Opinion
One day after Barcelona lit the cauldron on the 1992 Olympic Games, Matthew Johns made his first-grade debut for the Newcastle Knights.
And the star five-eighth turned media juggernaut was joined by an exceptionally strong vintage of debutants throughout that Olympic year.
While the rookie classes of 1990 and 1991 had a couple of thin patches in their line-ups, the 1992 cohort is strong from one to 17 — especially in the big-man department, with three seasoned Kangaroos forwards forced to start from the pine.
Meet the first serious contender for the rugby league rookie cup.
Fullback: Robbie O’Davis
Alongside fellow ’92 rookies Matthew Johns and Adam Muir, Robbie O’Davis helped form the nucleus of the Newcastle team that ended up with that epic premiership win five years later.
Wingers: Sean Hoppe and Ken Nagas
Remarkably for a side that made the grand final the year before, Canberra ushered in a whopping 16 debutants in 1992. Two of them — Ken Nagas and prolific Kiwi international Sean Hoppe — occupy these flanks. Speedsters Brett Dallas (Canterbury) and Lee Oudenryn (Parramatta) are unlucky to miss out.
Centres: Michael Buettner and Ivan Cleary
Michael Buettner and Ivan Cleary began their careers at Parramatta and Manly respectively, and ended them more than a decade later with 449 games and 1901 points between them. Cleary, incidentally, is one of two current NRL coaches who made their first-grade debut in ’92 — the other is Michael Maguire (Canberra).
(Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
Five-eighth: Matthew Johns
The Knights favourite beats some quality players to the number six jersey, namely Kiwi stalwart Gene Ngamu (Manly), eventual Wallaby Andrew Walker (St George), and bush footy legend Paul Davis (Balmain).
Halfback: Craig Polla-Mounter
Canterbury’s Craig Polla-Mounter was so tough that he played that unforgettable preliminary final against Parramatta in 1998 with a couple of fractured vertebrae in his back. His only competition for this spot was Tulsen Tollett, who was in contention chiefly for his contribution to rugby league rhyming slang (‘wallet’, if you’re wondering).
Props: Robbie Kearns and Jason Stevens
Robbie Kearns (Cronulla) and Jason Stevens (St George) bring 34 Tests, 16 Origins and 512 first-grade games of experience into this front-row combination, forcing their rep team-mate Rodney Howe — who made his bow with Newcastle — to sit on the bench.
Hooker: Jamie Goddard
It’s a close-run thing between Canterbury’s Darren Senter and Gold Coast’s Jamie Goddard. The deciding factor was the Queenslander’s flurry of punches on opposite number Andrew Johns in the ‘cattledog’ stink in 1997 — perhaps the only strategy that ever effectively stopped the GOAT.
Second row: Gorden Tallis (captain) and Stephen Kearney
When Kangaroo and NSW regulars Adam Muir (Newcastle) and David Furner (Canberra) are forced to sit on the bench, you know the starting back row is seriously good.
St George rookie Gorden Tallis and Wests debutant Stephen Kearney forged towering careers at Brisbane and Melbourne respectively, each playing key roles in premiership triumphs as well as captaining their two countries.
(Photo by Getty Images)
Lock: Nik Kosef
Nik Kosef’s Manly career was ravaged by four knee reconstructions — two on each leg — and he still managed to squeeze in ten Tests, eight Origins and three grand finals. Imagine what he could’ve done if his body gave him permission.
Scott Sattler (Gold Coast) is hard done by. He almost deserves a jumper for that cover tackle on Todd Byrne in Penrith’s 2003 grand final triumph alone.
Bench: Rodney Howe, Adam Muir, David Furner, Glen Hughes
The names Rodney Howe, Adam Muir and David Furner became regular fixtures on NSW and Australia team sheets in the late 1990s, while Glen Hughes is Canterbury royalty whose versatility between centre, five-eighth and the back row makes him ideal for the bench.
That Scott Sattler, Brett Dallas and Andrew Walker miss altogether underlines the depth of talent among the class of ’92.
Coach: Wally Lewis
‘The King’ became Gold Coast’s player-coach in 1992 — the only new boss in the comp, giving him this gig by default. Although he’s an undoubted leader, back-to-back wooden spoons with the Seagulls inspires little confidence with the clipboard.
Verdict
This 1992 line-up boasts 12 internationals sprinkled across the park, and the ones who didn’t play Test footy are no slouches. The forward pack, in particular, will take some serious stopping.
Expect this 1992 vintage to feature at the pointy end of the rugby league rookie cup. Although the ’93 team will supply a stern test, thanks to bloke wearing the number seven.
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