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Brisbane, October 18, 2003. Matthew Burke on the weave before scoring a try in the first half of the Australia v Romania Rugby World Cup Pool A match at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane. AAP Image/Dave Hunt
If you’re sitting back watching the Wallabies during the Tri-Nations and remembering the good old days, then you’re probably not alone.
Luckily this year during September and October you’ll have plenty of chances to hop in your DMC-12, hop it back to the late 90’s and watch your old heroes come out to play in a host of charity events around NSW.
There are three games in particular worth looking out for – the Silver Foxes playing for the Black Dog Institute in Griffith on Sept 26th, and then on Oct 10th, both Mauling For Muscles in Newcastle and the Kiss The Frog Foundation game in Scone.
First up though, and for sheer star power it’s hard to go past the Silver Foxes, who go on the road for their fourth outing against regional NSW teams, this time travelling all the way to the Riverina to take on the Griffith Blacks.
Once again the Foxes are fielding eight players from the 1999 Rugby World Cup triumph, and six from the Wallabies Team Of The Decade in the 1990’s including Richard Harry, Andrew Blades, Phil Kearns, David Wilson, Owen Finegan, Jason Little, Joe Roff and Matt Burke.
The Foxes have also managed to pull in a few other Wallaby legends to help the cause, such as Randwick great Warwick Waugh, Brumbies stalwarts John Langford and Marco Caputo, dual international Scott Gourley, and dual code speedster James Grant. Several other notable club and rep players are making up the 25 strong touring party (guys like Hugh Williams from Eastern Suburbs, Marc Avery from Sydney University and Nick Wilson from the Narromine Gorillas) which will raise funds for the Black Dog Foundation, a research centre for mood disorders and depression.
Black Dog are running stacks of community events around the Riverina during the preceding week and it should be a big weekend all round with golf on Friday, a junior coaching clinic on Saturday and finally the Silver Foxes vs the Griffith Blacks at 2.35pm at EW Moore Oval, Griffith on Sept 26.
A couple of weeks later on October 10th, Mauling For Muscles takes place in Newcastle to raise funds for the Institute for Neuromuscular Research (INMR) and also Muscular Dystrophy NSW, and this one features the Australian Rugby Legends playing a Newcastle Barbarians side.
The Legends are well known across Australia and Asia for their touring exploits, in particular their displays at the Hong Kong Tens, and will feature a few returning greats of the game in Scott Gourley and James Grant (who will be backing up from their Silver Foxes outing in Griffith!) alongside fellow Wallabies David Carter and Steve Merrick and former Kangaroo forward Mark “Spud” Carroll. Also lining up will be former Warringah hard man John Hearn, former Warringah and Manly Sea Eagles forward Matt Guberina and Brumbies front rower James McCormack.
The Newcastle side is widely tipped to be captain/coached by organizer and comeback king Peter Fallon who returned to the playing paddock for Wanderers this year after being retired for almost 12 years, having played for Hawkesbury Ag College and West Harbour before they were the Pirates.
Apparently there are a few Newcastle Knights crossing codes for the day as well to support MFM.
The action for Mauling For Muscles starts from midday, with the main game kicking off at 2.30pm at St John Oval, Charlestown.
Also on October 10th up in Scone, the newly-minted Kiss The Frog Foundation will run out a KTF Barbarians team to play NSW Country. The Country side will face off against a host of Sydney club players, former provincial players and Wallabies to raise money for former Randwick, St Josephs College and Scone back Josh Clift who broke his neck last year whilst playing for his local side.
He escaped with arm weakness and 3 fused vertebrae but was able to walk again.
Unbelievably, a few weeks later he was involved in a car accident and is now paralysed from the waist down. Josh is currently in an intensive rehab facility in the US – the name Kiss the Frog was chosen by Josh as he is chasing a miracle result with specialized treatment over there.
All in all, some great causes to support and plenty of great celebrity rugby action taking place, so make sure you get along and throw your support behind the players, and have a great day out. You can guarantee that it will be rugby as it should be played.
For further information, or to support any of the above events:
Silver Foxes for the Black Dog Institute, email Olivia Morgan at Black Dog on o.morgan@unsw.edu.au
Mauling For Muscles, email Peter Fallon peter.fallon@cbre.com.au
Kiss The Frog Foundation, email Kieran Gaffney kgaffney@barwickwines.com