Are the Manly Sea Eagles fans the Lang Park crowd of this generation?
“This mob would boo Santa Claus,” Jack Gibson once famously said of the Queenslanders during home State of Origin matches.
For you did what, you Manly fans?
You booed Daly Cherry-Evans? You seriously booed the bloke who played 352 games in your colours, more than any other Manly player ever, captained the Sea Eagles to a premiership, and was the most influential player of his generation, with only Tommy Turbo to argue the toss?
For what, exactly?
Because he had the temerity to go to the Roosters for the final year/s of his career? This is worth booing when he runs out for the first time at Brookie? And then every time he touches the ball thereafter?
I said, for WHAT exactly?
Look, the greatest tradition of rugby league – the founding principle, if you will – is to take the money and run. But DCE didn’t even do that. The reckoning is, he took a pay-cut to play for the Roosters, simply because he felt, as he said, that “by cutting ties with Manly this year, I felt like that was the best chance for me to have freedom throughout the year.”
Got it? After 15 years of loyal service, he felt like a change would help him stay a little fresher in the twilight years of his career. No more than that. Good luck to him!
He didn’t diss the club on the way out. He didn’t utter a single disloyal word. He just wanted a change. I’d reckon after his length and level of service, he’d earned the right.
Beyond all that, isn’t booing, as a principle, adolescent twaddle? Who, seriously, boos, throughout an entire game?
Grow up. Give yourselves an uppercut. And if you really want to boo, start with your own team which has now lost three straight, has sacked the coach and is about to have a season where they can do a victory lap if they win so much as the toss.
You heard it here first
As to the NRL season playing out before our eyes, allow me to give you the result right now, before anyone. Remember, you heard it here first.
The Panthers beat the Warriors in the grand final by 10 points. Nathan Cleary was the star, and Brian To’o put the icing on the cake with two superb tries in the corner. The Kiwi crowd was down about 20 per cent on expectation, but that was only because the cost of aviation fuel had seen the price of air tickets double.
President Trump had promised that the Iran War would be over soon, but it hadn’t come in time. Nevertheless, Peter V’landys said he was a great man and couldn’t say too much, but he was confident he would turn up in Las Vegas next year. In post-season news, yet another three former NRL stars in their middle years were arrested for uncharacteristically erratic and even violent behaviour, but the league and its denizens resolutely denied it could have anything to do with CTE.
Hats off to Norm and Tom
Tom Decent wrote a fascinating piece on Monday, chronicling the extraordinary partnership in the Queensland Premier Cricket final between Gold Coast and Northern Suburbs. Gold Coast were down 2/1 after golden ducks from their opener and first drop, only for the next two batters, Hugo Burdon and Stephan Muller, to put on a record-breaking 629-run stand. Tom wondered out loud: Is this the greatest partnership in Australian history?
A reader, Stephen Taylor, sent Tom a kind note asserting – with receipts – that, in fact, “that record is held by my great uncle Thomas Patton and Norman Rippon, who had a partnership of 641 runs playing for Buffalo River against Whorouly at Gapsted in the Myrtleford and District Cricket Association, Victoria.”
The heroics took place over successive Saturdays, on March 21 and 28 and April 4, in 1914.
“At stumps on the first day, Buffalo River, after winning the toss, were 2-443 with Patton 245 not out and Rippon 132 not out. When Norm Rippon was dismissed the following Saturday for 321 the partnership was 641 runs. Tom Patton was finally dismissed for 408. Buffalo River went on to win the final by an innings and 680 runs. According to the Guinness Book of Records the partnership was the world record partnership for any level of cricket and lasted for 74 years until, as you mention, broken by Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli.”
As a side note, Taylor noted that while Rippon went on to reach the grand age of 99, Patton was in the landing at Gallipoli, only to be later mortally wounded at the age of just 28. Lest we forget. And yet, what an innings, Tom!
Brothers in arms
And isn’t that the way of cricket? The above story brings to mind another cricket yarn, this one a favourite of Doug Walters, concerning the former Queensland bowler Bill Tallon and his brother, Don, who was both the Queensland and Australia wicketkeeper. Bill loved nothing better than talking of his favourite game with “my brother Don.”
See, in that time before the Second World War, Queensland were playing South Australia in a crucial Sheffield game at the Gabba, and Bill was tossed the ball to send down the opening thunderbolts.
“The man on strike was a left-hander by the name of Nitschke,” Bill would recount, “and I bowled this b-beautiful in-swinger to him and it just nicked his bat. My brother Don dived to his left and took in front of first slip. Bloody beauty! South Australia, 1/0!”
The next batsman in was Clayvel Badcock, and the Queenslanders were not long in getting stuck into him. Bill kept peppering him with bouncers and yorkers and Badcock started getting frustrated.
“And then I bowled a beautiful out-swinger at him. He snicked it, and my brother Don dived a long way to his right and took it in front of second slip. Bloody beauty! 2/0!
“The next one in for South Australia was this cove, Bradman. True, he was a different kettle of fish altogether, but finally Bill worked him out. I bowled a bouncer and that fellow Bradman went for a hook. The ball went so high that fine-leg ran for it, mid-on ran for it, square-leg ran for it and I ran for it. It was still so high that I got sunburned on the back of me throat waiting for it to come down. But, bloody beauty, my brother Don took over and made sure of the catch. BLOODY BEAUTY! Got him! 3/411!”
McEvoy Method bears fruit
Good news for swimmers! At least for sprint swimmers.
See, it’s official. If you truly want to be fast, like Cam McEvoy, who is now officially the fastest swimmer who ever lived, having set a new world record last weekend in the 50m freestyle, you have to do what he did.
After feeling burned out after the Tokyo Olympics, McEvoy changed his entire training regime. Instead of churning out, week after week, 30 kilometres of deadly dull laps, he took it down to just three kilometres, max – featuring short, explosive, race-specific efforts. In the meantime, he spent more time in the gym, strengthening his body, and overall focusing on quality over quantity. In sum, he got himself a life, and has prospered accordingly. Bravo to him and what they are now calling the “McEvoy Method”.
What They Said
Diego Maradona Jr on Napoli’s latest superstar, Scotland’s Scott McTominay: “If my father was God, McTominay is Jesus.” And the three men I admire most, they took the last train for the coast ….
Ben Stokes: “I f—–g love cricket, I f—–g love this team, I f—–g love being England captain and I have got so much more to give to this role, and I’m so happy that I get to do it with Baz and Rob.”
Japan coach Niels Nielsen bemoans his side’s early flight the morning after winning last Saturday’s Asian Cup final: “Here in Australia, it is such a strange country, you know? If the clock is more than 11, you can’t buy a beer. What kind of country is this? Perhaps the only annoying thing about Australia is you can’t get a beer when you’re a thirsty. How do you explain that?”
Matildas coach Joe Montemurro after losing the final: “We created more chances tonight than we probably did all tournament and didn’t score. We’re trying to just spread this little Joe Montemurro cult, if you want to call it that …” Thanks, coach, we don’t.
Caitlin Foord, who had most of those chances: “It’s very disappointing. We had such an amazing opportunity to do something special here. I take a lot of responsibility. I had three really, really big chances and I have to do better there. It really hurts.” I say this, seriously, with admiration for Foord. Can you imagine a Socceroo, Kangaroo or Wallaby ever talking like that after a match – “Blame me, I have to lift my game.“? I cannot.
Cameron Munster after the Storm’s defeat to Brisbane: “We had our opportunities and just weren’t good enough – I wish I iced a couple of moments and I could have been a hero, but I ended up being a villain.” Oh, alright. Sometimes they do, I guess.
Peter V’landys on the PNG Chiefs: “Can you imagine 10 million people following one team? It’s a monopoly because it’s the only sport that’s played there.”
Waratahs coach Dan McKellar after his team went from a 20-8 lead against the Auckland Blues to a 30-20 loss: “The disappointing part for me is I’m really desperate, or we’re desperate to give New South Wales, the rugby community, a team that they can really get behind.”
Orlando Magic’s Goga Bitadze and the Lakers’ Luka Doncic locked horns and got technical: “Obviously, I let my team down getting that last tech. But honestly, I wasn’t trying to. [Bitadze] said at the free throw, he would f— my whole family. And at some point, this is a basketball court. At some point, I just can’t stand it. I got to stand up for myself. But I know I got to do better.” Nup. If he talks like that, it’s on.
Wyatt Crockett on James Slipper overtaking his record for most Super Rugby caps: “It’ll take a huge effort to go past Slips. He might go on and play another 50. If anybody does reach him, I hope they’re another front-rower and a good bugger. It would be great to have another member in the ‘two hundy’ club.”
Australia middle distance runner Jessica Hull: “I know my time is coming. To be leaving the world indoor championships with a bronze and a silver against world-class fields feels incredible. I am happy to be very consistently on the podium. This is the best job in the world, I love what I get to do, to come to Poland, to see the world and to compete, it really feels amazing. It doesn’t get any better than this.” Yes, it does. Olympic gold for you, Ms Hull. We believe!
Team of the Week
Matildas. No, they didn’t quite get the bickies in the Asian Cup, but it feels like they are sort of baaaaack.
Cameron McEvoy. The Australian swimming great broke the men’s 50 metres freestyle world record that had stood for the better part of two decades.
Daniel Rioli and Maurice Rioli Jnr. Uncle and nephew played against each other in an AFL match – and to add further quirkiness, uncle Maurice Jnr is five years the junior of nephew Daniel!
Newcastle Jets. Having a great season! Look set to claim their first A-League Premiership. (I know. The A-League is on? Why weren’t we told?)
Gordon Ingate. Australia’s oldest Olympian turns 100 tomorrow. Mr Ingate competed admirably in the 1972 Olympics as a sailor in the Tempest class. He has had a great life and wanted to call his autobiography, I kid you not, Every Time I Bend Over, A Rainbow Pops Out My Arse. Sadly, it was titled Dragons and Rainbows instead. But I digress. Happy birthday, sir.
RIP Fetiaki Langi. A cherished member of the Western Harbour rugby club, Fetiaki was a demon back-rower back in the late 80s and early 90s and I still bear his footprints on my torso! Only three players in history were good enough to win three Herald Cups for the best player in a Sydney rugby club, and Fetiaki was up there Ken Catchpole and St George’s Alan Cameron, who played 20 Tests in the 50s. The Herald extends its deepest condolences to Fetiaki’s family, Tuna, Layleen and Charlotte.
Peter FitzSimons is a journalist and columnist with The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X.