Brothers in arms: Kangaroos in the family

I knew I had seen you somewhere. Could have been the " The Three Swallows"

They need someone to play - perhaps fathers and sons? I wanted to pick Steve, Josh & Brett Morris but the boys can’t play in both. In the halves we are solid but I think 2023 & 2024 seasons will see one of the 3 pairings move ahead. My money is on Sam Walker to emerge. 1. Matt Rogers - 11 tests 2. Eric Grothe snr - 8 tests 3. Steve Rogers - 24 tests 4. John Hopoate - 2 tests 5. Eric Grothe jnr - 1 test 6. Ben Walker / Jackson Hastings / Cooper Johns 7. Sam Walker / Kevin Hastings / Matt Johns 9 tests 8. Martin Lang - 8 state of origins 9. John Lang - 3 tests 10. Craig Young - 20 tests 11. Ryan Hoffman - 6 tests 12. John Sattler - 4 tests 13. John Raper - 39 tests 14. Dean Young - 1 test 15. Scott Sattler - 1 State of Origin 16. Aaron Raper - 1 test 17. Will Hopoate - 5 State of Origin / 11 tests Tonga 18. Jay Hoffman - 3 State of Origins Some unlucky omissions John & Bryce Cartwight, Bob & Michael Hagan etc

Ron Coote was one of the nicest blokes I've run into. Always happy for a chat. An Easts legend.

Guess being in the lesser team worked against you. :stoked:

Beathy Surely one of if not both of the Wynn boys played for the Kangaroos? Graeme and Peter?

You may well be aware, Matth, that the fabulous Ron Coote was steered towards McDonalds franchises when he went to Eastern Suburbs, by a bloke who owned television, newspapers ‘n other stuff. He never looked back. He and his children have several sites down the South Coast, including South Nowra, which is a bit like owning the rather profitable Markets Hotel at Flemington, the Railway at Lidcombe, the Crossroads and Cabramatta Inn! Couldn’t happen to a nicer, more generous bloke.

One of the great oversights. Des is in amongst the best Queensland player to never get a run in the national side. Rod owns some McDonalds stores in QLD. My son works at one.

Yeah, I was preparing to mention the Mighty Rabbitohs second rower Bill McCarthy and his younger brother who played out in the centres early on, but Bill didn’t play for Australia. I cunningly managed to do it anyway! :stoked: I will be in strife for that so I might as well go the whole hog – here he is with a couple of other blokes – tinyurl.com/Bill-McCarthy ; and the pair of them played on this day in 1964 (one was just a boy!) with another bloke, Wayne, whose brother played for the Kangaroos – tinyurl.com/the-other-Stevens . I could go on – I see a fella listed there in 1964 whose brother played for the Kangaroos, but he didn’t; and a bloke who captained the Kangaroos whose son made it to Queensland representation once but didn’t play for Australia – but I won’t. :stoked: :silly: :laughing: .

I was thinking Rod and Des Morris. I know Rod played for Australia. Des, I'm not too sure.

The Thornetts were outstanding across multiple sports (at the top end), the testimonial to John for his IRB Hall of Fame induction on November 18, 2013 is a comprehensive guide to that (https://www.world.rugby/news/33828) – whoever wrote it did an admirable job. All three played together for the Wallabies, John became one of the country’s finest front rowers, an exceptional captain and a champion of the game. Ken and Dick moved to League and played together for the Kangaroos and Parramatta. Ken was as reliable a full back as you would see, his defence was exceptional - he'd stand at the back half crouching with his arms out, seemingly filling the width of the ground ... he wouldn't know how to tackle above the thighs, not at all like the Rabbitoh's superstar. He competed for Kangaroo selection with Keith Barnes (who had a mortgage on the role) and the quicker attacking, younger men in Les Johns and Graeme Langlands. He surely did wear the mantle of “Mayor of Parramatta” – they loved him out there, a long way from town in the ‘60s. :silly: Dick was the earliest of the second rowers with deft ball handling attacking skill, much like Great Britain’s Dick Huddart and Merv Hicks, who migrated to Australia and stayed and entertained us all! Young and lazy Arthur Beetson soon after emerged to do the same but better - innately, instinctively, effortlessly. I well recall Ken and Dick entering Henson Park in the late ‘60s, ambling in through the grand brick gates, past the massive stand we had seating 27 or 35 people :stoked: , carrying small sports bags (nothing like the modern players – they weren’t even wearing headphones). The modest crowd of Bluebags locals turned to quietly applaud them (I think Dick had played a State game the day before?) and it was a simply splendid sight – two famous brothers in the second half of their illustrious careers, arriving without fanfare for another game together as ordinary men, smiling appreciatively.

That team would take some beating. Good to see the Mortimers in there.