One of the criticisms levelled at modern rugby league is that there aren’t enough characters in the game. Whether that’s true or not is debatable, but there were certainly some memorable characters in the past – both on and off the field.
Here are some of my personal favourites, in no particular order.
Laurie Nichols
Laurie was the Balmain Tigers’ number one supporter for years. He used to shadow-box cheering his beloved team on every week from the sidelines, wearing nothing warmer than a singlet (no matter how cold it might have been in the middle of winter).
He died just before the Wests Tigers played their first match, in 2000, as the joint venture between Balmain and Wests. Maybe it was from a broken heart.
Alfie Langer
Not many could get away with doing a cover version of the famous Monkees’ song, but Langer did (along with Kevin and Kerrod Walters).
The song briefly topped the charts in Brisbane in the early 1990s.
Tommy Raudonikis
An early mentor of Langer, the stories of Tommy’s on and off-field antics are legendary.
From throwing Steve Mortimer’s suitcase out of a hotel window when they were New South Wales teammates (and rivals for the No.7 jersey) in the late 1970s, through to the infamous ‘cattle dog’ call he invented for the Blues as State of Origin coach in the 1990s, you could never accuse Tommy of being dull.
Geoff Robinson
Robinson was a Canterbury prop of the late 1970s and early 1980s. He was a fan favourite as much for the way he looked (long hair and bushy beard) as he was for the uncompromising way he played the game.
Peter Sterling probably remembers him well from the hit he copped when Parramatta tried a fancy tap-move in a clash during that era.
Sam Backo
Another fan favourite, he was often as entertaining in his gravel-voiced interviews as he was when he was making his big charges on the field for Canberra in the 1980s.
He certainly looked like the sort of bloke who would much prefer a post-match beer than a sports drink, so he played in the right era.
There have been plenty of other characters over the years. Who were your favourites?
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