Watching super mare Black Caviar romp to her 20th successive win last Saturday, my thoughts locked onto the ever-growing historical significance of this amazing animal and where it will finish in the annals of Australian sport.
Will someone make a movie about this modern day Phar Lap?
With every win, I guess it is looming as a real possibility. There is an unmistakeable romance about the racetrack and its equine royalty. The recent success of the Damien Oliver-inspired The Cup shows there is always room for a high quality, Australian sports film.
Why not a film specifically about rugby league? As we’ve seen with thoroughbred racing, league has so much to offer with its rich tapestry of drama, human resilience, personalities and controversy.
Only a handful of movies have been made about the 13-a-side code. Sure, we’ve had Matt Nable’s excellent The Final Winter (2007) and Khoa Do’s successful battler flick Footy Legends (2006).
These were essentially works of fiction and I wondered what real life storylines writers might consider for mass enjoyment up on the silver screen.
To my mind, the late, great South Sydney fullback, Clive Churchill would be a terrific subject of a rugby league themed movie.
The history books show the man dubbed The Little Master was a brilliant footballer with and without the ball. Heroic – well, they don’t come more so than this guy.
In a premiership game against Manly in 1955, Churchill played with a broken arm cradled in a cover of an exercise book.
There were no replacements in those days and the Rabbitohs needed to win to make the semis.
In the dying seconds, Churchill waved aside the protests from his team mates to pot a goal from the sideline, giving them a 9-8 win. Souths went on to win the premiership.
(And they called Greg Hartley ‘Hollywood’ …)
Let’s go further back – way back – to the player who pretty much pioneered rugby league, Herbet Henry ‘Dally’ Messenger.
A centre with freakish try-scoring and goal-kicking talents, Messenger had a flair for the unorthodox and wowed crowds wherever he played in league’s infant years 1908-13.
One of his goals, on a Kangaroo tour in England, was landed from the sideline on his own 25-yard line! That kick was mentioned in early versions of the Guinness Book of World Records measuring over 80 yards (73m).
Some of the code’s more contemporary characters also loom as fascinating movie studies.
How would King Wally Lewis or the larger-than-life, Artie Beetson stack up? Or super coaches Jack Gibson and Wayne Bennett?
There are eras in the game such as St George’s mighty 11 year reign and Parramatta’s brilliant run of the early Eighties when Messrs Sterling, Kenny, Price and Grothe were box office smashes in their own right.
The Super League war would surely make for absorbing viewing.
Heck, there was enough skullduggery, subterfuge and two-timing done then to put the bulk of those Underbelly episodes in the shade.
There were powerful, ruthless figures wheeling and dealing on both sides of that war and the ensuing bitterness has yet to be washed down the grubbiest sporting sinkhole ever seen in this country.
Newcastle’s maiden premiership win in 1997 had a touch of fairytale about it with a late, late try by Darren Albert against favourites Manly Warringah. Residents of the steel city had been in rock bottom spirits because of an earlier announcement that BHP would be closing down.
The Newcastle players that day became real-life Knights in blue and red armour.
These are a few league stories that sprang to my mind. I wonder what our imaginative, league-loving ROAR readers think could one day be seen in cinemas here and quite possibly, abroad.
Darcy
Guest
I've always loved The Club, the film shot in the 80's about in-fighting at Collingwood. If there was to be a film shot about league I think it would have to centre on a pretty compelling three dimensional protagonist with an array of things stacked against him. There's enough in Andrew Webster's Supercoach for someone to adapt a pretty good screenplay about the life of Jack Gibson. Gibson's had a very "interesting" life that would appeal to people outside the league community. The sports genre is very hard to sell to studios, so there would have to be a big human interest side to it, as opposed to glorifying the deeds of great players past and present.
Tiger
Guest
So nobody follows rugby league anywhere else in the world? Another poor trolling attempt!
Tiger
Guest
Well that is simply not true. Poor attempt at trolling bludger!
Bludger is a moron
Guest
This Sporting Life actually had both lead actors nominated for Oscars. Bit better than the vast majority of sports movies. In fact almost everyone ever made.
PLANKO
Guest
Tim he was senior executive with News I thought. If a long term exec wants to sit in his beach house for the rest of his days I think he could afford it ! When are they going to re open the Manly Vale Hotel ? LOL
PLANKO
Guest
I would would have thought Matt Johns doing his group thing would be romantic in NZ ... Or maybe a nice location like Coffs Harbour with some Bulldogs !
toranahills
Guest
This Sporting Life was a good attempt to catch life in Wakefield in the 60s - a great snapshot of an era. For real people and the substance of the game nothing beats Another Bloody Sunday - a documentary made by Yorkshire TV about Doncaster RLFC in 1980. Watch in six parts on You Tube (I will post the link to Part 1 below). Tremendous stuff - shows the game far from the lights of the NRL but the game nonetheless. Year of the Dogs (an AFL doco from the late nineties) is testament to how engrossing a season in the top flight can be - watch it and then attempt to argue that Newcastle '97 wouldn't find and audience. Properly done - there are a heap of stories out there waiting to be told. You can't tell me that the genesis of State of Origin - ending with Game 1 wouldn't be a classic..... Another Bloody Sunday - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjaTYQAuPFk
Bludger
Guest
There might be a historical film made about rugby league in 20 years from now seeing it is really in deep trouble in England. The greatest rugby league club of them all, Wigan is looking to shift to rugby union. Ironically because of the limitations of spending on players which was the whole point of the rugby league move back in the 1890s.
Guy Smiley
Guest
Andy's right, grumpy or not.
code 13
Roar Guru
Top call on Ken Burns style idea.
code 13
Roar Guru
Actually considering how low budget it was, the opening act of The Final Winter with the Newtown vs St George match was rather well done. It was stark and violent. Shame the rest of movie didn't live up to that first sequence but I was impressed with that part.
Milz
Guest
Tim, Footy Legends is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Absolute turd of a movie!
jeznez
Guest
I caught the final rugby scene in Invictus and switched off and refused to go back and watch the movie itself. Shocking representation of the sport.
jeznez
Guest
Rusty already made a rugby league movie - The Sum of Us.
Cameron
Guest
How about a movie abot rugby League's split - Superleague and ARL! Now there is some drama!
crip
Roar Pro
The podcasts behind the making of the 30 for 30 series are really entertaining for sports fans to fellas! Especially the Best That Never Was. http://sports.espn.go.com/espnradio/podcast/archive?id=4531638 How good would a series like that on Australian Sports be?
Jay
Guest
Wait for them to win a premiership this year, and there's your feel good finish.
crip
Roar Pro
Rugby League documentary from 1969 - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA367D7AF5AEE5E19
matthew
Guest
You mean Aus, Auckland and parts of Northern England Vincent.
Australian Rules
Guest
That's exactly what I heard Ryan. The rumour was that if they lifted the scab on Waldron it would've sent an earthquake through the comp. He would just laugh when people suggested it was only the Storm doing it...