewether are Country Cup veterans who have played in five finals and won three, while Albury-Wodonga had never previously made it past the quarter-finals. In the end experience proved too strong for the debutants, with Merewether making 3-203 from their 50 overs to defeat Albury-Wodonga by 89 runs. Merewether batted first and were held in check early by some tight bowling, but opener Josh Geary and experienced captain Simon Moore took charge in the 44

SUMMER 2013

SCC Placed for Strong Finish The Sydney Cricket Club was well placed after the first half of this season’s Sydney grade competition, and looking to have a strong presence in the finals.

Albury-Wodonga was eventually dismissed for 86 and Cameron was named man of the match capturing 3-24 off seven overs.

As ATG was going to press in early February, some impressive victories throughout the five grades and PoidevinGray Shield under-21 competition had left the SCC in third spot on the overall Club Championship ladder.

While the match was played in a competitive spirit, it is likely that the memories of the experience will outlast those of the result. This was perhaps best summed up by Tonkin after his team won the semi-final that took them to the SCG.

According to Tigers’ Head Coach Richard Burton, the players have applied themselves from the outset − stepping up to the mark with spirited performances in the first half of the summer.

“The chance to play at one of Australia’s most historic grounds awaits,” he said. “For most of us it will be one of the highlights of our careers and it’s massive for everyone involved with representative cricket, not just the players.”

“They’ve produced some tough cricket on the field and are reaping the rewards for the hard work put in over the past few months,” said Burton, a former top grade stalwart, who has instilled a strong work ethic at the club.

Under the astute leadership of experienced batsman Tim Sparke the Tigers’ first grade XI were placed fourth coming into the second half of the season and playing some fine cricket, typified by their hard-fought win over Parramatta. All-rounder Nathan Robertson-Ball carved out a career-best 96 off 110 balls in the Tigers’ 42-run triumph. Batting with keeper Sam Mullens, the pair shared a crucial stand of 100 for the seventh wicket, allowing Sydney to recover from a disastrous 6-34 to post 9-188. Robertson-Ball clouted 12 fours and a six, before picking up the ball and snaring 3-28 in a fiery eight-over spell. With support from paceman Angus Moncrieff (3-32) and leg spinner Charlie Sayers (2-33), they dismissed Parramatta for 146 in the 41st over. Six Tigers players − Manjot Singh, Tristan McDonald, Jono Smith, Anthony Mosca, Ryan Felsh and Matt White − also featured in the SCG XI side that defeated T20 world champions the Sydney Sixers at Drummoyne Oval in January.

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NEW TRUSTEe : MAURICE NEWMAN AC Maurice Newman AC, the Chairman of the Bradman Foundation, has been appointed to the Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust. Trustees oversee the management of the SCG and Allianz Stadium, and Mr Newman took up his appointment on 1 January. He brings to the role a long and distinguished career in business and public life, which has included positions as Chairman of the ABC and the Australian Stock Exchange.

He described Mr Newman as a passionate sports fan and supporter of the SCG and that he added to the extraordinary range of interests and qualifications of the present trustees. He believed the new trustee’s experience with the ABC and the Bradman Foundation gave him an understanding that the cause he is serving goes beyond columns of numbers and measurable outcomes, as important as those considerations are.

Trust Chairman Rodney Cavalier welcomed the announcement, saying he was delighted by Mr Newman’s appointment.

EXCLUSIVE SCG TRUST OFFER Subscribe today for $179 and save up to 53% and receive a FREE BRW satchel valued at $169. BRW is Australia's leading weekly business magazine, offering you a succinct guide to business that cuts through the noise and delivers what's important. Make a small investment in your future and receive your weekly dose of inspiration, strategy development and up-to-date business news. Your subscription includes complete access to BRWTV, featuring regular interviews with CEOs and business owners sharing their strategies for success.

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SUMMER 2013

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One of the thorniest questions faced by sports historian Philip Derriman when writing 100 Tests was naming the fastest Test bowler ever seen at the SCG.

Comparing players from different generations is fraught with danger, but when preparing the new book, which documents the greatest moments in SCG Test history, Derriman concluded it was most likely to have been Jeff Thomson in the 1976 Test against the West Indies. “Nobody can say for sure whether Thomson was faster than express bowlers of the past like Frank Tyson and Harold Larwood, but the fact that he was markedly faster than others of his own generation – a generation noted for its fast bowlers – is persuasive evidence,” he says. In 1978, 12 of the world’s fastest bowlers including Thomson, his attack partner Dennis Lillee, and the Caribbean express duo of Andy Roberts and Michael Holding, had their speed measured electronically. Thompson bowled the fastest delivery in the trial at 147.9km per hour and even his average pace was quicker than the fastest ball bowled by the runner-up, Holding. Quicker speeds have been recorded since, but remember this trial was conducted after Thomson had suffered the serious shoulder injury that threatened his career and slowed his pace. At the SCG two years earlier, Thomson was at his peak. The series, which would decide which of these teams was the world’s best, was level with one win apiece. Lillee was rested due to a chest infection, making Thompson the focus of the Australian bowling attack but the West Indies batsmen were pretty focused on him anyway. They regarded Thomson as the faster of the duo. Viv Richards described him as “more devastating” while Clive Lloyd said “no one is as quick as Thommo”. In the first innings ‘Thommo’ was fast but erratic, picking up 3-117 but dispatched for an average 3.5 runs per over (only Ian Chappell returned a worse economy). That brought little comfort to the opposition batsmen in that pre-helmet era – he broke the thumb of opener Bernard Julien and delivered a bouncer that sent Lloyd from the field for cheek X-rays. In the second innings Thompson’s bowling was more controlled but just as fast, and he took 6-50 to lead Australia to victory with a day to spare. Wicket-keeper Deryck Murray was the only batsman to offer any resistance, making 50 before a Thompson delivery ripped his off stump out of the ground. The performance proved to be a turning point in the series, with Australia going on to win the three remaining Tests. At the end of his career, wicket-keeper Rod Marsh was asked which bowler had hit his gloves the hardest. “I haven’t seen anyone quicker than Jeff Thompson or anyone as dangerous − and most of the time he bowled into the breeze,” he concluded.

Fearsome sight: Thompson and that unique slinging action at the 1976 SCG Test

100 Tests can be purchased from the Venue Services Office in the Allianz Stadium forecourt for $49.95. SUMMER 2013

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Bronzed: the Story of our Sculptures The life-sized sculptures around the SCG and Allianz Stadium are the focus of a new book dealing with the selection of the subjects, the sculptors and the process of creation. Bronzed is written by Trust Chairman Rodney Cavalier, and contains more than 250 photographs to illustrate his narrative documenting the story of the sculptures. The project was the idea of philanthropist Basil Sellers who funded 10 of the sculptures. The subjects played cricket, rugby union, rugby league and AFL at our grounds. The sculpture of the famous heckler Stephen Gascoigne, better known as ‘Yabba’, was funded by the Trust. All the works are the result of a collaboration of artists, benefactors and Trust staff with a shared passion for art and sports history. Bronzed shows the sculptures in various stages of development and reveals the creative process of the artists. The book explains (with the behindthe-scenes knowledge of Mr Cavalier) how the subjects were selected and works commissioned. “The result is an art book, a sports book and a book about the scholarship and politics that brought the project together,” he said. He describes the tension leading up to the unveiling of the first sculpture (Richie Benaud) − “Richie declined to see it beforehand, so we didn’t know what he would think of it, but we knew he would be honest” − to the ultimate joy of having it well received by subject and Members alike and how that paved the way for the rest of the project. Coming through the pages is Mr Cavalier’s passionate belief in the important heritage role played by the art works. “The sculptures represent some very great people who have played on our grounds, and show an acknowledgement of our past and everyone involved in the success of these people,” he told ATG. “Just like the plaques and artifacts around our grounds, the sculptures are a living history and represent a collective memory.” The book was edited and produced by Geoff Armstrong, a notable sports historian. Bronzed will be available in good book stores from March for $89.95. With the initial print run limited to just 1000 copies, you can guarantee yours by pre-ordering from the SCG Trust and have it mailed to your home for no additional cost. Order forms can be downloaded at www.sydneycricketground.com.au/history/books or phone the Membership team on 1800 80 11 55.

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SUMMER 2013

Bradman Era

Relived in Art Winner

The winner: ‘Great Depression − Leg Theory’

‘Next Man In’ (Geoff Tristram)

SUMMER 2013

‘The Next Generation’ (Margaret Ingles)

Art lovers: The Sixers line up with their ‘Players’ Choice’

A mixed media work evoking the impact Bradman had on the national mood during the 1930s depression won the annual Cricket Art Prize announced at the SCG in October.

A new element added to the competition this year was the introduction of a Players’ Choice award judged by the Sydney Sixers team.

Winning artist James Powditch picked up $20,000 for the achievement, and his entry ‘Great Depression - Leg Theory’ was exhibited in the Members Pavilion with the 40 other finalists before touring to Melbourne and Bowral.

Captain Brad Haddin and his teammates chose ‘The Next Generation’ by Margaret Ingles as the inaugural winner.

About 200 Australian and international artists submitted entries which must depict life in and around the game and sport of cricket. Powditch said he got the idea for his piece while watching the Olympics and thinking about how the Australian mood is affected by our sporting performance.

“There was great discussion and debate among the players, but we finally agreed that ‘The Next Generation’ was a piece that we as players identified with,” said Haddin. “We’ve all been in this position, waiting for Dad to bowl, it touched the hearts of all of us,” he said.

"Bradman was a beacon of hope during the Great Depression. No matter how bad it got at least we had Bradman"

“Bradman was a beacon of hope during the Great Depression. No matter how bad it got at least we had Bradman. Bodyline shattered all that and with it the national confidence. But he and Australia came back to cricket glory and from the Great Depression,” he said. ‘Great Depression – Leg Theory’ uses mixed media on board to portray the late extra evening news headline ‘Bradman 0’ with a depiction of an old wireless and 1930s broadcasting paraphernalia. The runner-up Highly Commended award went to English artist Geoff Tristram’s ‘Next Man In’.

“Cricket is such a universal game played in so many different places – backyards, field, beaches, alleyways, corridors and streets – and it was terrific to see so many fantastic and varied artworks on display.”

The Bowral exhibition is showing at the International Cricket Hall of Fame until 6 March. The entries can also be viewed online at www.cricketartprize.org, where you can purchase exhibition merchandise such as prints, posters and calendars. Entry for the 2013 competition opens soon until 31 August. Visit the above website for entry forms and further details.

‘Cricket’s Hot Summer‘ (Leo Robba)

SUMMER 2013

THE AWKWARD

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Think! About your choices. Call Gambling Help on 1800 858 858 SUMMER 2013 52 or visit www.gamblinghelp.nsw.gov.au. Gamble Responsibly.

HOWâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S YOUR FORM?

m War r Up foer Wint y Foot Whatever code you follow, get set for the winter of sport ahead with the new range of jackets available from the Stadium Store.

Among the great options are the windproof, breathable and showerproof black Quantum Jackets for $95. These stylish items come with velcro cuffs to seal out the weather and two zip pockets. Smaller sizes are available tailored for women. Stay warm during the night games with the Shepherds Microfleece Jackets, available in ladies sizes in cream or for men in navy for just $65. They feature a 450gsm micro fleece with contrast fleece lining, zip through high collar and pockets. The navy Hooded Rain Jackets for $30 are ideal for those days when showers may or may not arrive. These convenient tops fold away into a pocket bag. They’re waterproof with sealed seams, have a concealed hood inside the collar, and cover you up with a high neck with zipper. They come in a wide range of sizes for adults or kids. All these products are monogrammed with the distinctive SCG logo. Check out the full range of available sizes and many other new products in the latest Stadium Store catalogue sent to you with this magazine. Purchase online at

Shepherds microfleece jackets

www.stadiumstore.com.au, Hooded rain jackets

by phone on (02) 9357 3388 or in person at the store in the Allianz Stadium forecourt.

Quantum jackets

Bradman opens world series cricket The Bradman Museum at Bowral has opened its new permanent World Series Cricket exhibition that was previewed in the last edition of ATG. The colourful exhibition explores every aspect of the WSC revolution that rocked cricket’s foundations in the late 1970s. Visitors will learn why media magnate Kerry Packer waged war on the game’s establishment and divided cricket communities everywhere. They can watch exclusive interviews with key revolutionaries Dennis Lillee, Tony Greig, Ian Chappell and Clive Lloyd, and rekindle the memories of that era with displays of the radical player clothing, match equipment and WSC merchandise.

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The Bradman Foundation that runs the museum also kept the WSC theme going for its annual Gala Dinner held at the SCG in October. More than 600 guests gathered to see cricket legends Glenn McGrath and Rahul Dravid feted as the latest Bradman Honourees by Foundation Patron Richie Benaud. The night’s program also featured some of the high-profile players who signed with Kerry Packer − Dennis Lillee, Rick McCosker and Jeff Thomson. They joined Richie on stage and entertained guests with their enthralling WSC recollections. Details of this year’s Bradman Gala Dinner will appear in the next edition of ATG, out late August. SUMMER 2013

Create an Event with a Difference The unique dining and bar areas planned for the SCG’s new northern pavilion won’t just be there for Members to enjoy during games − you will be able to book them on non-match days for your functions as well.

Further details will be available in the next edition of ATG (out late September). Members looking for a venue for a corporate event or private party in 2014 will be able to choose from: •

he concourse bar with views on to the field T on one side and opening out to a terraced landscaped area behind the stand on the other

•

700-seat dining room and lounge area with A views to the field as well as to the CBD

•

120-seat private suite adjacent to the historic A Noble Clock Tower and spectacular entry atrium, again with field views

•

he large open Skyline Terrace at the top of the T stand with views over the Members’ lawn, the CBD and beyond

•

sports bar and micro brewery, with views over A the field, located off the mid-level seating deck

The new facilities will add to the extensive collection of rooms already available for private and corporate events at the SCG or Allianz Stadium. Hospitality specialists Delaware North has a Stadium Events team based at the SCG, specifically dedicated to organising these functions. They can certainly create something different for your guests − perhaps starting with drinks overlooking the field or making use of the scoreboards for messages, photos or corporate presentations. As a Member, you receive a 25% discount on venue hire and, as a special offer if you book a function before March 2013, Stadium Events is offering complimentary room hire for all Members’ events spending more than $3,000 on food and beverages. To arrange a venue inspection or discuss a proposal, please contact the Stadium Events team on (02) 9085 7716 or stadiumevents@dncinc.com

Photos: NSW Institute of Sport Awards Din

SUMMER 2013

New Menus & Staff for 2013 The kitchen team from caterers Delaware North have been developing new menus for corporate and Membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; dining areas at the SCG and Allianz Stadium in 2013. They will be supported by the appointment of a Regional Executive Chef who will work closely with the highly skilled SCG and Allianz Stadium teams throughout the year to ensure continued improvement in the quality of dining options for Members and function guests. Members also have the services of a new Dining Coordinator. Ashlee Harvey, who you may already know from the Venue Services Office team, recently joined Delaware North to take up responsibility for your bookings in the Members' dining rooms and function rooms on game days. To place your bookings, contact Ashlee on (02) 9085 7708 or scg-memberbooking@dncinc.com

For hire: The new sports bar with field views

nner SUMMER 2013

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