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First Saints game you went to ?

R&WTILLIDIE

First Grade
Messages
5,158
First game I watched was Saints vs Steelers at Kogarah Oval in 1989. We lost 18-16. Walford had the chance to draw the game from a sideline conversion but missed. Still shitty that we merged with Illawarra.
 
Last edited:
Messages
8,480
I was at that game! Probably the most memorable game I ever attended. I can't believe that was your first game.

I also went with my Dad. We weren't sure whether to go because the rain was chucking down and we didn't have much hope of winning.

Your dad said was right to tell you not to get your hopes up. Brisbane were stacked with talent and looked virtually unstoppable. When we played them they had won 12 and lost 1.

View attachment 28525

Like you, the memories have faded. But I do remember the elation of watching Ricky Walford find some space on the edge and kicking ahead. The ground was so boggy it just sat on the ground waiting for him, as he streaked past his marker to score.

We were beating the Broncos! We were beating the f**king Broncos! f**k you Wally!

It seemed like there were only a hundred of us on the hill and we were jumping around wildly.

Finding a way to beat the Broncos was big news and was featured on the cover of Rugby League Week.

(Just look at Brian Johnstone's face!)

View attachment 28526

Great memories from an otherwise forgettable year.

https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/seasons/nswrl-1989/round-11/st-george-vs-brisbane/summary.html

Check out the team line-ups. Cracking game.
 

RufusRex

Post Whore
Messages
62,231
Lived in the blue mountains .. first saints game i went too 30 July 1979 ... Dragons 19 beat the Panthers 18

Dont remember too much of it at all ..


First game i really remember vividly was Sep 1984 .. Sitting in the sheridan stand watching Bilko shaft us in the grand final qualifier.
 
Messages
8,480
I remember the little guy who used to walk around Kogarah Oval selling peanuts and the red candied peanuts. He used to yell out "PEANUTS, PEANUTS".

Love the peanuts man. Think he's had a few mentions before in LU from me and others..

He used to do some other grounds as well, as mentioned by @Old Timer ..

I remember going to Belmore to watch Dragons Dogs - I can't remember the year but it was the game when Terry Lamb took out Mark Coyne in backplay a-la Ellery Hanley..

Anyway I was amongst the Dragons mob on the hill, and the Skull was right in the middle of us. The Peanuts man came wandering through from our right side with his school bag muttering his usual "peanuts peanuts peanuts"..

Anyway Skull pipes up and starts the Dragons fans in a chant of

"PEANUTS!!! clap-clap-clap PEANUTS!!! clap-clap-clap PEANUTS!!! clap-clap-clap...."

Soon enough the whole hill got into it - but Mr Peanuts seemed oblivious to it all and kept working through the crowd trying to sell em, as a few thousand fans were chanting for what seemed like forever.. It is one of my most vivid memories as a fan at the footy..

Would love to know what ever happened to him.
 

R&WTILLIDIE

First Grade
Messages
5,158
Love the peanuts man. Think he's had a few mentions before in LU from me and others..

He used to do some other grounds as well, as mentioned by @Old Timer ..

I remember going to Belmore to watch Dragons Dogs - I can't remember the year but it was the game when Terry Lamb took out Mark Coyne in backplay a-la Ellery Hanley..

Anyway I was amongst the Dragons mob on the hill, and the Skull was right in the middle of us. The Peanuts man came wandering through from our right side with his school bag muttering his usual "peanuts peanuts peanuts"..

Anyway Skull pipes up and starts the Dragons fans in a chant of

"PEANUTS!!! clap-clap-clap PEANUTS!!! clap-clap-clap PEANUTS!!! clap-clap-clap...."

Soon enough the whole hill got into it - but Mr Peanuts seemed oblivious to it all and kept working through the crowd trying to sell em, as a few thousand fans were chanting for what seemed like forever.. It is one of my most vivid memories as a fan at the footy..

Would love to know what ever happened to him.

Remember singing “heeeeeyyyyy we want some peanuts!” To the tune of the old 2livecrew song “hey we want some p...sy” if anyone remembers.
 

Old Kogarah Boy 1

First Grade
Messages
5,415
Cant remember my exact first game but I do remember those fabulous early years watching Kevin Ryan, Bluey Wilson , Gaz, Chook Raper, Changa Smithy, Kingy,Eddie Lumsden etc etc....not on topic I know but one game I went to at The SCG I think I would have been around 18 (maybe even under age)and in those days they has a small kiosk under the old scoreboard on the hill .....went in with a group of mates and it was my job being the youngest to go and get the beers (in paper cups)and the meat pies with the customery tomatoe sauce In the small cardboard trays you got to carry them in...the ground was packed to the hilt this day, from memory we were playing Souths and unfortunately we were somewhere down towards the front....after finally getting my order filled which was around 8 beers and 11 meat pies (Reggie my mate he was a greedy bastard he always ate 3) I started to make my way back down to where we were standing....after repeatedly getting knocked arse over head and loosing most of the pies I got back with about 4 cold pies and 4 half filled cups of beer.....I reeked of spilt stale beer and had tomatoe sauce from top to bottom....then pushing and shoving started between 7 of my mates as to who would eat the one pie because Reggie the greedy fat bastard still wanted his 3..ahhh the memories....and you know what wouldnt swap em for quids

Great post, buddy.
 

Banjo2014

Juniors
Messages
484
Love the peanuts man. Think he's had a few mentions before in LU from me and others..

He used to do some other grounds as well, as mentioned by @Old Timer ..

I remember going to Belmore to watch Dragons Dogs - I can't remember the year but it was the game when Terry Lamb took out Mark Coyne in backplay a-la Ellery Hanley..

Anyway I was amongst the Dragons mob on the hill, and the Skull was right in the middle of us. The Peanuts man came wandering through from our right side with his school bag muttering his usual "peanuts peanuts peanuts"..

Anyway Skull pipes up and starts the Dragons fans in a chant of

"PEANUTS!!! clap-clap-clap PEANUTS!!! clap-clap-clap PEANUTS!!! clap-clap-clap...."

Soon enough the whole hill got into it - but Mr Peanuts seemed oblivious to it all and kept working through the crowd trying to sell em, as a few thousand fans were chanting for what seemed like forever.. It is one of my most vivid memories as a fan at the footy..

Would love to know what ever happened to him.


Sugar coated peanuts and peanuts in a shell - he was a great bloke
 

Old Timer

Coach
Messages
16,914
Cant remember my exact first game but I do remember those fabulous early years watching Kevin Ryan, Bluey Wilson , Gaz, Chook Raper, Changa Smithy, Kingy,Eddie Lumsden etc etc....not on topic I know but one game I went to at The SCG I think I would have been around 18 (maybe even under age)and in those days they has a small kiosk under the old scoreboard on the hill .....went in with a group of mates and it was my job being the youngest to go and get the beers (in paper cups)and the meat pies with the customery tomatoe sauce In the small cardboard trays you got to carry them in...the ground was packed to the hilt this day, from memory we were playing Souths and unfortunately we were somewhere down towards the front....after finally getting my order filled which was around 8 beers and 11 meat pies (Reggie my mate he was a greedy bastard he always ate 3) I started to make my way back down to where we were standing....after repeatedly getting knocked arse over head and loosing most of the pies I got back with about 4 cold pies and 4 half filled cups of beer.....I reeked of spilt stale beer and had tomatoe sauce from top to bottom....then pushing and shoving started between 7 of my mates as to who would eat the one pie because Reggie the greedy fat bastard still wanted his 3..ahhh the memories....and you know what wouldnt swap em for quids
Great post BSE brings back plenty of memories.
Yes the little beer outlet under the score board was a classic and the one at the back of and underneath the Sheridan were very popular places and funny enough you would occasionally see the reserve grade players in there having a quick beer before they went to change to play.
Of course in the old days some used used to cart a slab in on the shoulder and your mate would carry the white foam esky in with the ice and you would set up on the hill which by half time in the main game would be a flood with spilt beer, crushed eskies, cans (steel in those days) everywhere as trip hazards and of course all inter mingled with a barney or two making it the devils own job to get from the bar under the scoreboard back to your mates.
Trivia question for you what brand of pies were they and were they round or square?
Do you remember the food outlet at the eastern side of the Sheridan but in the outer ground where they used to do the fish and chips and put it on the little white cardboard trays?
As kids my brother and I used to aspire to having it one day rather than the devon sandwiches mum made and dad took in the old Igloo esky. We somehow skipped it and went from devon sandwiches to Reschs Silver Bullets and pies.
 

Old Kogarah Boy 1

First Grade
Messages
5,415
Great post BSE brings back plenty of memories.
Yes the little beer outlet under the score board was a classic and the one at the back of and underneath the Sheridan were very popular places and funny enough you would occasionally see the reserve grade players in there having a quick beer before they went to change to play.
Of course in the old days some used used to cart a slab in on the shoulder and your mate would carry the white foam esky in with the ice and you would set up on the hill which by half time in the main game would be a flood with spilt beer, crushed eskies, cans (steel in those days) everywhere as trip hazards and of course all inter mingled with a barney or two making it the devils own job to get from the bar under the scoreboard back to your mates.
Trivia question for you what brand of pies were they and were they round or square?
Do you remember the food outlet at the eastern side of the Sheridan but in the outer ground where they used to do the fish and chips and put it on the little white cardboard trays?
As kids my brother and I used to aspire to having it one day rather than the devon sandwiches mum made and dad took in the old Igloo esky. We somehow skipped it and went from devon sandwiches to Reschs Silver Bullets and pies.

Big Ben square pies.
I remember the big foam eskies coming in at the start of the game and by halftime or thereafter, they'd be breaking up flooding the area.
I remember guys drinking DA ( Dinner ale ) tallies.
Good post OT.
 

Blood Shot Eyes

First Grade
Messages
5,968
Great post BSE brings back plenty of memories.
Yes the little beer outlet under the score board was a classic and the one at the back of and underneath the Sheridan were very popular places and funny enough you would occasionally see the reserve grade players in there having a quick beer before they went to change to play.
Of course in the old days some used used to cart a slab in on the shoulder and your mate would carry the white foam esky in with the ice and you would set up on the hill which by half time in the main game would be a flood with spilt beer, crushed eskies, cans (steel in those days) everywhere as trip hazards and of course all inter mingled with a barney or two making it the devils own job to get from the bar under the scoreboard back to your mates.
Trivia question for you what brand of pies were they and were they round or square?
Do you remember the food outlet at the eastern side of the Sheridan but in the outer ground where they used to do the fish and chips and put it on the little white cardboard trays?
As kids my brother and I used to aspire to having it one day rather than the devon sandwiches mum made and dad took in the old Igloo esky. We somehow skipped it and went from devon sandwiches to Reschs Silver Bullets and pies.
Great post OT memories are flooding back when I read these
 

Blood Shot Eyes

First Grade
Messages
5,968
first game that i can really remember was April 1969 at Kugarah against Penrith .
reason I can remember is that my Dad asked the guy on the dressing room if I could meet Johnny Raper.
John did come out to say gday and I remember shaking his hand - imagine what this 10 year old was like after that !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
great posts and great memories guys !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Talking of Chook Raper my mum was in the shoe trade and Johnny was a rep for featherweight football boots at the time so she got to know his wife ....and she told mum how dedicated and fit he was....apparently after just finishing a full training session he would come home go for another run around the block collapse exhausted on the lounge room floor and as soon as he caught his breath get up and do it again.......
 

Blood Shot Eyes

First Grade
Messages
5,968
I do remember going to watch the Sharks play against us their first at the SCG....I went with my then boss and his son who had vacated the Dragons and started following Cronulla.....when we got there on the hill my mates father pulled out a parcel from his carry bag and in the brown paper paper were two blocks of lightweight timber with two leather straps fastened across them and I thought what the hell is he doing with those....then he proceeded to slip both his feet in them and watch the game.....he reckoned it was amazing the xtra view you got just being a few inches taller ( because as you know when the games started no one sat down) ...I just thought bugger me Ive seen everthing now.....sorry off topic again but had to share it
 

Old Timer

Coach
Messages
16,914
I do remember going to watch the Sharks play against us their first at the SCG....I went with my then boss and his son who had vacated the Dragons and started following Cronulla.....when we got there on the hill my mates father pulled out a parcel from his carry bag and in the brown paper paper were two blocks of lightweight timber with two leather straps fastened across them and I thought what the hell is he doing with those....then he proceeded to slip both his feet in them and watch the game.....he reckoned it was amazing the xtra view you got just being a few inches taller ( because as you know when the games started no one sat down) ...I just thought bugger me Ive seen everthing now.....sorry off topic again but had to share it
We referrrd to them as clogg shoes and came in all shapes and sizes and they became pretty fashionable on the hill.
Of course there were also the people who gathered their steel beer cans and made them into groups of 6 and taped them together and stood on them but due to the slope of the hill they became impossible to balance on as the day wore on.
The old cry of “sit down in friont” fell on many a deaf ear.
 

st penguin

Juniors
Messages
293

Old Timer

Coach
Messages
16,914
Big Ben square pies.
I remember the big foam eskies coming in at the start of the game and by halftime or thereafter, they'd be breaking up flooding the area.
I remember guys drinking DA ( Dinner ale ) tallies.
Good post OT.
In the early 60’s they were Scott’s pies which had a deep crusty pastry but a fair bit of grissle and not a lot of meat and they were round.
Scott’s who were a local Sydney company had the catering supply contracts at the Showground and also supplied the SCG & Sports Ground but they lost it by the mid 60’’s and the trust got bigger contractors in to do it and for a short period they stocked Sergeant’s pies then Big Ben who as you rightly say had the square pie and they paid sponsorship money and became the preferred item to be sold.
 
Messages
8,480
Wow. For anyone complaining about our current spine, look at it back then

1. South
6. Gill
7. Linnane
9. Longhurst (I have zero memory of this guy)

In saying that, I would happily swap our current backs for:

2. Coyne
3. Johnston
4. Beattie
5. Walford

Re Longhurst - mine memory is very vague at best but i've got a feeling he was a panther before we got him.
 
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