- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
I recognise the need for change in sport. With the competitiveness of the modern sporting scene, if you don’t grow and shift and adapt, then you’re going backwards.
But sometimes, things get cast by the wayside, wonderful nuggets of joy that for some unfathomable reason are just…awesome.
Some of these things are listed below.
Baggy jerseys
I understand why clubs brought in the tight fit jerseys. If the jersey is skin tight, then the opposition can’t grab hold of it, can they?
But there was something magical about a player wearing a jersey that was clearly two sizes too large for them. I swear that Robbie Ross never had a jersey that fit in his entire career.
I wholeheartedly believe that the disappearance of the baggy jersey caused the extinction of players that were not blessed with an overly athletic physique.
Do you think it was a co-incidence that the likes of Owen Craigie and Mark Tookey disappeared when slim-fit jerseys came into vogue?
Screw-in studs
Everyone wears these fancy molded studs nowadays, with boots that weigh less than Preston Campbell, but wouldn’t it be great if screw-ins made a comeback?
I’m not talking itty bitty metal studs, I’m talking studs that border on being dangerous weapons, studs that are as long as your fingers.
You won’t lose your footing wearing a pair of those bad boys. There is the added bonus of a player possibly losing a stud mid-game.
Imagine the hijinks that would ensue! Bring them back for comedy value alone.
Doomed expansion teams/mergers
I long for the freewheeling days of the early 90s, when the required criteria for expansion were nothing but a logo and a coach.
Experience was not required, financial stability was optional and teams sprouted up all over the country, only to vanish within a few seasons. It was a simpler time. It was a better time.
The merger of North Sydney and Manly was the last hurrah for the age of improbable expansion.
To expect two of the most bitter rivals in the game to play nice sounds like an idea for a bad sitcom.
How about this? Norths and Manly are cousins/brothers/friends who hate each other, but in order to get their share of their rich grandfathers inheritance, they have to live together in an apartment for a year! Channel Nine would make this show.
Sandcastles and ridiculous penalty goals
Imagine my excitement last year when the last act of Nathan Hindmarsh’s career involved using a pile of sand as a kicking tee. I think Clinton Schifcofske was the last man to build sandcastles full time, and a hearty cheer always filled the ground whenever he called for the sand bucket.
On the topic of kicking, a classic match from the mid-90s was on Fox Sports the other week in which Newcastle were playing Cronulla.
Cronulla shot out to a 12-nil lead early, but Newcastle made a bust, and got a penalty about 30 meters out.
Without thinking, Andrew Johns pointed to the posts, and kicked the subsequent penalty. Cronulla 12, Newcastle 2.
The commentators didn’t just accept the decision to kick the goal; they all agreed it was the right move. Newcastle ended up winning by a point. It was insanity. The next time I see a team fall behind by 20-odd points you’d better believe I’ll be screaming for them to take the two.
Special mention here to monstrously long penalty goals. Remember this?
Skip to the 5:17 part. Or, watch the whole thing, it was a pretty good game.
Torpedo kicks, kicking duels, mid-week playoffs and comically large shoulder pads
I have no idea why I like these things, but I feel the game has been poorer for their absence.
Meaningless field goals
It always felt like the ultimate insult when a team was getting flogged, and the opposition kicked a field goal to extend a 38-point lead to a 39-point lead.
It shows that the winning team has clearly lost interest in what they are doing, and at this point are just mucking around, especially if a forward kicks it.
Almost as beloved is a field goal by the team who is getting smashed. In 2003, Cronulla were playing Parramatta, and Parra were in front by more than 50. With about 10 to go, Sharks halfback Michael Sullivan attempted a field goal that nearly ended up in the next suburb. It was a wonderful sporting moment.
Special mention to the 2004 Turvey Park side that were down 126-0 against Tumut when they narrowed the gap with a one-pointer.
What are some ridiculous things about footy that you miss?
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.