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When I was younger, so much younger than today, there were lots of things about rugby league that floated my boat. With apologies to Lennon and McCartney, I didn’t need help in any way to love just about every aspect of the sport.
It presented such a diversity of colourful characters, incidents and anecdotes, I often felt I’d drown in a sea of deprivation if I missed a single edition of the daily papers, Rugby League Week or Big League magazine.
If my name rings a bell for you, I was employed as a professional league reporter at the time, churning out copy for the old Daily Mirror and in later years, the Daily Telegraph.
League lovers had plenty of sports writing talent to savour in those days. For current Roarreaders fortunate to be around in the 1970s and 80s, we were fed our daily league diet by the likes of Ian Heads, Alan Clarkson, Ernie Christensen, Mike Gibson, Ray Chesterton, Peter Frilingos, Gary Lester, Geoff Prenter, and when he wasn’t writing rugby, David Lord.
I appreciate it was a very different game back then, and even though I enjoy and rarely miss today’s fare, I miss so many aspects of the way we were. Here are some of them. I wonder if you share my sense of loss.
Drawn premiership games
I remember Zorba Peters saying a drawn game was like kissing your sister but I never held that view for a solitary second. If you weren’t good enough to get your nose in front in 80 minutes, you simply weren’t good enough to take home the precious two competition points.
Today’s golden point scenario has become little more than a field goal shootout or a late, late part of the game where you prey on your opponent for a fumble or wayward pass. Boring.
Two replacements
Rugby League is probably the toughest football code on the planet. The modern interchange system robs fans of the chance to learn about and laud the code’s genuine iron men. Players running on and off on a coach’s whim does not paint a true picture of the strength of these athletes and above all, their stamina.
Set moves
OK, call me old fashioned even more, but Tim Sheens seems to be the only modern coach who drills his team on set plays from scrums and penalty opportunities. I’ll never forget some of the ingenious plays devised by Jack Gibson, Ron Willey, Warren Ryan and Co. to bewilder and ultimately beat the defence.
Dive passes and diving tackles
We only see an occasional diving pass or thrilling bootlace tackle in modern league. Coaches can sprout logical reasons for this but it cannot be denied – players leaving the ground out of desperation has always been spectacular.
The SCG
We only get to see a game or two at this hallowed place every season. What a grand old venue to watch a grand old game. It lacks the state of the art facilities of the big mother at Homebush Bay but the SCG exudes a warmth, charm and atmosphere the corporate dollar cannot hope to buy.
Club and player loyalty
Far too many wonderful clubmen have been hunted out of their beloved district by ridiculous rules that say they must leave because of the salary cap. Steve Menzies leaving Manly was a disgrace. The newly formed Independent Commission must fix this problem which burns the fans with a white hot poker. Many will turn away from league and won’t come back.
Jumpers/playing strips
Too many different strips for too many supposed ‘occasions.’ We often turn on the TV and can’t work out whether it’s the Broncos, Titans, Cowboys or perhaps even a Super Rugby team playing. In my view, one strip for home, one for away, no more. If you must wear pink, why not socks or shorts only?
Team songs
The AFL makes a big deal about club songs – we see them sung virtually every week in the dressing room. Perhaps we should pay more attention to this area. I still like them and would love to see some new versions developed.
Promotion
Am I alone in thinking the NRL promotions people have next to no idea how to promote and whip up extra interest in the game? From where I sit, Paul Kind has had his gig for too long. Some new blood there might give the game an exciting new spark. We can do a lot better.
Radio choice and TV programming
In the 70s and 80s we had a lot more choice about how we heard the game. Radio coverage was spread across two and sometimes three networks. (We can’t bring him back but gee, I miss Frank Hyde. That man was rugby league personified).
Moving to TV, why can’t we watch the teams that are in vogue when the good games roll around? Channel 9 needs to get out and speak to the grassroots and listen to what they want. This is a 16 team competition. How come we only get to see five or six of them on free-to-air?
Norths v Manly
I desperately miss watching Bears-Sea Eagles games. Virtually every one I witnessed was an epic. They featured seething galleries, see-sawing scorelines, all-in brawls, the most breathtaking tries and ultimately, if you were a newspaperman, headlines to die for. Bring back the Bears I say. And play their team song loud and proud.
The Roar welcomes Tim Prentice to the site with his first column today.
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