Any old time BLR fans here?

[XXXX Cap]

My dad was a life member of Brothers so I spent my childhood in the 70s and 80s going to nearly every game each sunday. The grand final in '87 was the swansong for the club and given the financial problems and arrival of the Broncos in '88 there was just no chance of survival.

The last few years my sons (6 & 4) have been old enough to understand the game and have asked what it was like going to watch matches when I was a kid. Three matches on game day, hardly any players made a living from the game, so much less commercialism and merchandise, tear off "doubles" for first try scorer, ice cream and talking to the players at the club afterwards, etc.

Being a Dragons fan you can still get some of that magic sitting on the old style hills at Kogarah and Wollongong but it is slowly disappearing.

Glad to report that you can still get all of that at Queensland Cup games.

My mates and I who all grew up in the era you are talking about still get together in our regular spot at Kougari every home game. Our sons and daughters come as well and have a game of touch on the field at half time and after the game.

After the match, we stay there dissecting the game and solving the world's problems by which time the Wynnum players are making their way from the dressing room and some regularly stop for a chat.

Pleased that my sons have grown up with local football heroes like Monkey Maher and David Seage rather than the overpaid and over-hyped NRL players.

 

[Titanic]

And you can still get that anywhere in the country comps. What's better than a freezing cold fourex out of an ice tub to temper the burnt mouth from a too hot pie? Watching Ray McCarron flatten Russell Hughes.

 

[XXXX Cap]

Big Ray McCarron in his early days for Gold Coast Tigers :

 

[Titanic]

Great pic ... obviously before he beefed up ... lol.

 

[Drew-Sta]

This truly is what Rugby League is missing in the modern era...

It pains me that I was unable to grow up in the 60's - 80's watching stuff like this in NSW. Makes me want to move to the country and sign up to the All Ages.

 

[expansionist]

Good to see a few guys on here remember some of the good old days of BRL or QRL.

I grew up down the road from Wests (Purtell Park) and watched them when i was old enough to walk to the ground (early 80's) until the mid 90's when I moved to Sydney.

Also supported Brothers (for some reason) and Redcliffe.

Back in Brissy now and all the old time teams in my area (inner city) have gone! Now stuck for who to support. Live close to Davies Park, but anything with Logan in the title is a stretch for me, and cant bring myself to support Easts.

A few years ago I ran into a guy who told me there is still a group working at getting Wests back .....

 

[XXXX Cap]

Wests are playing - only in FOGS at the moment - one level down from Queensland Cup.

 

[fightingirish69]

Wests are playing - only in FOGS at the moment - one level down from Queensland Cup.

i saw some valleys juniors playing at the west - mitchelton grounds, thats was good being a valleys fan

 

[Titanic]

Also supported Brothers (for some reason) and Redcliffe.

Brothers, yep... all those girls that seemed to hang around them but surely not Redcliffe

 

[Mr Spock!]

one of the first games of rugby league I saw was in the 70s on TV. I think it was a grand final. Wests were playing and a guy called Richardson was playing. I noticed because he was nearly bald and a lot older than the others. Anyone know what year this could have been?

 

[Mr Spock!]

Anyone got any standout memories from the BRL days. It was really important in my growing up as there wasn't a lot of footy on TV. I remember when the only Sydney rugby league was the ABC replay at 10:30pm on a Tuesday night. Only was allowed to stay up and watch if Souths played.

I remember Ross Strudwick sitting on someone's shoulders while the other team was lining up a kick at goal in a close game for Valleys.

Also remember 1 guy (for Brothers I think) making his first grade debut, flattened someone in the first tackle of the game and was sent off.

Also remember trialling the old unlimited tackle rule (not sure why) and thinking how boring this was. It was all 1 up stuff.

I loved Redcliffe's old jerseys. The maroon with white shoulder patches. Always wanted one.

 

[gUt]

My introduction to league was via dad's devotion to Easts the mighty Tigers. In my preschool class photo I am wearing their jumper. I was too young to really get attached to the comp though so I don't resent the Broncos.

 

[Titanic]

one of the first games of rugby league I saw was in the 70s on TV. I think it was a grand final. Wests were playing and a guy called Richardson was playing. I noticed because he was nearly bald and a lot older than the others. Anyone know what year this could have been?

Geoff Richardson a dual international who joined Wests from Teachers-Norths union in '74 (my failing memory thinks maybe he played union out of Townsville before that) but I don't know that he played the GF in '75 as I had gone to Sydney by then so trusting your memory he did.

He was a prodigious goal kicker but brought some real attacking flare to the team which had relied on the dependable Johnny White previously.He was a 5/8 and prematurely bald 25 in '74.

Richo was a teacher and the sports master at BBC last time I ran into him but that was years ago now.

Anyone got any standout memories from the BRL days.

My favourite story was a Test in 1975 at Lang Park v France. I'd come back to play in the curtain-raiser and then slipped out to the Outer with some mates. It was pouring, we stood (the old outer was no place to sit in the rain) and the only French supporter in the ground was standing just in front of us wearing a raincoat and gumboots.

He was loudly supporting the Frogs and annoying the restless locals. Some bloke near us pee'd on his raincoat and in the rain nobody thought too much of it until it filled his gumboot. The warm sensation alerted him that something was amiss, he turned around and caught the offender "red-handed" so to speak. The clincher was the offender was drunkenly trying to put it all away when Monsieur Francais punched him right in the jatz... made my day.

 

[XXXX Cap]

Geoff Richardson played for Wests in the 1975 Grand Final. For me, that was the best Grand Final excitement and quality-wise in my time.

Wests led Redcliffe 26-9 before Reddy stormed back. Wests hung on 26-24.

Richardson also scored a great intercept try for Queensland - I think it was in the drawn night game at Lang park in 1974.

 

[rwaite]

My introduction to league was via dad's devotion to Easts the mighty Tigers. In my preschool class photo I am wearing their jumper. I was too young to really get attached to the comp though so I don't resent the Broncos.

My first ever game was when my uncle took me to see Easts v Manly at Lang Park, a playoff between the winners of the BRL and Sydney comp I think in 1978 or 79. Easts got beat that night.

He took me to my first interstate game in 1979 when Mal Meninga debuted for Qld and we got beat 35-3 after scoring the first try I believe. I remember the curtain raisers were good value. I think one was the Aboriginals v Qld Police. Now that's a surefire recipe for an all-in-brawl.

I am fairly sure I was there at the first ever State of Origin though something my uncle said this year cast some doubt on that. I used to remember the aroma of the nearby old Arnotts factory walking to Lang Park for the interstate games back then.

Though we grew up in Holland Park near Easts Juniors, my uncle was a big Souths fan and so I adopted them as my favourite team. I remember the horrible disappointment of losing the BRL grand finals in 1980, 1982 and 1984 but was thrilled to bits when we won in 1981 and 1985, grand finals I am very keen to get copies of if anyone has them on video.

Those were great old days when Mal and Wally and Geno and Peter Jackson and Bobby Lindner were playing for Souths and Wynnum and it was a great comp.

Sad that the Broncos left it for dead and didn't do anything to help with its promotion but I have been impressed with how the QRL has steadily developed the QLD Cup competition and delighted when Souths (with the help of Canberra's support) won in 2008. Going strong this year and hope that they win again this year.

 

[rwaite]

Just as there was always a BRL match of the round at Lang Park the Broncos should have kept that tradition going by always having a BRL/QLD Cup game as the main curtain-raiser before Broncos games. After doing it for a while I can't believe that they have gotten away from doing that.

 

[Titanic]

I used to remember the aroma of the nearby old Arnotts factory walking to Lang Park for the interstate games back then.

Bloody oath, training at Lang park which was Panthers home ground back in the day was always a mix of fragrances: sweat, dencorub, hops, biscuits (always reminded me of milk arrowroot) and some memorable cup cakes... own up Dessie.

With reference to curtain-raisers, anybody remember the running blue between the Qld and NSW Firefighters on the undercard of the Original Origin? I know we won that and the game and I think the under age (16 I think) game too... what a night. Five in a row was the last thing on my mind at that time.

 

[Teddyboy]

My first ever game was when my uncle took me to see Easts v Manly at Lang Park, a playoff between the winners of the BRL and Sydney comp I think in 1978 or 79. Easts got beat that night.

He took me to my first interstate game in 1979 when Mal Meninga debuted for Qld and we got beat 35-3 after scoring the first try I believe. I remember the curtain raisers were good value. I think one was the Aboriginals v Qld Police. Now that's a surefire recipe for an all-in-brawl.

I am fairly sure I was there at the first ever State of Origin though something my uncle said this year cast some doubt on that. I used to remember the aroma of the nearby old Arnotts factory walking to Lang Park for the interstate games back then.

Though we grew up in Holland Park near Easts Juniors, my uncle was a big Souths fan and so I adopted them as my favourite team. I remember the horrible disappointment of losing the BRL grand finals in 1980, 1982 and 1984 but was thrilled to bits when we won in 1981 and 1985, grand finals I am very keen to get copies of if anyone has them on video.

Those were great old days when Mal and Wally and Geno and Peter Jackson and Bobby Lindner were playing for Souths and Wynnum and it was a great comp.

Sad that the Broncos left it for dead and didn't do anything to help with its promotion but I have been impressed with how the QRL has steadily developed the QLD Cup competition and delighted when Souths (with the help of Canberra's support) won in 2008. Going strong this year and hope that they win again this year.

Was there a big crowd for the BRL v NSW East's v Manly game.

 

[XXXX Cap]

Just as there was always a BRL match of the round at Lang Park the Broncos should have kept that tradition going by always having a BRL/QLD Cup game as the main curtain-raiser before Broncos games. After doing it for a while I can't believe that they have gotten away from doing that.

Good in theory but the NRL club supporters on the whole have no interest in anything else and won't turn up early to watch another game.

The supporters of Queensland Cup clubs love their football because it isn't played in a concrete stadium with overpriced entry, food and drinks.

 

[rwaite]

Was there a big crowd for the BRL v NSW East's v Manly game.

I can't remember much about the game but believe there was quite a good crowd.

Just wish there was a similar playoff each year between the winners of the Qld and NSW Cup competitions.