The saying goes that you can’t coach speed and that’s probably true. But raw speed alone isn’t enough to hold a place in first grade.
There’s nothing better than watching some of the modern games speed men tearing down the field, leaving opposition defenders in their wake, and the game has been blessed with fast and talented players since day one.
When I started watching the game in the mid ’60s, nearly every team had their marquis speed men, ready to bring the crowd to their feet and scorch down the sideline when the ball came their way. In those days, these flyers invariably played on the wing, although at times speed merchants like Reg Gasnier found themselves playing in the centres.
Many of these fast men became legends of the game, especially if they played for a club with enough sense and ability to get the ball into their hands.
In this article, I look back at two of the fastest and most exciting ball runners I’ve seen. They both came from Queensland to the big time in Sydney, lit the field up whenever they had the ball in their few years in the top grade and have now probably faded from view. While they didn’t play for Australia or ever really hit the heights, to me, they’ll always remain two of the best speed men to play the game.
Stan Gorton
Stan Gorton came to the St George Dragons from Cairns as a 20-year-old in 1966. In all, he had six injury-interrupted years with the Dragons, played 56 first grade games in that time, and scored a total of 37 tries in the top grade.
He had one unforgettable season though, in 1968, when he finished as the league’s top try scorer with an unbelievable 22 tries. Boy, did he ever light it up that year.
Stan didn’t look like your typical footballer, and based on appearance, he probably wouldn’t even get a trial game for first grade today. He was tall and lean with strong legs, maybe weighing 80 kilograms, always impeccably turned out, and had a brylcreamed, combed-back hair style which was fashionable at the time.
I recall one day at Kogarah Oval where he was required to make a rare tackle resulting in his hair being mussed up. I watched him rise to his feet as the play continued, slowly remove a comb from his sock, return his jet black hair back to its former perfection, and put the comb back where it came from.
Stan wasn’t known for his defence, nor was he required to make too many tackles for that matter. By 1968, the Dragons’ 11-year run of premierships had come to an end, but they still had a formidable team, with players like Graeme Langlands, Billy Smith, Johnny Raper, Tony Branson, Phil Hawthorne and Barry Beath all playing inside him.
And then there was Ken Maddison. Maddison was as brutal a centre as you would ever want to see, and he often played alongside Stan. Ken was a punishing defender and rarely missed his man, and was also very difficult to contain in attack, invariably bumping off the first defender, and creating many opportunities for his speedy wing man.
It was always a match highlight when the ball got to Gorton, and the Dragons fans invariably rose as one as he flashed down the sideline. I can’t recall him ever being run down by the opposition, and he had a devastating full speed swerve that turned defending fullbacks into grasping spectators. Gorton at full flight was a sight to behold.
Unfortunately, recurring injuries meant that he never recaptured his 1968 form and he eventually retired from the big time at the end of the 1971 season.
Stan’s sadly no longer with us – he passed away in 2013.
Arch Brown
Unlike for Stan Gorton, try-scoring opportunities were few and far between for Parramatta’s Arch Brown. Tall and athletic, he joined Parramatta from Queensland in 1965, after playing four games for his state in 1964, being the only outside back to be selected for Queensland in each match that year.
Unfortunately for Brown, he arrived at the Eels during a period where they not only had little success – Parra made the finals only once in the five seasons he was there – but also a time where their game plan was essentially a forward-based affair.
The Eels primarily played the game up the middle, using Test forwards Ron Lynch, Dick Thornett, Bob O’Reilly, Brian Hambly and Keith Campbell to great effect, but didn’t provide too many opportunities for their talented backs like Brown, centre Barry Rushworth and winger Dave Irvine. Irvine himself isone of the fastest wingers to ever play the game.
Brown was very quick, and spent a fair bit of time on the professional sprint circuit. Probably the only faster wingers going around at the time were Irvine, a professional sprint champion, or Dave Irvine’s more famous cousin, the legendary Ken Irvine from North Sydney.
And then, making up a very strong field, were Manly’s phenomenal Nick Yakich and his teammate Les Hanigan, Newtown’s Reg Hatton, Johnny Mowbray from Wests, Balmain’s Paul Cross, Gorton, Warren Thompson from Norths, and of course Souths’ Mike Cleary, a former Commonwealth Games sprinter. Quite a line-up, and believe me, there wouldn’t be many quicker players running around today.
Brown didn’t have the blinding acceleration of the some of these sprinters, but once he hit full stride, there was no catching him. Mike Cleary famously tried to run him down one afternoon at Cumberland Oval, but he failed to make any impression.
Brown was always a Parramatta crowd favourite, and also an excellent goal kicker, capable of landing them from the halfway line, and that’s with the old leather ball just sitting on a pile of dirt dug out of the field.
He remains fifth on Parramatta’s all-time point scoring list, having just been overtaken last season by Mitchell Moses.
Sadly, Arch Brown passed away in 2018.
PaulC
Guest
I seem to remember a young winger playing for the Broncos by the name of Leon Bott scoring 3 tries in a match while opposing Colin Best. Bott scored a try against the Roosters where he broke away from his opposition on pace alone only to be faced by Anthony Minichello who thought he had Bott covered on the side line. Bott accelerated & left Mini for dead. Bott had a short career with the Bronos & finished with the Sharks.
Hard Yards
Roar Rookie
That is astonishing. 10 tries to the one player in one game. I have never even heard of his feat on that day. Great post Wayne.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
ET was fast enough but Shearer was much quicker. I remember Shearer making a break and ET seemingly having the angle on him in defence but Shearer just blew him away. I also recall Menzies beating ET out wide and going the distance from a long way out one day at Brookie.
Hard Yards
Roar Rookie
You will probably remember the great Jack Gibson in a match summary referring to ET and saying, that kid's so fast he can turn the light switch off and be in bed before it gets dark. I appreciate your observation about Shearer, a outstanding player, but my old bloke's memory such as it is places ET as a speedster. Come on now, he was pretty fast on any measure, surely.
Tony
Roar Guru
Thanks Pickett. Glad you're enjoying the articles. Bob Hayes must have been something to see.
Pickett
Roar Rookie
Great article again Beathy. You write some quirky, offbeat, entertaining and enjoyable articles. I am enjoying John Allan's banter with you as well. I think in the Rugbies and NFL, speed over 50 meters is probably more beneficial than over 100, because length of the field tries are as rare as Roosters teeth. So a Ben Johnson type speedster would be better than a Carl Lewis type speedster. Speaking of the NFL, there was a bloke called 'Bullet' Bob Hayes who played as a wide receiver for Dallas, won a superbowl ring, played 11 seasons including many pro bowls. He's also in the Hall of Fame, so he could play a bit. I mention this because he also won the Olympics gold medal in the 100m. Probably the only footy player you could say was olympic class speedster.
Pickett
Roar Rookie
Was ET really that quick? I saw him get run down a few times (by Shearer) and dont recall him doing any length of the field tries.
Tony
Roar Guru
Thanks Mono. More research than knowledge mate. I love the term "cunning running ". David L'Estrange was a great ball runner.
Monorchid
Roar Rookie
I watched this Rellum. Thank you for the link. Wow. I've got to agree with BB's response though. I saw Ken Irvine play (yes, I'm an old bloke), and he was quicksilver fast. And as I've said elsewhere on this thread, he was a very evasive and effective runner.
Monorchid
Roar Rookie
As usual BB, this is a great article. What a tremendous knowledge of the game you must have. You mention the Irvine brothers. I saw Dave run in a Stawell Gift when I was young, but I didn't think he played RL. But I did see Ken Irvine play at Lang Park when I was little boy. He scored a try running towards the river end down the sideline of the western side of the field. My father and I were in the "outer". He was a master of cunning running. I can recall seeing an old school mate of mine playing rugby union at Ballymore who had a very similar physique to Ken Irvine who was also a very, very good swerving evasive runner, and that was David L'Estrange. Please keep these articles coming.
Tony
Roar Guru
Yeah. Not great footballers.
Tony
Roar Guru
Definitely. And Dennis Ward from Manly.
Rellum
Roar Guru
That is all they could do though
The Sports Lover
Roar Rookie
The game has changed to the point where speed over 50 - 80 metres is no longer a central talent requirement. Length of the field tries don't seem to be as common now as in the 60s.
The Sports Lover
Roar Rookie
Throw in Kevin Junee in that 30 metre conversation too.
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
Players were actually sent off back then not warned or sin binned as they are now. I recall John Harvey playing for Easts against former club Manly being sent off very early in a game. Wouldn’t have raised enough sweat to need a shower!
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
I’m old enough to remember Bill Mullins.A more than handy winger. Think he worked as a postman. “Delivered” many tries for Easts.
Tony
Roar Guru
They were definitely two of the quickest, particularly Whereat
brookvalesouth
Roar Rookie
When I was a kid, everyone used to talk about how Shane Whereat and Lee Oudenryn were the quickest going around. Can't remember if it was true.
matth
Roar Guru
No I only had game by game stats for all the finals series.