Retro Round seems to be inspiring anyone who is old enough and can think back far enough to wax lyrical about their memories of the game when it was worlds apart from what it is now.
I like that idea, but I wasn’t really thinking back to anything in particular until I flicked around on the remote control last night and checked in for the last ten minutes of a round of 32 match in football’s FFA Cup.
Heidelberg United, a club with a great history in the old National Soccer League but which now plays in the National Premier League Victoria, at a level below the A-League, was leading A-League club Perth Glory 1-0.
The ‘Bergers’ went on to win by that score and the victorious scenes in the dressing-room afterwards, as captured on the Fox Sports coverage, were fabulous.
The FFA Cup is priceless in its value to football because of the opportunity it gives non-A-League clubs to grab some precious glory.
Those clubs do, of course, benefit significantly at this time of year from the fact they are well into their season while the A-League clubs are barely halfway through their pre-season, but it is still a great achievement to knock over one of the big boys.
Part-time players, some of whom have to work or study on the day of the game, beating the full-time professionals.
It reminded me of those mighty days of rugby league’s great old midweek competition that ran from 1974 to 1989 and went by the name of the Amco Cup, then the Tooth Cup, KB Cup, National Panasonic Cup and, finally, the Panasonic Cup.
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And, in particular, that very first year of the competition, when the country boys playing for Western Division went all the way to the final and won it, 6-2 over Penrith.
The game doesn’t get any more romantic than that.
Coached by a former St George great of the 1960s in Johnny King and including a bald-headed back-rower who developed cult-hero status through his wholehearted appearances in the televised games, ‘TV Ted’ Ellery.
Also in the side were a former Australian representative in Barry Rushworth and a future one in Terry Fahey.
The Amco Cup was required viewing on Channel Ten on a Wednesday night, with Ray Warren and Keith Barnes commentating. I was still at school when the competition first kicked off and I never missed a game.
It was a fabulous concept, the likes of which the game really misses today, but of course it won’t be back. The midweek knockout competition has gone the same way as contested scrums and mullets.
I’m not saying mullets won’t come back in one day, but it would be a lot easier to grow one of those than it would be to convince the National Rugby League and its clubs to agree to add a midweek knockout competition to the schedule.
They’ve just got rid of the City-Country match, they’re not going to start going back in time to regurgitate something else!
The great league writer Ian Heads tells the wonderful story of the Western Division team in his fabulous book The Night The Music Died, How A Bunch of Bushies Forged Rugby League’s Last Great Fairytale.
It’s the sort of Cinderella story which, if we in this country were more into making movies out of our great sporting yarns, would have ended up getting such treatment.
Or at least a documentary similar in quality to those we regularly see coming out of the US on ESPN.
On August 21 it will be 43 years since that game was played at Leichhardt Oval. It will always be one of rugby league’s great nights.
Paul Chapman
Guest
My memories of the Amco Cup was that many of the City (Sydney clubs) didn't take it seriously & rested many of their top players at time. Several Brisbane Club teams did compete at one stage. Brisbane Brothers were the first Brisbane team to beat a Sydney team, North Sydney. Brisbane Wests also competed & I remember Rabbit Warren being upset when he noticed two former Sydney players in the Brisbane Wests Team.
DMac
Guest
Can old people please stop saying wax lyrical. It's embarrassing us old people.
Andrew
Guest
Except nobody goes to watch Foley Shield now, so nobody would watch or attend. We live in different times with more programming options. It's a nice idea but for the cost it will never ever happen.
Norad
Guest
The NRL coaches and media beat ups about too many games killed it. Plus AFL doesn't have it so the NRL will never bring it back as NRL copies AFL lead.
lesterlike
Guest
"It remains to be seen whether it would work in Rugby League, but I would love to see it tried" Wait what?! The Challenge Cup is an institution of Rugby League and is incredible.
Ad-0
Guest
I'm a big fan of cup competitions and they work well in football. Due to the low scoring nature of the game you often see lower league teams knocking out those from the top tier. It remains to be seen whether it would work in Rugby League, but I would love to see it tried. It may be an unwanted distraction for NRL clubs, but I think what's best for the game at large outweighs that.
Farqueue
Guest
I was at the 1988 final....Dragons v tigers and Bert Gordon took an intercept and had a great game... Probably his only great game....I loved the concept. The really strong teams would field a 50% first grade team while those out of contention would field their best team possible. Gave the little guys and chance to beat the powerhouses
Wild Eagle
Guest
I remember the Redfern Express playing against the Eagles at Brookie in some pretty average Bunnies outfits but the Express looked like he was going to run through the whole team a few times. He was as strong as an Ox and quick.
chris
Guest
Used to love Terry Fahey..the Redfern Express was unstoppable!
Duncan Smith
Guest
I wonder if they could get some kind of knockout running with country / foreign teams but not NRL first teams, and play the final rounds during mid season Origin break.
Rellum
Roar Guru
I do remember the combined Brissy team winning it. That was a monumental effort giving they had no idea about travel and the like. I would have loved to see the BRL teams in the mid 80's have had a crack at it. The travel probably would have got to them but some of those teams were the equal or even better than the Sydney teams at the time, especially Wynumm. Right now it would be good to see a knock out comp running during the SOO window. Maybe even replace the NRL on the pre origin weekends. Either have all the NRL, QRL and NSWRL teams playing(not NSWRL teams for the ones who have a direct representation in the NRL) or just send all the NRL players back to their state league affiliate and let the QRL and the NSWRL go at it for 3-4 weeks, maybe a few prelims to get the numbers down to 8 or 16.
up in the north
Roar Rookie
Cool yarn, cheers Greg for the trip down memory lane. I met Terry Fahey years ago, after he stopped playing, if he isn't the definition of larrikin then I don't know who is.
AGordon
Guest
Great article Greg. I vaguely recall guys like Greg Brentnall being "discovered" in these games. There's been lots of talk in The Roar in recent weeks about expanding the game and a National Amco Cup type competition would be a very useful way of doing that. Leave out the NRL sides and focus on teams from country NSW & Qld, teams from SA, WA, the NT, Victoria and maybe a combined Tassie/ACT team could play a series of 4 quarter games. Throw in a PNG and Pacific Island team ( made up of players who don't find their way into one of these other teams) and maybe a team made up of ex-NRL players who think they've still "got it", and it would be a fun comp to watch. Maybe an incentive could be to play the GF from this comp as a curtain raiser to a game in the final series. Nice to dream.
Birdy
Guest
Thats the thing big daddy, You don't want the illawarra or newcastle clubs in it, you want the rep sides in it. Foley shield, Eden Monaro, Western Division etc. Remember it was a made for tv comp that had the bonus of packing out all the country grounds.
Big Daddy
Guest
Birdy, Good idea but I think it is one off those things that the money clubs will always come out on top. I think they had a country cup a few years ago but a lot of the strong country clubs like wests Newcastle and wests Wollongong didn't go in it. Something like that would be good but I think logistics might kill it. In saying that the NRL have said they are committing $10 million to glassroots football. Maybe some of that could be generated to CRL to run something like that seeing there is no city v country.
Marco
Guest
I remember those days well. Great times when League was at its peak.
Birdy
Guest
Love and miss the Amco cup. While I suppose we have to admit it can never come back it provided a lifetime of great memories. What competition could you imagine would command record tv viewing and capacity crowds knowing full well your country team would get beaten by 50. Ch 10 is in dire straits tjme to roll the dice and get a second tier Amco cup up and running. All the Q cup and NSW cup teams as well as state , regional and Pacific teams.
Paul Broughton
Guest
What an enjoyable article Greg and memories of the way we were was for many, myself included 1976 AMCO . Balmain versus Norths. at a full Leichhardt Oval. It was a wonderful time in the games evolution and a time when we embraced the many characters of that era forgiving them for being larrikins because thay played with an indefinable love of participation and their club. Yes Greg you are right, it is Retro, but for Amco, well lets take care of the memory because it will not pass this way again.
Happy Hooker
Guest
Great article Greg. Saw Amco Cup in the headline, and thought if TV Ted Ellery doesn't get a mention, you wouldn't be doing your job. You didn't disappoint. Another memory is of Ron ("Won") Casey, who used to refer to it as the Amoco Cup, as if it were sponsored by an oil company rather than a jeans retailer. Finally, a match in which the combined Brisbane team were playing featured a classic bit of television commentary. Ray Warren: "the alliterative players are playing well tonight Keith, Chris Close, Mal Meninga ..." Keith Barnes: "i'd add Des Morris to that list." Gold.
JohnB
Guest
Did it really last until 1989!? I remember the early days when the Brisbane club teams competed, before the combined team went in. A bit depressing that the stronger Brisbane clubs would put in the best teams they could and then look pretty clueless against half-strength Sydney teams. At least Keith Barnes' commentary was enough to develop strong dislike of Balmain even before Benny Elias came along. The other star emerging from these games was Mike Eden - he of the goalkicking with either foot, depending on which side of the field he was on.