Back to the Future: A rugby league retrospective

How good was rugby league in the 1980s!? The jerseys, the hairstyles, the characters, the fights – it truly was a glorious time to be alive. But was the game better ‘back in the day’ than it is today? Here are three arguments for and against:

Better now – The refereeing
The match officials had a much healthier attitude towards refereeing in the 1980s. They controlled the contest, demanded respect from the players, and were empowered to make the tough calls. They had conviction in their decisions, and made those decisions without the benefit of a pocket referee or the bunker.

But that doesn’t mean their decisions were always correct. In fact, despite the current onslaught on officiating, I’m certain that the decision accuracy in the modern game is markedly higher than it was back in the day.

You only have to watch a handful of these retro encounters to be reminded of just how many howlers were made in each and every game.

The reality is that the more sets of eyeballs watching the game on the field, the more camera angles capturing every moment, and the more replay officials reviewing the footage, the more likely we are to produce a correct decision.

(Image: The Roar)

The problem with officiating in the modern game isn’t accuracy, but rather a lack of empowerment and inconsistent interpretation of the rules. That can be changed with strong leadership. What’s Billy Harrigan up to these days?

Better back then – The game day experience
I’ll be honest with you, I don’t enjoy going to the footy these days. It’s just not a pleasant experience. The horrendous traffic, exorbitant food prices, overpriced beer and non-existent atmosphere – it reminds me of a night out in the Sydney CBD, but with fewer fights.

On the rare occasions that I do venture out, the experience is rarely worthwhile. There’s something utterly soul-destroying about taking your seat at the cavernous Olympic stadium and realising that the empty seats outnumber the crowd ten to one. And with the television coverage being so comprehensive, why bother in the first place?

But it wasn’t always this way. Retro Round has reminded us that people actually enjoyed going to a game of rugby league in the 1980s. They sat on sun-drenched hills guzzling tins of KB and generally had a good time.

Part of the appeal was the limited television coverage back in those days and part was the social aspect of going to the footy. But the biggest factor was the atmosphere generated by the crowd in the small, suburban stadiums. They put today’s crowds to shame.

I understand that the Sydney Stadium Strategy is focused on creating large, world-class venues to be shared among the clubs, but the State Government needs to stop taking planning advice from Kevin Costner. Just because you build it, doesn’t mean they’ll come.

Better now – The parity
When I think of the 1980s, I think of a decade dominated by two clubs – Parramatta and Canterbury. Between them, the Dogs and Eels accounted for eight premierships, with Manly and Canberra also nabbing one apiece.

The introduction of the salary cap in 1990 changed the rugby league landscape forever. Measures were put in place to level the playing field and spread talent evenly throughout the competition. And it worked. The 90s saw seven different premiers, including maiden premierships for Newcastle, Penrith and Melbourne.

Today, the competition is as even as it’s ever been. While the disparity in access to third party agreements remains an ongoing hurdle to achieving parity between all 16 clubs, the NRL has still seen seven different premiers over the last seven seasons.

Better back then – The characters
Remember when the aim of a player interview was to glean valuable insights on how he felt about a particular issue or upcoming game? Nah, me neither. But apparently it used to happen. Players would be asked a question, and they would provide an honest answer. Shocking, I know.

These days, I would rather stick bamboo splinters under my fingernails than listen to another full-time interview. Whether the player is giving “full credit to the boys”, “not looking too far ahead”, or even putting the win down to “training really well this week”, it’s all the same mindless, manufactured muck.

The truth is that clubs are scared of characters. They’re scared that their words might frighten sponsors and isolate fans, or worse still, shine the club in a negative light.

(AAP Image/Joe Castro)

Take Andrew Fifita for example; the Cronulla and Blues prop was banned from talking to the media prior to Origin 3 as NSW officials were worried that he might rubbish the Star Casino, the side’s major sponsor.

Can you imagine the same thing happening in the 80s? Blocker Roach being told to hold his tongue? Terry Lamb sanctioned for speaking his mind? Or Ray Price told by his club that he wasn’t allowed to front the media? What a load of rot.

Better now – The banning of the biff
Admit it – you love watching it. We all do. It’s become rugby league’s guilty pleasure. Grainy footage of Steve Roach slugging it out with Les Davidson, Greg Dowling punching on with Kevin Tamati, and Tommy Raudonikis throwing haymakers at anything that moved.

For one week every year, Retro Round transforms Channel 502 into what can only be described as BiffHub – glorifying a time when men were men, and fighting was an accepted part of the game. And although I enjoy a nostalgic stink as much as the next man, I’m glad that it’s been eradicated from the modern game.

Apart from it being a bad look, it’s downright dangerous. With evidence of the negative impact that concussion can have on player’s long-term health and welfare mounting by the day, there’s just no place for fighting anymore. The game’s hard enough as it is.

Better back then – The hate
What happened to the hate? The rivalries? The fiery feuds? What happened to players calling out their opposite number prior to the game, and promising to knock his block off? What happened to guys like Benny Elias and Mario Fenech, who would target each other all afternoon and dish out a steady stream of verbal and physical abuse?

While rugby league was built on hate, times have changed, and Paul Gallen’s absence from this year’s State of Origin series highlighted just how tame things have become.

Without Gallen’s passion and occasional suggestions of Queensland inbreeding, pre-Origin pressers have become a dull, almost pointless affair. New skipper Boyd Cordner is a tremendous player, but you’ll see more passion and anger during an episode of ‘Q&A’.

For better or worse, Cordner is now the poster boy for the modern footballer’s relationship with the media – humble, polite, respectful, measured, and heavily regulated by his club. Now I’m not looking for McGregor versus Mayweather, but surely there is some middle ground?

(AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

Today’s team of the 1980s

Continuing the Retro Round theme, which players out of the current 16 teams could you see lacing up the boots back in the 80s?

Fullback – Nathan Ross: The Ross-Dog is a true blue-collar battler. He’s the sort of bloke you can imagine working in the mines all day, playing footy on the weekend, and murdering a few schooners after a game. A true 80s man.

Wing – Josh Mansour: The average winger wasn’t always a 6’3″, 105kg monster capable of trampling prop forwards and outrunning Usain Bolt. Mansour is a reminder that it isn’t always the size of the dog in the fight.

Centre – Kane Linnett: One thing that always shocks me when I watch footage of the 80s is just how old and weathered the players look. Braith Anasta will look more youthful at age 65 than Ray Price did at 30. Linnett is cut from the same cloth.

Centre – Jack Bird: A hard-edged, no frills player who would find a place in any era. In a game of athletes, Jack Bird is a footballer.

Wing – Jason Nightingale: He doesn’t look fast, graceful or agile. He doesn’t scare opponents with his acceleration or ferocious hits. He doesn’t leap over corner posts to score spectacular tries. But he gets the job done.

Five-eighth – Josh Reynolds: Aggressive and fiercely competitive on the field, and a damn decent human being off the field, Reynolds is a throwback to a time when footy players were just good blokes, not entitled millennials.

Halfback – James Maloney: Sterlo, Ba, Brandy, Turvey – all outstanding playmakers, and all knee-high to a grasshopper. Maloney is reminder that the little blokes still play an important role.

(AAP Image/Lukas Coch)

Prop – Scott Bolton: Not many blokes are ruled out for three months with a fishing injury. Feels like the sort of thing that belongs in another era.

Hooker – Cameron Smith: Having actually debuted in the late 80s, Cameron Smith is one of the few modern players who can reliably claim they could handle the rigours of the glamour decade.

Prop – Sam Burgess: Slammin Sam is one of the few players in the modern game that plays every minute of every game with pure aggression. He walks a fine line between illegal and inspirational.

Second Row – Nathan Brown: Runs hard, tackles harder, and plays the game with zero thought of self-preservation.

Second Row – Josh McGuire: A true niggler who revels in the cheap and dirty stuff, McGuire would have fit seamlessly into a footy culture where eye-gouging your opponent was a mark of respect.

Lock – Paul Gallen: Tough as a $2 steak and with a face like a dropped pie, Gallen would not be out of place locking the scrum for any side during the 80s.

5th Tackle Option

Here are five quick thoughts on the action from Round 22:

1. St George Illawarra fans will have mixed emotions after Round 22. They will be sickened by their side’s slow motion car crash of a season, while also being jubilant about the form of Ben Hunt.

Without detracting too much from the Red V’s early season heroics, where they are sitting on the ladder feels about right to me. They were a fringe top-eight side heading into 2017, and that’s how they’re playing.

(AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)

2. Where to now for the Warriors?

3. The Raiders were white hot on Saturday night. They went full Wesley Snipes in their demolition of the toothless Sharks, and showed just how potent their attack can be when it all clicks. But knowing how well this side can play, and how seldom they have realised their potential this year, raises a few questions about Ricky Stuart. The coach is the man responsible for getting his players to peak on game day, and that just hasn’t happened for Canberra this year.

4. Massive win for Manly. Knocking off a top-four contender in convincing fashion proves that they belong in the finals this season.

5. Jarryd Hayne – $1.2 million doesn’t get you what it used to.