A tribute to league commentary legend Peter Sterling

I once saw a young Peter Sterling playing touch football on a field next to Parramatta’s old home ground, Cumberland Oval.

In the late 1970s I was teaching at a high school in western Sydney. The staff had a touch football team that played on Thursday afternoons after school in a teachers competition at Parramatta Park, part of which bordered on the old Cumberland Oval. After finishing our game one afternoon we were walking back to the car park and came across another group playing a game of touch. A young player with long blonde hair was bobbing busily around the field and appeared very much in charge of his team’s attacking play, running with the ball, calling out instructions and players names, pointing here and there, putting players through gaps.

Someone mentioned his name: Peter Sterling. I don’t remember if I had even heard of him. It was a while before I realised who I had seen.

Peter Sterling was born in Toowoomba, Queensland, in 1960. At an early age his family moved to Raymond Terrace, New South Wales, where he spent a few years. Later the Sterling family moved again, due to his father’s work commitments, to the country town of Wagga Wagga, and Peter started playing rugby league at 14 years of age in 1974 with Wagga Kangaroos.

Parramatta first-grade coach, Terry Fearnley, brought Sterling to the Eels in 1978, where he finished his schooling at Patrician Brothers College in Fairfield. While attending there Sterling played for the school, mainly as a five-eighth, and made a name for himself in schoolboy football. He was also given a start in the Eels lower grades.

Peter Sterling (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

In the 1978 finals series, which had five teams, the Eels first-grade team finished a semi-final match against Manly with a draw. There was no extra time. The match had to be replayed the following Wednesday. Coach Fearnley promoted Sterling – then 18 years of age and still attending high school – from the under-23s to play fullback. The Eels lost and Manly went on to be Premiers.

That 1978 series was full of controversy and talking points, but that’s another story. After another season in the lower grades, Sterling graduated to firsts in the 1980 season.

Over the next ten or so years Peter Sterling – or ‘Sterlo’, as he was often called – was Parramatta’s first-grade halfback and the organiser of their dream backline, which included Brett Kenny, Mick Cronin, Steve Ella and Eric Grothe. Sterling was a crucial part of Eels premierships in 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1986.

Peter Sterling represented both New South Wales and Australia on many occasions, including in undefeated Kangaroos tours in 1982 and 1986. Sterling also played with Hull Football Club in the Australian offseason from 1983 to 1985. He was a member of the Hull side that went down to Wigan in the 1985 Challenge Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

Peter Sterling was the ultimate team player. He organised the attack and possessed outstanding game vision over space and time. He could pick gaps and weaknesses in the opposition defence and was able to think two or more plays ahead – way in front of most others on the field. He was able to exploit these weaknesses with superb ball-handling and passing skills.

It is said he could see a weakness in the opposition’s defence and then steer the team to set up a try three or four tackles later in that same spot. He also had very effective kicking skills that allowed him to control game situations and tactics. To top it off he was a strong and reliable defender.

In 1986 Sterling won the inaugural Clive Churchill Medal as best judged player in the 1986 grand final, won by the Eels. In 1987 he was awarded the Adidas Golden Boot as the best player in the world and the Rothmans Medal as the best in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership as well as the Dally M. In 1988 he was honoured with an Order of Australia Medal.

In 1990 English magazine Open Rugby named him the best halfback in the world even though he had retired from representative football. He was forced to retire fully from the game in 1992 with recurring shoulder problems.

Sterling made a start in the media in 1987 while still continuing his playing career. He began at Sydney radio station 2WS with some midweek comments and had a stint as a sideline commentator with Channel Ten during the 1987 finals. In 1993 he moved to Channel Nine to do full live game commentary. He also went on to rugby league discussion with the Channel Nine Sunday Footy Show and a lighter look at rugby league with the midweek Footy Show, for both of which he had stints as anchor or host.

Sterling brought his understanding and vision of the game to commentary. He could call plays as they happened, but he was best at explaining how a try had been scored and all the attacking moves and defensive deficiencies that had led to it. He could often predict how the play would progress for the next few tackles. Through it all he has been objective. He appeared reluctant to speak of his old club Parramatta, perhaps trying to avoid conflicts of interest.

He was often asked about taking up coaching. He definitely has a feel for the game, was able to master so many skills of the game and has communication skills to pass his knowledge on to players. Coaching and commentary have different demands and responsibilities. For whatever reason, Sterling has passed on coaching. Maybe his love for the game as a whole was greater than a desire to work for one team and one club.

Sterling comes across as very genuine and credible. He shares some humour at times but doesn’t overdo it. Other commentators can be annoying with over-the-top opinions or by inflicting their sense of humour into the commentary or game discussion. Sterling has been knowledgeable and informed. He sticks to his role: commentating on rugby league and giving the viewer the benefit of his insights. His discussion segment with journalists on Channel Nine demonstrated an understanding of a wide range of rugby league issues.

Sterling continued to be recognised for his services to the game after retirement. In 2000 he was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his contribution to Australia’s international standing in rugby league. He was also inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame that year. In 2006 he was one of six past players to be inducted into the Australian Rugby League hall of fame at that year’s Dally M awards ceremony.

Sadly, we may have seen and heard the last of Perter Sterling on televised rugby league after this year’s grand final. He announced his retirement from Channel Nine in mid-August after 27 years. Apparently Channel Nine weren’t pleased with the announcement, which maybe reflects that he went on his own terms. I hope he has, and why shouldn’t he after all these years of service?

There is talk he may do some radio in the future. He pretty much went straight from playing to commentating. He could be excused for having had enough and wanting more time to spend on other things in life. He will be missed. No-one else speaks with his knowledge, credibility, insight and objectivity.

Thank you, Peter Sterling, for your outstanding contribution and service to rugby league over a long and very successful career.