When I last played rugby league nearly 45 years ago, a ‘six pack’ was something you couldn’t wait to get your hands on after the game, ‘guns’ lay loaded under your bed, and a ‘recovery session’ was lying on the lounge on Saturday morning after a big Friday night.
Weight lifting was only seen at the Olympics and a warm-up consisted of stretching to put your socks on.
Training was generally held on Tuesday and Thursday nights, unless you were one of the star players and had something better on, and the regime was fairly predictable: a dozen pushups, followed by eight laps of the oval, and an hour-and-a-half of ball play.
Most fields inevitably had a couple of dark corners where the inadequate flood lights just didn’t reach, and if you were one of the smarter and lazier forwards, you could hide in the dark for a while and miss a couple of laps.
The ball-play sessions were a highlight though, particularly for the backs, as the forwards just became more confused than ever, and you could practice plays that were virtually impossible to pull off on game days, but still look like a lair.
Opposed ball-sessions against a lower-grade side were sometimes held and often resulted in more high tackles and brawls than you’d see in a 1980s Origin match. These sessions were, on the whole, enjoyable, and didn’t suffer from the intervention of either a referee or judiciary, and any lingering disputes or vendettas could always be settled later (there were no lights in the car park after all).
Obviously, the training highlight was the obligatory bonding session at the local, still in your training gear of course, and anyone who left before closing time or failed to buy their rounds was unlikely to remain in the side for long. Responsible service of alcohol was limited to not spilling any.
Yes, those were the days – life was simple and the game was played by average guys who just treated it as sport and a bit of fun.
Things weren’t that much different at the elite level either – although the grade players were no doubt fitter and more skillful than those playing park footy, they looked just like you and I.
Most forwards played at 95kgs or less, with the occasional exceptions like Arthur Beetson, Bill Hamilton and Bob O’Reilly pushing up to 105kgs. A half or five-eighth was probably 70kgs wringing wet, wingers were all speedsters and probably tipped the scales at no more than 75, and even the most robust centres – like Ken Maddison, Alec Tennant and Roy Ferguson – would have been no more than 85kgs.
Arthur Beetson featured in a Tooheys advertising campaign (Big League magazine 1980).
Contrast the size of those players with today’s cohort. The average weight of the four starting props in Origin 2 was 116 kgs, all of the back fives were as big or bigger than most of the forwards of yesteryear, and all four halves would have been big enough to play in the all-conquering Souths pack of the 1970s.
When you look at the likes of David Fifita and Payne Haas, you can’t help but be reminded of the cyborgs from the Terminator movie franchise.
We’ve seen a significant growth in size, to the extent now that smaller players are rapidly becoming extinct, or at the very least targets for much bigger attacking players. Body shapes of various playing positions are becoming almost indistinguishable and interchangeable, with wingers often doing the same work as front-row forwards, hookers playing more like halfbacks, and edge second-rowers taking the place of inside centres.
No doubt the increasing professionalism has enabled players to become bigger and more powerful, but at what cost?
While fitness levels have increased, there doesn’t seem to be any real increase in skill. If anything, current coaching trends seem to deliberately limit the role of some positions, so that there are fewer offloads, a drop in support play, and a focus on rehearsed set plays rather than eyes-up football.
These limitations make many attacking moves more predictable and repetitive – e.g. three hit-ups followed by a second-man shift – making it easier for defenders to employ gang tackles. Throw in the bigger bodies involved in these tackles, and you have far greater impact and body trauma for those involved. This has contributed to the high injury rate.
Anyway, I guess that’s progress and we can’t hold the game back as it strives to become even more professional.
I just hope that the rise of the machines doesn’t remove the fun and flair that makes rugby league such an enjoyable game to play and watch.
Tony
Roar Guru
Yeah, Barnes looked like he could have done with a second dig at the buffet, but he was as tough as they come. Nearly 200 games and 17 tests is testimony to that.
Hard Yards
Roar Rookie
Barnes was superb. He would need to bulk up a lot to make it today I suspect. Looking at Dufty over at the Dragons, who looks like he could be grabbed by a kookaburra, Barnes from memory was much slighter. But they were effectively amateurs in those days who had to concentrate on their day jobs. But take Barnes as a young guy today, and fill him full of carbs and protein on top of gym work, I’m confident he’d make the cut . The question is, where would you play him? Fullback today is a different from back then. Maybe in the halves.
Nambawan
Roar Rookie
HY - thinking about Alec Tennant - I recall a Sunday match at Leichardt - Manly Vs Balmain - in the late 60's. I think it was one of Bobby Fulton's earlier games for Manly, and he was a drawcard even then, and it was a full house with an atmosphere you could cut with a knife. I think Fulton was only about 18 years old. Manly were cruising but then Alec Tennant flattened Keith Barnes with a classic coat-hanger ( not uncommon in those days). Oh the uproar from the Tiger's fans! After several minutes of attention from the Zambuks, Barnes recovered sufficiently to go on and kick 9 straight goals and for The Tigers to win handily. But I remember Tennant as a very good center (with size, and speed,) who would have had the basic attributes to be successful in the current game. BTW what a class footballer Keith Barnes was, but by today's standards perhaps he would not make NRL level??
Tony
Roar Guru
Glad you enjoyed it. We were always coached to find ways of creating and exploiting the overlap, and avoiding providing the opposition with the same opportunity.
Kev
Guest
Great story and brings back a few memories....I remember seeing Artie Beetson lighting up a ciggy at half time...the guys now are not as skillful as past players...they've lost the art of draw and pass, running into a gap...how many times do we see an overlap not come to anything now
GregM
Roar Rookie
must be all of the carbs loading from the beer the night before (& morning of) the game
Hard Yards
Roar Rookie
Great story
Tony
Roar Guru
And he used to ride shotgun for Reg Gasnier when Gasnier started in test football
Phil
Roar Rookie
Dimond was a hard player but a real dirty player when he came to play in the Newcastle comp. He was captain/coach of South Newcastle for three seasons following his time at Wests. In one game against the home side Maitland, his team was copping a hiding when he decided to try and decapitate the Maitland 5/8, Alan West. West weighed about 10 stone in footy gear and played well above his weight. For his coathanger, Dimond was marched only to stop at the gate. The crowd was moving towards him and he refused to walk through them demanding a police escort to the sheds. He later played for Maitland but wasn't well received by the community. Those that knew him said he was a gentleman despite his personna on the footy field.
Tony
Roar Guru
Thank Muzz Yes, they used to let us into the dressing sheds at Kogarah to talk to the players after the game. Raper, Wittenberg, Smith and co.
Tony
Roar Guru
From what I remember of Dimond, Cliff would want to make sure that he didn't miss him the first time
Phil
Roar Rookie
Fred Jones was too tough for his own good. In my much younger days I worked in Sydney for a couple of years, and came across Fred when I worked at the Homebush pub. He was John (Pogo) Morgan's offsider on his beer truck and had a face that had packed into a thousand scrums. His battle scars told us what it was like to play hooker in that era.
Phil
Roar Rookie
That was in the third test in 1966 at the SCG. Artie only played half a game, too much around the girth to go on. It was the same game where Cliff Watson used his Pommy skillset to give Peter Dimond a 40/20 to the head and received his marching orders. Once big Cliff turned to walk off, Dimond miraculously had a quick recovery, and they talk about milking penalties today. Cliff said after the game if he had indeed kicked Dimond, Dimond's head wouldn't recover. That day was my first time at the SCG for a game.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
That's something the Storm have been doing very well this season.
Tony
Roar Guru
Thanks Muzz Yes, they used to let us in to the dressing room at Kogarah after the game to talk to the players. Raper, Wittenberg, Smith and co.
Muzz
Guest
Great article, Tony. Running onto the ground at full time and sneaking into the dressing room was the norm back then. Looking up at Beetson as he opened a can of KB was something special. I reckon we'll go to 4 20 minute quarters one day. Just like VFL. Sorry that should be AFL.
Nat
Roar Guru
Yeah, I kinda wish the stadium it was as it were. It's nice and all but feels awfully formal for park footy. I'm already dreading the price of beer, $5 at Valleys.
Tony
Roar Guru
Alec Tennant was a beauty. He ran that crash run one pass off the scrum.
Bonza
Roar Rookie
Entertaining read, holy flashbacks! Yes the good old days when the coach and parents bought us a few cases of beer after the U17s GF. Have to admire the current crop of players who live like it's 1981 but retain their skill sets. The Brandon Smiths, Munsters and Radleys of the world. May they never fade away.
Hard Yards
Roar Rookie
Alec Tennant. That is a great Manly player that I haven't heard mentioned for donkey's years. I must confess that I ran into a few Boys after their training at the Brookie Rex once or twice. Looking back at it now, they were practically children still. Except for Freddy Jones who alwayed looked 120 years old. Everyone drove home after the pub in those days.