Rugby league in black and white
'I was born in the latter stages of the war and grew up in a mining community where the only cars were owned by the doctor and the vet,' says Allen Dodd of Kirribilli. 'Most merchants undertook horse-and-cart deliveries (C8), the most memorable being the butcher. After days of heavy snow, his cart stopped outside our house, which was on a steep bank. The subsequent loss of friction between ice and steel hooves left cart and horse (in that order) sliding down the bank, ending up in the front garden of the bottom-most resident. Happily, the horse survived, which is more than can be said of the butcher's stock, which vanished rapidly!'
Ellen Kassel of Collaroy experienced the delivery caper further afield: 'I remember getting ice, milk and bread deliveries in upstate New York growing up, but the best of that world was the sharpener man and his truck. When we heard the bells on that old truck, my grandmother would run for her scissors, and my dad, the carving knife. All the neighbours out in the queue, chatting with their very sharp things in hand. Did this happen in Australia, too? Couldn't happen now, I 'fear'.'
Port Macquarie's favourite son, Don Bain (C8), is getting a lot of love presently: 'Thank you, Don, for that heart-lifting laugh,' says Caz Willis of Bowral. 'It's thought-provoking to know if the future will hold musk sticks or musk Lifesavers. Think I'll stay with Caramello Koalas.'
The man himself also has an interesting take on the humble night-soil slinger: 'Two reasons I'm glad I wasn't a dunny man (C8): number one; number two.'
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Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Why Nathan Cleary didn't make the best NRL team since 2000
Ihave been tasked with selecting the best team of NRL players over the past quarter-century. The single restriction is that we only consider a player's deeds over the period from 2000 to 2025. So Joey Johns's grand final heroics in 1997 don't count, but his 2001 triumph does. I have also avoided the temptation to select players out of position – such as moving centre Greg Inglis to wing to accommodate Stephen Crichton, currently the best defensive centre in the NRL. But that's my choice. You can pick GI as fullback, where he played in South Sydney's 2014 premiership team, if you wish. Why does that matter? Well, as this masthead is an equal opportunity publication, the readers have a choice. Select your team and send it to us via the form below of the article, and we will update this article with a selection of readers' squads. You can also vote on my team in the poll included in the article. Fullback Billy Slater. An easy one to start. Slater was better than anyone during this period and even earlier, back to any fullback not named Clive Churchill or Graeme Langlands – both of whom are rugby league Immortals. One test of greatness is whether the player's dominance led to a rule change, and Billy the Kid did. Opposition teams were so worried about his ability to return the ball from kicks that they booted it past him. So, the rule-makers introduced a seven-tackle set from the 20-metre mark to punish kicks crossing the dead ball line. Slater sliced through defences with such ease it seemed as if he had a contortionist's body and a cat burglar's feet. He sophisticated the role of organising the defence. Plus he played 311 NRL games – nearly 50 more than the next best No 1, James Tedesco, who, admittedly, ain't finished yet. Wingers Brian To'o. The winger's role has changed dramatically over the past quarter-century, from try-scoring to metre-eating. The Penrith winger can do both, plus play both sides of the field in an era when junior coaches bracket backs as left or right. 'Bizza', as he is nicknamed, is certainly busy, making more metres than men nearly twice his size. He plays as if building a flat stretch of highway. When he returned to the Panthers side after an injury, one commentator quipped that Penrith had acquired another front-rower. He was NSW's best player in the second and third matches of the recent Origin series despite playing on one leg. He has tallied 125 NRL games since starting in 2019, putting him on track to equal the Roosters' Daniel Tupou, who started seven years earlier and is currently on 280 games. Brett Morris. An NRL decision in 2010 to remove the corner post from the field of play has revolutionised the wing position, with fans treated to acrobatic feats such as Xavier Coates's gyration through the air for a last-second try in 2024. Wingers now need only to avoid the sideline markings. The son of Steve 'Slippery' Morris – himself a top winger – played from 2006-21 but was a strong finisher, irrespective of the corner post. He won premierships with two clubs, the Dragons in 2010 and the Roosters in 2019, playing 215 NRL games and is near the top of the all-time try scorers list. Centres Greg Inglis. Big, strong, agile and fast, he was so dominant over a period when the Storm had two other selections in this quarter-century team that coaches were tempted to ask him not to eat fish in case a bone caught in his throat, or shower without a rubber foot mat, or walk under ladders. He had a remarkably quick-play-the ball for such a tall player. He grew up in Bowraville, NSW, but Queensland claimed him for Origin – possibly because his fend was so powerful that they assumed he came from Palm Island. Mark Gasnier. He was a nightmare for defences with his speed, step and one-handed offload. He played on the right-hand side of the field with the Dragons so would complement GI, whose powerful fend made him a left-side player. Gasnier, a 2010 premiership player, was also chosen in the Dragons' Team of the Century, joining his uncle, Reg, an Immortal. Five-eighth Darren Lockyer: He won three NRL grand finals as a fullback before the turn of the century and only one as a five-eighth afterwards, but he's still good enough to make my team as a No.6. He did not have a top halfback at the Broncos after the retirement of Alf Langer, yet still took command of a game. An outstanding leader, he was at the top for Queensland and Australia during a 16-year career in which he was also a dead-eyed goalkicker. He was the definition of a clutch player, scoring a late try in the 2006 Origin series that began Queensland's run of eight successive series. He played in the first six. If you don't like Lockyer, you've got a choice of Kieran Foran, Braith Anasta, James Maloney or Benji Marshall, all of whose careers began after 2000. Cameron Munster's time will come. Halfback Andrew 'Joey' Johns: Only half the eighth Immortal's career was played after 2000, yet he did enough in that period to win the key position in my quarter-century team. He won grand finals either side of the cut-off date in his 1993-2007 career and came out of representative retirement to win an Origin decider almost single-handedly in Brisbane in 2004. An honourable mention must go to Nathan Cleary whose 18 minutes of magic in the 2023 NRL grand final is unsurpassed. However, Cooper Cronk is my second choice. He is No.2 on the number of games (339) behind Daly Cherry-Evans; won six grand finals at two clubs and his absence with a broken arm from the 2014 Queensland team helped NSW end the Maroons' run of eight consecutive victories. Lock Isaah Yeo. The No.13 is now a middle player who can link the ball. The revolution began with Jake Trbojevic, and now the Penrith co-captain owns the position. When Michael Maguire selected his 2024 NSW team, he had Yeo on the bench, justifying it to me on the basis that the tall Yeo had a slow play-the-ball. That's like criticising a supermodel for having a bent toe. If you prefer granite toughness, Paul Gallen (248 NRL games) is your man; if you want a lightweight under-the-ball defender, it's Dallas Johnson. Second row Sonny Bill Williams. He won premierships at two clubs nine years apart, with an interregnum in the All Blacks where he played at centre in Tests. He came back to the NRL when coaches were far more attack-minded than now. Today's 'edge forwards' are primarily defensive players with the task of shutting down the opposition halfback. The Storm's Eli Katoa, with his leap for high balls on the last tackle, seemingly as if he has eyes in the back of his head, offers hope coaches are liberating these players to vary their attack. Sonny Bill was as unstoppable as wrinkles. To say he bothered opponents is like calling a shark in the bathtub a nuisance, with coaches committing extra tacklers to him to try and stop his offloads. He rarely mis-timed with his shoulder charges, which were eventually banned. He was the best defensive back-rower of his era, owning the right edge of the field, but also played a mobile role in attack. He also played the full 80 minutes. It's an indictment on today's straitjacket game that there is no role for a Sonny Bill or a Steve Menzies, whose best football was before 2000. Sam Burgess. The English international is closer to today's edge back-rower elite, such as Liam Martin and Angus Crichton, than the Sonny Bill/'Beaver' Menzies type. He was inspirational, impactful, tough, highly competitive, with the ability to offload and carry the ball forward like a middle player. The 2014 grand final was his finest moment, inspiring his teammates John Sattler-style after fracturing his cheekbone in the opening tackle. Hooker Cameron Smith. No arguments, please. OK, he didn't have to win the ball in scrums, but neither did any of his opponents. He set so many records – for NRL games played, wins, representative games, goals kicked in his position – that 'The Accountant' is the record holder for records broken. He could think his way past defenders, slowing the game down or speeding it up like no-one has done before. He played 408 NRL games during an 18-year period for one club and was as dedicated to the game at the end as much as he was at the beginning. The joy he expressed when scampering to the posts for a rare try was akin to a five-year-old racing to the tree on Christmas morning. Only Danny Buderus, who played half as many NRL games, comes close to him. Props Jared Waerea-Hargreaves: Ask any Kangaroo forward from the 1980s who they would like in the front row and they will nominate this grizzled veteran. The last of the true enforcers, he was willing to wear the black hat, intimidating opponents and inspiring teammates. His chest-out bravado was matched by the metres he made and tackles he executed. He played 255 NRL games, behind Petero Civoniceva (259) and Jesse Bromwich (316). Payne Haas. The prototype of the modern middle. A big, skilful player with a high work rate in defence, he has better footwork and offload ability than JWH. He has some of Sonny Bill's skills inside a giant's body. Importantly, he can play 80 minutes when many middles leave the field after 20. His pain tolerance is off the charts. Bench Johnathan Thurston. Who can forget his heroics in the Cowboys' 2015 grand final victory, speeding through the Broncos in the final seconds as if riding a minibike through a herd of drugged elephants. Like Lockyer, he always knew where to be. Ben Kennedy. I came close to typing in others, but BK was explosive against the unbackable Eels in the first quarter of the 2001 grand final. Jesse Bromwich. Won Player of the Year competitions at the Storm ahead of other Golden Boot winners at the club at the same time. Paul Gallen. Led the Sharks to their inaugural premiership. Achieved a delicate balance between what his coach wanted him to do (carry the ball forward) and what he wanted to do (ball-play and offload). PS. Cameron Munster, Stephen Crichton, Angus Crichton and Nathan Cleary are possibly on the waiting list but another could come along sooner than we think, a player whose brilliance is equal to, say, Joey Johns, or greater in a more nuanced way. The same applies to art and literature, as it does to the great and glorious game of rugby league. So don't forget that Michelangelo was busy sculpting another Pieta days before he died in 1564. And what happened two months later? Shakespeare was born.
The Age
2 hours ago
- The Age
Why Nathan Cleary didn't make the best NRL team since 2000
Ihave been tasked with selecting the best team of NRL players over the past quarter-century. The single restriction is that we only consider a player's deeds over the period from 2000 to 2025. So Joey Johns's grand final heroics in 1997 don't count, but his 2001 triumph does. I have also avoided the temptation to select players out of position – such as moving centre Greg Inglis to wing to accommodate Stephen Crichton, currently the best defensive centre in the NRL. But that's my choice. You can pick GI as fullback, where he played in South Sydney's 2014 premiership team, if you wish. Why does that matter? Well, as this masthead is an equal opportunity publication, the readers have a choice. Select your team and send it to us via the form below of the article, and we will update this article with a selection of readers' squads. You can also vote on my team in the poll included in the article. Fullback Billy Slater. An easy one to start. Slater was better than anyone during this period and even earlier, back to any fullback not named Clive Churchill or Graeme Langlands – both of whom are rugby league Immortals. One test of greatness is whether the player's dominance led to a rule change, and Billy the Kid did. Opposition teams were so worried about his ability to return the ball from kicks that they booted it past him. So, the rule-makers introduced a seven-tackle set from the 20-metre mark to punish kicks crossing the dead ball line. Slater sliced through defences with such ease it seemed as if he had a contortionist's body and a cat burglar's feet. He sophisticated the role of organising the defence. Plus he played 311 NRL games – nearly 50 more than the next best No 1, James Tedesco, who, admittedly, ain't finished yet. Wingers Brian To'o. The winger's role has changed dramatically over the past quarter-century, from try-scoring to metre-eating. The Penrith winger can do both, plus play both sides of the field in an era when junior coaches bracket backs as left or right. 'Bizza', as he is nicknamed, is certainly busy, making more metres than men nearly twice his size. He plays as if building a flat stretch of highway. When he returned to the Panthers side after an injury, one commentator quipped that Penrith had acquired another front-rower. He was NSW's best player in the second and third matches of the recent Origin series despite playing on one leg. He has tallied 125 NRL games since starting in 2019, putting him on track to equal the Roosters' Daniel Tupou, who started seven years earlier and is currently on 280 games. Brett Morris. An NRL decision in 2010 to remove the corner post from the field of play has revolutionised the wing position, with fans treated to acrobatic feats such as Xavier Coates's gyration through the air for a last-second try in 2024. Wingers now need only to avoid the sideline markings. The son of Steve 'Slippery' Morris – himself a top winger – played from 2006-21 but was a strong finisher, irrespective of the corner post. He won premierships with two clubs, the Dragons in 2010 and the Roosters in 2019, playing 215 NRL games and is near the top of the all-time try scorers list. Centres Greg Inglis. Big, strong, agile and fast, he was so dominant over a period when the Storm had two other selections in this quarter-century team that coaches were tempted to ask him not to eat fish in case a bone caught in his throat, or shower without a rubber foot mat, or walk under ladders. He had a remarkably quick-play-the ball for such a tall player. He grew up in Bowraville, NSW, but Queensland claimed him for Origin – possibly because his fend was so powerful that they assumed he came from Palm Island. Mark Gasnier. He was a nightmare for defences with his speed, step and one-handed offload. He played on the right-hand side of the field with the Dragons so would complement GI, whose powerful fend made him a left-side player. Gasnier, a 2010 premiership player, was also chosen in the Dragons' Team of the Century, joining his uncle, Reg, an Immortal. Five-eighth Darren Lockyer: He won three NRL grand finals as a fullback before the turn of the century and only one as a five-eighth afterwards, but he's still good enough to make my team as a No.6. He did not have a top halfback at the Broncos after the retirement of Alf Langer, yet still took command of a game. An outstanding leader, he was at the top for Queensland and Australia during a 16-year career in which he was also a dead-eyed goalkicker. He was the definition of a clutch player, scoring a late try in the 2006 Origin series that began Queensland's run of eight successive series. He played in the first six. If you don't like Lockyer, you've got a choice of Kieran Foran, Braith Anasta, James Maloney or Benji Marshall, all of whose careers began after 2000. Cameron Munster's time will come. Halfback Andrew 'Joey' Johns: Only half the eighth Immortal's career was played after 2000, yet he did enough in that period to win the key position in my quarter-century team. He won grand finals either side of the cut-off date in his 1993-2007 career and came out of representative retirement to win an Origin decider almost single-handedly in Brisbane in 2004. An honourable mention must go to Nathan Cleary whose 18 minutes of magic in the 2023 NRL grand final is unsurpassed. However, Cooper Cronk is my second choice. He is No.2 on the number of games (339) behind Daly Cherry-Evans; won six grand finals at two clubs and his absence with a broken arm from the 2014 Queensland team helped NSW end the Maroons' run of eight consecutive victories. Lock Isaah Yeo. The No.13 is now a middle player who can link the ball. The revolution began with Jake Trbojevic, and now the Penrith co-captain owns the position. When Michael Maguire selected his 2024 NSW team, he had Yeo on the bench, justifying it to me on the basis that the tall Yeo had a slow play-the-ball. That's like criticising a supermodel for having a bent toe. If you prefer granite toughness, Paul Gallen (248 NRL games) is your man; if you want a lightweight under-the-ball defender, it's Dallas Johnson. Second row Sonny Bill Williams. He won premierships at two clubs nine years apart, with an interregnum in the All Blacks where he played at centre in Tests. He came back to the NRL when coaches were far more attack-minded than now. Today's 'edge forwards' are primarily defensive players with the task of shutting down the opposition halfback. The Storm's Eli Katoa, with his leap for high balls on the last tackle, seemingly as if he has eyes in the back of his head, offers hope coaches are liberating these players to vary their attack. Sonny Bill was as unstoppable as wrinkles. To say he bothered opponents is like calling a shark in the bathtub a nuisance, with coaches committing extra tacklers to him to try and stop his offloads. He rarely mis-timed with his shoulder charges, which were eventually banned. He was the best defensive back-rower of his era, owning the right edge of the field, but also played a mobile role in attack. He also played the full 80 minutes. It's an indictment on today's straitjacket game that there is no role for a Sonny Bill or a Steve Menzies, whose best football was before 2000. Sam Burgess. The English international is closer to today's edge back-rower elite, such as Liam Martin and Angus Crichton, than the Sonny Bill/'Beaver' Menzies type. He was inspirational, impactful, tough, highly competitive, with the ability to offload and carry the ball forward like a middle player. The 2014 grand final was his finest moment, inspiring his teammates John Sattler-style after fracturing his cheekbone in the opening tackle. Hooker Cameron Smith. No arguments, please. OK, he didn't have to win the ball in scrums, but neither did any of his opponents. He set so many records – for NRL games played, wins, representative games, goals kicked in his position – that 'The Accountant' is the record holder for records broken. He could think his way past defenders, slowing the game down or speeding it up like no-one has done before. He played 408 NRL games during an 18-year period for one club and was as dedicated to the game at the end as much as he was at the beginning. The joy he expressed when scampering to the posts for a rare try was akin to a five-year-old racing to the tree on Christmas morning. Only Danny Buderus, who played half as many NRL games, comes close to him. Props Jared Waerea-Hargreaves: Ask any Kangaroo forward from the 1980s who they would like in the front row and they will nominate this grizzled veteran. The last of the true enforcers, he was willing to wear the black hat, intimidating opponents and inspiring teammates. His chest-out bravado was matched by the metres he made and tackles he executed. He played 255 NRL games, behind Petero Civoniceva (259) and Jesse Bromwich (316). Payne Haas. The prototype of the modern middle. A big, skilful player with a high work rate in defence, he has better footwork and offload ability than JWH. He has some of Sonny Bill's skills inside a giant's body. Importantly, he can play 80 minutes when many middles leave the field after 20. His pain tolerance is off the charts. Bench Johnathan Thurston. Who can forget his heroics in the Cowboys' 2015 grand final victory, speeding through the Broncos in the final seconds as if riding a minibike through a herd of drugged elephants. Like Lockyer, he always knew where to be. Ben Kennedy. I came close to typing in others, but BK was explosive against the unbackable Eels in the first quarter of the 2001 grand final. Jesse Bromwich. Won Player of the Year competitions at the Storm ahead of other Golden Boot winners at the club at the same time. Paul Gallen. Led the Sharks to their inaugural premiership. Achieved a delicate balance between what his coach wanted him to do (carry the ball forward) and what he wanted to do (ball-play and offload). PS. Cameron Munster, Stephen Crichton, Angus Crichton and Nathan Cleary are possibly on the waiting list but another could come along sooner than we think, a player whose brilliance is equal to, say, Joey Johns, or greater in a more nuanced way. The same applies to art and literature, as it does to the great and glorious game of rugby league. So don't forget that Michelangelo was busy sculpting another Pieta days before he died in 1564. And what happened two months later? Shakespeare was born.
Sydney Morning Herald
8 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
The NRL is set to review Origin eligibility rules. It could shake up the game
'They're the tier-one countries impacted. [Players from] tier-two nations like Samoa and Tonga can still play State of Origin and represent those nations. 'It's a polarising idea. When we've consulted on any possible Origin eligibility changes some people have loved it, others hated it. 'We want a strong international game and calendar, and we want Australia to be challenged. And we want to respect the players and the nations they want to play for, and the argument for change is one we'll consider. 'It wouldn't be open slather – it would be mostly New Zealand players, and any change would be considered to ensure they're not left behind.' Even if the NRL were to relax eligibility rules, players would still have to have lived in NSW or Queensland before their 13th birthdays to be able to play Origin. The likes of Kiwi stars Joe Tapine, James Fisher-Harris, Ronaldo Mulitalo and Moses Leota would remain ineligible for the interstate series, along with almost all English NRL imports. But as NZRL chief Greg Peters welcomed V'landys' comments and a potential boost for New Zealand's ability to compete with Australia, Samoa and Tonga for talent, he claimed as many as 11 players from this year's NSW and Queensland squads are eligible for the Kiwis. Ponga has made a high-profile move to switch his allegiance to New Zealand given his only Australian caps came during the short-lived Nines World Cup concept. The likes of Jarome Luai, Spencer Leniu, Moeaki Fotuaika and Josh Papalii have also been forced to choose between playing for the Kiwis or their state in the past. Like Weekes, playmaking prodigy Katoa was courted by the NZRL and former Kiwi coach Michael Maguire before opting to represent Tonga, which keeps him eligible for NSW under the current rules. Weekes, 23, was born in Sydney but is eligible to represent New Zealand due to his family heritage. Given his strong form in Canberra's rise to the top of the NRL ladder, his decision to pledge allegiance to the Kangaroos could see him emerge as an Ashes tour bolter. Alternatively, under the potential rule change, a player like Addin Fonua-Blake (one Test for New Zealand in 2017) would be able to represent the Blues, the Cronulla prop having grown up in Sydney and played for Mascot Jets as a junior. 'A guy like Kalyn Ponga is a good example,' Peters said. 'He's a proud Maori, proud New Zealander and a proud Queenslander. But at the moment he doesn't have the ability to play for New Zealand should he chose to. He's a really good example. 'The other one is Jarome Luai. Who knows, Jarome Luai might probably want to play for Samoa, and good on him for doing so. But he played Junior Kiwis and the point is that his pathway to the Kiwis was shut down the moment he was selected to play Origin. 'Samoa is going to have a team stacked full of Origin players, which is great for the game, but it's not available to us. We strongly support a review of these rules.' Along with the lure of playing Origin as the pinnacle of the game, $30,000 match payments for the interstate series are 10 times larger than what players earn per Test match. Loading The most recent collective bargaining agreement reduced Kangaroos match payments to $3000 per game to ensure parity across all Pacific nations, with New Zealand previously unable to compete with Australia on a financial front. 'There's a big monetary gain as well, so you can understand that choice of people wanting to play Origin, but New Zealand should be open to them,' Peters said. 'There are 11 players across both Origin squads who are eligible for New Zealand. There's no guarantee they would even choose to play for New Zealand, but they don't currently have the choice and it should be looked at. We want a strong international game.'
