billrider2013

I appear to be stranded in Sydney waiting for my bike to be repaired and the sorting out of  some personal stuff.  Yesterday I decided to go to the Sydney Cricket Ground to watch a Rugby League game.

The weekend’s round was named the ‘Heritage Round’, celebrating the history of the game.  Part of the celebrations the game between St George Illawarra (the Saints and formerly known as the simply St George) and West Tigers (formerly known as the Balmain Tigers)

The game was played at the Sydney Cricket Ground (the SCG).  The ‘heritage’ bit of this was that Rugby league was played at the SCG up until 1987.  It is not usually played there now.  Up until 1987 it was usual practice for the match of the round to be played at the SCG on a Saturday afternoon.

Two things changed that; one was the construction of the Sydney Football Stadium which was designed for Rugby and Soccer, the other being the demand of TV which meant that big games were typically scheduled on Friday or Saturday night.

When I was growing up, the  only ‘comp’ was the Sydney Rugby League competition .   All the best players played for the Sydney teams.  St George is a very famous Rugby League team.  They won the premiership for 11 years straight from 1955 to 1966. For that reason, like heaps of other non -Sydney residents, I became a supporter of St George from the time I knew about Rugby League.

My Dad also supported the team, but am not sure why.  When we visited  Sydney we went to the football quite often.  If we did go it would typically be to the game of the round at the SCG.

In the period after 1966, St George fell on relatively hard times ,in that they didn’t win any Premierships.  They went close in in 1974. That final is remembered by all League fans for the ‘white boots’ worn by ‘Changa’ Langlands.   Langlands was a great from the Saints 65 to 66 era.  In 1974 he was at the end of a great career.  He came into the game injured and was given a pain killing injection.  He was wearing white boots.  In that time wearing anything other than standard black boots  was unusual.. The injection affected Changa badly.  He had a shocker, The Saints were flogged 34-0 by Easts.

A memorable game I can recall seeing with my Dad was the St George v Newtown game on 12 May 1973.  The final score was 1-0 to Newtown.  The winning point was a field goal kicked by a bloke called Ken Wilson.  It is very rare for League games to involve only one score.  It has only occurred once in the top competition where  the scoring point was a field goal.

Watching the game on Sunday, I also called other times I had been to the SCG.  Most of these relate to cricket.  I will probably post about that sometime.

Another memory is going to a Wallabies v All Blacks Test Match at the SCG with a very attractive girl from Seattle in 1982.  She thought “the game was rough”.   She also liked the fact the there was “old and new” – referring  to the fact that the original Member’s Stand stood next to the newly built stands.

The score in the game I went to see on Sunday was 13-12 to St George.  The winning point was a field goal scored by a by a bloke called Soward.

A one point win to St George in 2013 and a one point loss in 1973.  Forty years have passed so fast.

The most important comment I have to make on the game relates to the crowd: Just look at the photographs.  There are groups, and couples of opposing supporters together.  The banter between the two sides of supporters is always good humoured.  On the walk to Central Station all the supporters walk together and often stop off for a beer in pub.

One last thing, a funny comment (for some):  A Lecturer I had at university had this story:

There were two Churches, one Catholic and the other Anglican, opposite each other on a road in Kogarah, the main suburb where St George supporters live.  They both had Notice Boards.  Their practice was to put up comments and slogans to which the other would comment.

One day the Catholic Church posted this on its Notice Board:

“What would you do if Jesus came back to Earth?

On the other side of the road, the Anglican Church responded on its Notice Board:

“We would move Changa from Fullback back to Outside Centre”