The Last Balmain Tigers

The Last Balmain Tigers PDF Author: Nicholas R W Henning
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781660419098
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 148

Book Description
In 1999 the Super League war was supposedly over, yet the peace treaty and unification of rugby league was far from complete, as the seventeen-club National Rugby League (NRL) competition still had to be reduced to fourteen clubs by the year 2000. The 1908 foundation club Balmain Tigers had been potent over many decades, yet the 1990s was perhaps one of their most challenging periods. Some might have seen them as easy prey to be culled to make way for the fourteen-club competition, but Balmain was a proud club, and while they were not the most winning of teams, they were still one of the most determined. Balmain would decide its own future in 1999, and the direction they chose was different from the past. The players that took the field for them in 1999 would be the last to do so at the NRL level. They were a unique group of characters with varying experience, and it was they who took the last steps as NRL Balmain Tigers. Their story comprises the final year of Balmain's ninety-two seasons. With exclusive insights from the coach, players, and the club's chief executive officer, Balmain's last season is explored with details from those who were there, and author Nicholas Henning assesses and pays tribute to the final season of one of rugby league's most admired clubs.

The Great Grand Final Heist

The Great Grand Final Heist PDF Author: Ian Heads
Publisher: Stoke Hill Press
ISBN: 9780994500854
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Book Description
Balmain's shock defeat of Souths in the 1969 Grand Final has been called the biggest boilover in rugby league history. The true story of the Tigers' upset win has remained untold for almost 50 years, so it has kept its sense of mystery. Until now ...They were coached by Leo Nosworthy, a savvy operator who'd grown up around the Balmain docks. His team was full of character and characters, but lacked big names. The star-studded Rabbitohs were the two-time defending premiers. Famous names such as Provan, Churchill, Beetson and Sattler were prominent. Shady figures with links to organised crime lurked in the background; this was Balmain in the late '60s. The relationship between the two clubs had an edge that had simmered for 60 years. Huge sums were bet on the match. Tigers players were accused of faking injury, to slow the game down. The referee's integrity was questioned.It needed a master researcher to sift through all the intrigue. Ian Heads, the author of many acclaimed sports books, trawled through archives and interviewed a vast range of participants -- players, officials, fans and media -- to discover what really happened.The memories, scrapbooks and wisdom of Nosworthy, now well into his 80s, are a treasure trove. He becomes the central character of a unique sporting fable.The Great Grand Final Heist is a classic underdog story. It reads like a thriller. There has never been a league book like it.

Absolutely Bleeding Green

Absolutely Bleeding Green PDF Author: David Headon
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 1760872636
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 298

Book Description
There is no team that gives pleasure to the sporting public like the Canberra Raiders.' - Bob Hawke, former Prime Minister of Australia The Canberra Raiders' spectacular grand final win against the Balmain Tigers in 1989 is widely regarded as Australian Rugby League's greatest ever decider. For a fledgling club this was an extraordinary and unexpected achievement, heralding a sequence of years that produced two more premierships and two near misses. The Raiders' trademark adventurous style of play was welcomed by all lovers of the game. Attacking football was back in vogue. David Headon tells the story of a unique football team that entered the Sydney competition in 1982 with little fanfare and plenty of pessimism, despite the fact that league had been an integral part of communities across the Limestone Plains for nearly a century. From this firm base, the Raiders emerged to make their mark. Absolutely Bleeding Green recounts the big wins and heart-wrenching losses as it follows the players through their Raider careers, revealing how the club was able to build exceptional team spirit, even in difficult times. It includes interviews with players past and present, with coaches and administrators, as well as with families and supporters who are so proud of the distinctive lime green jersey. 'This terrific book tells the story of a unique club that changed my life forever, just as the Raiders changed Rugby League forever.' - Mal Meninga, Rugby League Immortal, Canberra Raiders Hall of Fame 'Dave Headon's history of the Canberra Raiders explores the club's origins, why it was able to defy the odds and be so successful, so quickly, and how it fought its way through more troubled times. In the process of the highs and lows, a special culture of camaraderie was created. The Raiders family has a big story, and for me it's personal. I'm honoured to be a part of it.' - Ricky Stuart, Rugby League Legend, Canberra Raiders Hall of Fame

Rugby's Great Split

Rugby's Great Split PDF Author: Tony Collins
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136317732
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 293

Book Description
Since it’s first publication, Rugby’s Great Split has established itself as a classic in the field of sport history. Drawing on an unprecedented range of sources, this deeply researched and highly readable book traces the social, cultural and economic divisions that led, in 1895, to schism in the game of rugby and the creation of rugby league, the sport of England’s northern working class. Tony Collins’ analysis challenges many of the conventional assumptions about this key event in rugby history – about class conflict, amateurism in sport, the North-South divide, violence on the pitch, the development of mass spectator sport and the rise of football. This new edition is expanded to cover parallel events in Australia and New Zealand, and to address the key question of rugby league’s failure to establish itself in Wales. Rugby’s Great Split is a benchmark text in the history of rugby, and an absorbing case study of wider issues – issues of class, gender, regional and national identity, and the impact of the commercialization and recent professionalization of rugby league. This insightful text is for anyone interested in Britain’s social history or in the emergence of modern sport, it is vital reading.

The Night the Music Died

The Night the Music Died PDF Author: Ian Heads
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 9780987564146
Category : Amco Cup (Rugby tournament)
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Book Description
Forty years ago, a flashy new rugby league competition, the 'Amco Cup', was launched. Played under lights, televised live on Wednesday nights with commentary by a young Ray Warren, it was supposed to be won by one of the rich Sydney clubs. Instead, the trophy went to Western Division, a team from western NSW that included a timber cutter, a slaughterman, a greyhound trainer, a policeman, a brickie, miners and farmers. One player, a balding back-rower nicknamed 'TV Ted' Ellery, became an instant celebrity. Along the way, TV Ted and his mates fought a match against Great Britain that might have been the most violent football game ever played. Three players were sent off and the referee needed a police escort to get not just out of the ground but out of town. Ian Heads has in effect written two books in one: describing in vivid detail a memorable season highlighted by an implausible triumph... and revisiting the players to discover what has become of them. The tale told by the referee of the Great Britain encounter, a family secret until Heads came upon it in the course of his research, is one of the most revealing and controversial ever published. The Night the Music Died is the classic story of the underdog winning against all odds. It could be the sporting book of the year.

A Statistical History of Rugby League -

A Statistical History of Rugby League - PDF Author: Stephen Kane
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1483643999
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 907

Book Description
The “Greatest Game of All” or Rugby League as it is known to some has given me nearly a half a century of pleasure and a little pain. In 1966 at the ripe old age of 6 I was introduced to our game when my Uncle Harry moved into the bedroom I shared with my younger brother in a 2 bedroom fibro joint in Rockdale (Dragon Territory). Harry was playing lower grades for Jack Gibson’s Roosters and went on to play for St George in the 1971 Grand Final against my other front rower mate John Sattler and his Rabbitoh’s. By the age of 9 I had memorized every player in the Big League magazine. The game became my obsession. Even if I had not been lucky enough to play over 100 games in the best competition in the world (arguably in any sport) Rugby League was in my blood. As a Rothmans Medal winner (the official player of the year award in 1983 succeeded by The Dally M Medal) I have always been aware of the history of our great game and its effect on society especially in the northern states of Australia. Apart from obtaining a Law degree at Sydney University I studied the Politics in Sport while completing my Arts Degree at Macquarie University. I believed our game was ahead of sports like baseball, gridiron and basketball that relied heavily on statistics to rate their great players. Ours is a game of passion made for the blue collar working classman relying on guts and determination not on how many yards and minutes someone makes or plays. However as we get older we all like to dig deep into history and see who had the ability and drive to play even one game in the toughest competition playing the greatest game of all. This book does what none other has attempted to do—tell a story using numbers and statistics about our great game. It is something every player and fan would do well to study. Steve Kane the author of this book could be a reincarnation of Stephen Harold Gascoigne, better known as Yabba whose statue stands proudly at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Yabba was known for his knowledgeable witticisms shouted loudly from “The Hill”, a grassy general admissions area of the SCG. A lot like Yabba “Kaney” can be found every winter Sunday on the hill at Greenfield Park Albury (or away in Junee, Temora or Wagga) cheering his beloved Thunder to victory in the Group 9 Premiership loudly and clearly from 10 am to 5.30pm. In his spare time since breaking his back 7 years ago he has collected statistics on players in the NSWRL (now known as the NRL) dating back to 1908. The first words Kaney said to me was “I have every Rugby League Week ever published” as he showed me his “EELS tattoo”. “You got sin binned once in your career at North Sydney Oval in 1983 or was it 1984?”? I knew I was in the company of a Rugby League tragic. This study of our game will help all of us who love the game and those of us lucky enough to have played it a better insight into the players of the greatest game of all from the top to the bottom. Written by Mike Eden, who played 110 Games for Manly, Easts, Parramatta and Gold Coast, is Gold Coast Player Number 1, and Won the Dally M award for Player of the Year in 1983

A Statistical History of Rugby League - Volume I

A Statistical History of Rugby League - Volume I PDF Author: Stephen Kane
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1479757551
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 923

Book Description
The Greatest Game of All or Rugby League as it is known to some has given me nearly a half a century of pleasure and a little pain. In 1966 at the ripe old age of 6 I was introduced to our game when my Uncle Harry moved into the bedroom I shared with my younger brother in a 2 bedroom fibro joint in Rockdale(Dragon Territory). Harry was playing lower grades for Jack Gibson s Roosters and went on to play for St George in the 1971 Grand Final against my other front rower mate John Sattler and his Rabbitoh s. By the age of 9 I had memorized every player in the Big League magazine. The game became my obsession. Even if I had not been lucky enough to play over 100 games in the best competition in the world(arguably in any sport) Rugby League was in my blood. As a Rothmans Medal winner (the official player of the year award in 1983 succeeded by The Dally M Medal) I have always been aware of the history of our great game and its effect on society especially in the northern states of Australia. Apart from obtaining a Law degree at Sydney University I studied the Politics in Sport while completing my Arts Degree at Macquarie University. I believed our game was ahead of sports like baseball, gridiron and basketball that relied heavily on statistics to rate their great players. Ours is a game of passion made for the blue collar working classman relying on guts and determination not on how many yards and minutes someone makes or plays. However as we get older we all like to dig deep into history and see who had the ability and drive to play even one game in the toughest competition playing the greatest game of all. This book does what none other has attempted to do tell a story using numbers and statistics about our great game. It is something every player and fan would do well to study. Stephen Kane the author of this book could be a reincarnation of Stephen Harold Gascoigne, better known as Yabba whose statue stands proudly at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Yabba was known for his knowledgeable witticisms shouted loudly from The Hill , a grassy general admissions area of the SCG. A lot like Yabba Kaney can be found every winter Sunday on the hill at Greenfield Park Albury(or away in Junee, Temora or Wagga) cheering his beloved Thunder to victory in the Group 9 Premiership loudly and clearly from 10 am to 5.30pm. In his spare time since breaking his back 7 years ago he has collected statistics on players in the NSWRL(now known as the NRL) dating back to 1908. The first words Kaney said to me was I have every Rugby League Week ever published as he showed me his EELS tattoo . You got sin binned once in your career at North Sydney Oval in 1983 or was it 1984? ? I knew I was in the company of a Rugby League tragic. This study of our game will help all of us who love the game and those of us lucky enough to have played it a better insight into the players of the greatest game of all from the top to the bottom. Written by Mike Eden, who played 110 Games for Manly, Easts, Parramatta and Gold Coast, is Gold Coast Player Number 1, and Won the Dally M award for Player of the Year in 1983
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