Andrew Slack is a deserved inductee into the Australian Rugby Union Hall of Fame Class of 2010. I think Slack would currently be remembered as one of Australia’s four greatest rugby captains (along with Farr-Jones, Eales, and Thornett).
Slack was one of those incredibly solid players who, at his best, never made a mistake. He definitely wasn’t a player of flair, but when he did things he did them well. So well that it was easy to understate his ability.
Like the outstanding Brendan Moon (who I hope will make the Hall of Fame in the next decade), Slack didn’t seem to be a player of great flair because he didn’t need flair.
He could make some of the more difficult stuff seem simple without needing to do something that would make him stand out – the mark of a well-balanced player.
Despite perhaps not being regarded as talented as a Campese or Ella, I have no doubt people would have a higher estimation of his abilities if Australia had enjoyed greater success on their famous 1981/82 tour of Britain, which brought disappointing results for the Wallabies, despite potentially being Australia’s most talented side ever.
The Irish media loved it when Michael O’Connor scored a try against Ireland – an Australian with an Irish name did well! But it was Slack that made the sidestep and the pass that enabled him to score.
Brendan Moon bamboozled two Scotsmen on that tour with a show of the ball, unleashing Slack for a try – but it was Slack who touched the ball twice and who, by a desire to be involved, was the necessary link in scoring that try.
Mark Ella once unhesitatingly called Slack the best Australian player on that tour.
And while the likes of Ella, Poidevin, and Campese shone wonderfully in the 1984 Grand Slam tour (likely the greatest Australian side ever) I can’t resist to mention a try Campese scored in the game against Scotland that came from some Slack excellence.
Slacky was known in the squad for not having a very good long pass, and after the Llanelli game Slack stayed behind in the pouring rain, practicing his long passes against a brick wall.
Early in the game against Scotland the Wallabies pulled a rehearsed move.
Ella threw a cut-out pass to Gould, who took the ball into contact, taking two players with him (an underrated aspect of Gould’s game). Gould offloaded in the tackle to Slack, and there Campese was on the wing, about 15 to 20 meters away from Slack.
Slacky attempted the long pass, and it couldn’t have been more perfect. It hit Campese right on the chest and away he was for his first Test try on that tour.
When people talk about Slack, I’m reminded of something Rod MacQueen wrote about David Campese in his autobiography ‘One Step Ahead’.
MacQueen states Campese was likely Australia’s most talented rugby player ever. However, not only didn’t Campese’s opponents know what he’d do next – neither did his teammates!
MacQueen noted that this made Campese’s game a very successful ingredient for Australia, however (and importantly) you couldn’t have 15 Campos in a side because ‘the left hand wouldn’t know what the right was doing.’ It was a very astute point.
And this point illustrates Slack’s great value to Australia. In a team with plenty of free spirits such as Ella and Campese, Slack brought direction, discipline and stability. In a word: LEADERSHIP.
I regard Mark Ella as one of my all-time favourite athletes in any sport, but I do think he excelled better under Slack’s leadership without the burden of leadership weighing him down.
But for all that, I have to say I was surprised by the choice of Andrew Slack as the first inductee into the class of 2010.
Arguably a better outside centre… actually arguably Australia’s greatest ever player, was Trevor Allen. Shockingly he has not been inducted into Australian Rugby’s Hall of Fame.
I have to say Trevor Allen is, in my mind, without doubt the most deserving player not currently in the Hall of Fame… by far!
Slack’s Queensland teammate, Michael Lynagh, stands as arguably one of Australia’s five greatest players. With the exception of Matthew Burke, nobody in Australian rugby history comes close to Michael Lynagh in terms of having such a broad range of point-scoring capabilities.
If you were to ask somebody in the UK who are the best players in Australia’s rugby history, Lynagh would be one of the first five players mentions nearly every time (he also has a reputation as the nicest sports commentator ever over there).
I also fear that the Hall of Fame might become dominated by backs, as historically Australia has probably been better at producing outstanding backs than outstanding forwards. Sooner or later Simon Poidevin must be inducted.
And last year I wrote a column stating that Alan Jones absolutely must be considered for the Hall of Fame. I still strongly believe he deserves to be the first coach put into the Hall of Fame, as Australia truly became a world power under his coaching reign (21 wins out of 30 games is insane!).
But if Australia became a world power under Alan Jones’ coaching reign, it also became a world power under Slack’s captaincy.
I am very happy to see Australian rugby recognize Andrew Slack for his massive contributions to the game in Australia.
For too long his ability has been understated. Slack is unquestionably a deserving inductee into the ARU Hall of Fame.
Wix
Roar Rookie
Sheek If only half of what you say about the mighty 'Alan Jones' is true, you have confirmed my worst suspicions. Jones handling of the greatest player of his time had the effect of demoralising him into a premature retirement from all forms of rugby. If there were philosophical differences between the two of them, if Jones had not been (and still is) such an in sufferable egotist, he would have managed/nursed the relationship so that Ella did not get demoralised. If what you say is true, it was unforgiveable of Jones not to suppress his rampant egotism and to support Ella all the way. In any case you cannot seriously believe that we should have someone in the hall of fame who has become a shock jock with a track record of unlawful conduct, politcal inteference, and goodness what else. He has even been referred to as a "low life". We cannot have such a person in the hall of fame. If you do not agree, just check Jones with your own list of greats, and you will soon come to see my point of view
sheek
Guest
Frank, The 18 ex-Wallabies in the Hall Of Fame in chronological order, & year of first test, are as follows: Tom Richards (1908), Tom Lawton snr (1920), Dr. Alec Ross (1925), Cyril Towers (1926), Sir Edward (Weary) Dunlop (1932), Col Windon (1946), Sir Nicholas Shehadie (1947), Tony Miller (1952), john Thornett (1955), Des Connor (1957), Jon White (1958), Ken Catchpole (1961), John Hipwell (1968), Dr. Mark Loane (1973), Andrew Slack (1978), Mark Ella (1980), David Campese (1982) & Nick Farr-Jones (1984). In terms of positions, there are 10 backs & 8 forwards. Surprisingly, props are equal first with scrumhalfs - 4 each. There are 2 each of centres, flyhalfs & flankers, & one each of fullback, winger, eightman & lock. So far no hookers have been inducted. There are still many huge names missing - Dally Messenger & Chris McKivat (both 1907 & maybe both politically sensitive), Johnnie Wallace (1921), Wild Bill Cerutti (1928), Jack Ford (1926), Graham Cooke (1932), Trevor Allan (1946), Cyril Burke (1946), Rob Heming (1961), Peter Johnson (1959), Greg Davis (1963), Simon Poidevin (1980), Michael Lynagh (1984), Ewen McKenzie (1990), Phil Kearns (1989). Also Tim Horan (1989) & John Eales (1991)will become eligible once their minimum 10 years retired comes to pass. Surely Topo Rodriguez (1984) must also be considered, despite not being native born. However, the criteria doesn't say anything about this. The criteria is as follows: 1. Played at least one test for Wallabies. 2. Been retired a minimum of 10 years before eligibility for selection. 3. Made a major contribution to rugby (doesn't specify exactly how, even in last point). 4. Demonstrated outstanding ability, sportsmanship, commitment, character, & made a great contribution to his team & era. According to the criteria, no coaches will ever be inducted who didn't play a minimum of two tests, unless of course, that criteria is changed. So we might never see Bob Dwyer, Alan Jones or Rod MacQueen inducted.
Frank O'Keeffe
Guest
Spiro I like the Conrad Smith comparison. Very astute observation.
Frank O'Keeffe
Guest
Wow Bruce I didn't realize Cerutti wasn't in the Hall of Fame. With that in mind, perhaps the HOF selectors should include Trevor Allen and Bill Cerutti into the Class of 2010. I wrote a column last year suggesting Peter Johnson should be included. I thought Jon White was inducted last year? McKenzie and Kearns might have to wait a while, since they haven't been retired long. And while they've been retired long enough to be inducted, you don't want to fill up the HOF with all modern players... or do we? Why do I have the silly idea that Allen isn't in the HOF because he converted to league? I mean I literally can't think of another reason why he wouldn't be in the Hall of Fame. He was regarded as one of the top, if not the top, rugby player in the world in the early 50s. His defection crippled Australia. What was that book about the Gordon Club Spiro Zavos once recommended to me? The one where they talk about Allen being so poor delivering ice for a living he couldn't marry his fiance, or something like that? Makes the blood boil when you think of how terribly Trevor Allen was treated by amateur rugby union, and how worse he was treated when he left the game.
sheek
Guest
Wix, With respect, your post is ridiculous. Alan Jones can choose whoever he wishes as captain, if he's the coach. In any case, replacing Ella with Slack was the right decision. Even Ella grudgingly admitted this later. Ella played so much better without the worry of captaincy, while Slack led the team with great magnanimity. Also Ella was a poor trainer, & he acknowledged himself that he didn't set a good example to team mates on the training paddock. Had I been Jones I would have done exactly the same. Ella is a truly great player, but he played better without having to worry about captaining everyone else in the team. I would say to him, "you go out there & control the game with your backline ploys. I'll let somebody else worry about winning the toss, running with the wind, kicking for goal, etc." I've come to the conclusion that Ella's retirement had more to do with Ella's intolerance of Jones, rather than the other way around. Jones might have been philosophically different to Ella, but he realised how important Ella was to the team, & also his own coaching success. Why would Jones bite the hand that fed him (success)? On the 1984 GS tour, Jones made sure that while Slack might have been captain of the team, Ella called the shots for on-field plays. That was very accommodating of Jones. And smart. Ella no longer had anything to prove. This was the amateur era. He was sick of the training & wanted to develop a career outside of rugby. This happened often in the pre-professional era - premature retirement. There's no need for any enquiry or witch hunt whatsoever.....
sheek
Guest
To Chris Beck - ha, ha..... !
Chris Beck
Guest
Sheek - It's Eisenhower, not Eisenhauer. It looks so German spelled that way! I agree with the spirit of what you wrote even though I've never seen any of these people play.
Wix
Roar Rookie
Frank O'Keefe I read your article about Slack and his colleagues, particularly Mark Ella, regarding the hall of fame with great joy, until I came to the name Alan Jones. I don't think that he should be considered for any hall of fame unless there is an enquiry into Mark Ella's premature retirement at the end of the famous 1984 Grand Slam tour. Alan Jones, and Mark Ella, should be called upon to tell us the truth about the reasons for Mark's sudden early retirement. How was it that the greatest rugby player ever produced by this country, and arguably the world, suddenly disappeared off the radar at such a tender age? Until that happens, Alan Jones' annoinment should not even be contemplated.
Spiro Zavos
Expert
Andrew Slack, if ever a surname was misleading, was a champion example of how the best of rugby is that it is a team game. You need your Ellas and Campos, the brilliant stars, but you also need the players like Slack who invariably make the right play and are always in the right position to give the stars the room to shine. Slack was that type of player. A players player. Someone who made the others look good and allowed the team to perform better than the sum of their parts. I would suggest that Conrad Smith, the intelligent and constructive All Blacks centre, is the nearest modern equivalent to Slack in the way he plays to enhance the quality of his team's play. After his playing career Slack has continued to contribute to the game as a sports commentator. I know from personal experience that he has been a shrewd and dignified advocate of the best of rugby in Australia. His comments on the folly of even thinking of changing the Wallaby coach Robbie Deans this close to RWC 2011 is a case in point. This is a case of a good guy getting a worth reward.
sheek
Guest
Frank, It's always wonderful to read your memories. If only the younger generation took a more active interest in the history of their favourite sport. I'm a great believer of the ying-yang principle. You need players in your team that complement & contrast. Having 7 attacking backline players probably is counter-productive. Just like having 6 attacking batsmen in cricket. You need your grafters, you need your link men. Andrew Slack was a wonderful link man. Perhaps you could describe him as a mechanic - he kept the backline machine oiled & lubricated & intact, ensuring it functioned at maximum, & allowed guys like Ella & Campese to "do their thing". I would always select Mick O'Connor as the best Wallaby no.13 I've seen, but it's hard to go past Slack's extraordinary team culture philosophy. And yes, he was a great leader as well. And I also agree with your thoughts on Alan Jones. In football, they call them managers, not coaches. The idea is that the players already arrive at the highest level with the necessary basic skills, techniques & fitness. It is the manager's job to develop strategy & tactics, build team culture & awareness, & select the right players for the task.In this regard, Jones was supreme. He was like the WW2 General Ike Eisenhauer, Jones may not have been as intrinsically brilliant as either Dwyer or MacQueen, in the same way Eisenhauer wasn't as naturally brilliant as either Montgomery or Patton, but Jones, like Eisenhauer, had the ability to bring everyone together for the greater, common good. That is, until he started to grate on people's nerves through repetition! One final thing, you mention the Hall of Fame is likely to be dominated by backs. Yes, we produce outstanding backs. But perhaps also, we don't appreciate or understand the value of forwards in rugby - they win the matches. backs only determine the margin! Consider some of the following tight forwards: props - Bill Cerutti, Jon White, Ewen McKenzie; hookers - Tom Lawton, Phil Kearns, Peter Johnson; locks - Graham Cooke, Dick Thornett, Rob Heming. In some ways, these are the real heroes..... Great article Frank, all the same.....
Frank O'Keeffe
Guest
Hmm, you know before anybody comments, if I could write this column again I probably wouldn't have compared Slack's contributions to Allen's, Lynagh's, Poidevin's, and Jones'. When you consider how much Slack gave to Australian rugby, it's not particularly nice to contrast and compare them to other people's contributions. Slack's contributions don't deserve to be somehow diminished by comparisons. They should be celebrated because Slack played an integral role during one of Australia's most celebrated era. How happy would we be if this current Wallaby side has the same success Slack's Wallaby sides did? If I ever saw Slacky in person I would put the first robe on him, place a ring on his finger, put good shoes on his feet, slaughter the calf I've been fattening, and give him some of my finest wheat beer. He deserves it!