League and Politics

[The Whippet]

Whats with all the league associated people and politics these days?

Greg Alexander - offered State seat of Penrith by Labor Party
Mark Geyer - offered preselection in State of seat of Penrith by the Liberal Party last year
Graham Annesley - won preselection in seat State seat of Miranda with the Liberal Party
Anthony Mundine - considering running as an independent in State seat of Marrickville

 

[Red Bear]

most league players should stear clear of the stuff, most are thick as bricks. Mark Geyer MP? hahaha

 

[Gibbo]

Up here in QLD the national party were trying to nab Webcke as a candidate-i think the big fella is way to smart for that.
Let's also not forget the political sucess of Paul Osborne and the..err..short lived political career of Mal Meninga :crazy:

 

[Gibbo]

Don't meant to speak ill of someone who is sick but added to the above i think the great Barry Gomersall also sat as an independent (?) once-apparently he didn't do all that flash at the polls though.

 

[mattyg]

Mark Geyer?? :lol: :lol: :lol:

The guy can't even speak normally. Its bad enough having him on TV, let alone an MP hahahahaha.

 

[UndertakerMike]

Cheap vote grab to the lowest denominator.

 

[nqboy]

most league players should stear clear of the stuff, most are thick as bricks. Mark Geyer MP? hahaha

As compared to politicians. What's your point?

 

[nqcowboy87]

mals was the best effort, gotta give it to the big fella a huge fan of him as a player and aq coach, but cant help but have a dig at his 10 seconds of fame

 

[nqboy]

On Big Mal, at least his effort showed he was no politician. Far too honest.

 

[Alan Shore]

Mark Geyer would be good for politics. He speaks his mind.

 

[nqboy]

Mark Geyer would be good for politics. He speaks his mind.

I think you mean "shoots his mouth off".

 

[Gibbo]

Hey does anyone else remember the sucess of the Mario Fenech What's doing party at the 1999 NSW state election? Apparently they got quite a few votes in the lower house.

 

[Pierced Soul]

Cheap vote grab to the lowest denominator.

exactly right. it's basically putting a celebrity people know of and can associate with instead of joe blogs who you know nothing about. it raises more awareness for the party as well.

 

[Green Machine]

Politicians (from both sides) usually cop a bad rap. Without the work of a lot of politicians, sport in this country would be a lot worse off. If it was not the help of politicians, Rugby League may not have got off the ground in Australia:


Rugby League Prime Ministers:

http://www.rl1908.com/History/prime-ministers.htm


http://www.crikey.com.au/articles/2006/06/01-2014-8992.html

Michael Cleary: one of the few sportsmen to have represented Australia in three sports – rugby league, rugby union and athletics – the speedy Souths and Easts winger was a state ALP member in the Wran Labor Government.

John Fahey: NSW Liberal Premier and federal Finance Minister who previously played first grade rugby league for Canterbury-Bankstown.

Dawn Fraser: Olympic swimming legend won the NSW state seat Balmain as an independent in 1988 (former Balmain – West Tigers Director)

Paul Gibson: state Labor Member for Blacktown in NSW for more than a decade, who played Rugby League for Penrith and other teams in the 1970s.

Mike Horan: Parramatta Eels rugby league first grader 1967-69 and former Australian Universities (union) captain. Elected National Party MLA for Toowoomba South in 1991, Health Minister in the Borbidge Government and touted as a future opposition leader after the merger fiasco. Mike's sporting prowess was overshadowed by his son Tim, Wallaby legend and now rugby commentator.

Ron McAuliffe: played first grade rugby league in Queensland but best remembered as the QRL President who came up with the current state of origin concept in 1980. Not so well remembered for his contributions as a Labor senator.

Paul Osbourne: Mal Meninga's Canberra Raiders colleague who made it into the ACT Legislative Assembly as a pro-life independent but couldn't quite persuade his former captain to join him.

Kevin Ryan: Dual rugby union and rugby league international in the 1950s and 1960s, who then went on to hold the NSW state seat of Hurstville for Labor from 1976–84.

Frank Stewart: Federal ALP member who played rugby league for Canterbury-Bankstown in the late 1940s.

Tom Uren: Whitlam government minister and ALP legend who contested the Australian heavyweight boxing championship in 1941
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Uren


Mick Veivers: The National Party MP for Southport and former Minister in the Borbidge Government got his profile from playing rugby league for Queensland and Australia more than 30 years ago.



QRL Presidents:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensland_Rugby_League

The new organisation was attacked by both the local press and the QRU for introducing professionalism, which they claimed would destroy the sport. The "founding fathers" of the QRL included John Fihelly, an Australian Labor Party Member of Parliament who became Minister for Railways and Deputy Premier.

http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A090674b.htm

James Larcombe had played Rugby League well, took a continuing interest in the welfare and development of the game and was president of the Queensland Rugby League in 1919-32.

ARL President Fred Flowers and honored with the Flowers Memorial Pennant:
http://www.nswrl.com.au/clubchampionship.php


http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A080552b.htm
The measured pace of the Upper House suited Flowers' style. He developed as a tactful and skilful politician, with a mastery of procedure. Meanwhile, he remained near the head of affairs in the party. He was a delegate to its Federal conference in 1900 and was on the State executive in 1900-12, president in 1906-07. He was the president of the premier Rugby League club, South Sydney, in 1908-28; as the patron of the New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1910-28, he contributed much to its survival in the difficult early years. In 1924 he became first chairman of the league's Australian Board of Control.

Also, Harry Hoyle the first President of the NSWRL
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/members.nsf/1fb6ebed995667c2ca256ea100825164/c469a8146dc6cc86ca256e3800057a57!OpenDocument

 

[griff]

I also think Doc Evatt founded the Sydney Uni RL team?

 

[Alan Shore]

Good list there.

 

[Green Machine]

I also think Doc Evatt founded the Sydney Uni RL team?

Dr Herbert Evatt was a real patriot of Rugby League:

http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A140124b.htm

He was also the patron of the Rugby League for a few years. He organised for the first Lions Tour after the Second World War and had them flown out to boot.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/09/21/1095651325897.html
Keneally reveals that Evatt, Australia's Minister for External Affairs and patron of the NSW Rugby League, went to London for talks with the British Foreign Office and travelled on to Leeds to lobby the Rugby League Council, where he suggested a tour in the Australian winter of 1946. The minutes of the RLC of October10, 1945, record Evatt arguing the benefit to morale of such a tour.
Keneally says: "Perhaps the administration of the NRL could take a lesson from the flexibility with which the British RL now acted, holding trial matches at Wigan and Headingley to select their touring party of 27 men.
"They did so in blind hope, lacking the resources to get their men to Australia and New Zealand." (The NRL is entitled to protest it recently demonstrated flexibility with its successful transfer of the Cowboys-Broncos match to Townsville).
The British team travelled out on an aircraft carrier, HMS Indomitable, along with members of the RAAF and war brides. This was a time when Australia gave generously to England, dispatching regular food parcel

Here is a bit on his involvement to Sydney University. Spiro Zavos wrote a piece a while back on how the good Dr tried to have the Uni converted to Rugby League. Mightn’t been a bad thing:
http://rl1908.com/Clubs/Sydney-University-Rugby-League.htm

Evatt prepared a report which set the scene: "Owing to the general dissatisfaction with the management of the Rugby Union during the 1919 football season, and the fact that University footballers were starting to realise that rugby league was a faster and cleaner game, several leading members of the football club, including seven "blues" of the past season, took steps to introduce the league game into the University for the 1920 season. A special meeting of league supporters was held and decided to enter three teams, all members to play as strict amateurs." Sydney University's entry was encouraged by the NSWRL and they were accepted with little debate or objection.

 

[JK]

And the sports ministers in victoria is an ex-VFL player, kirsty marshall is also a member of the victorian parliament.

Pat Farmer is Liberal MP for Macarthur.

Marty Bella ran for the Qld parliament in the late 90's.

Labor is desperate to get Steve Waugh for the federal election but his wifes illness may end that one.

The list goes on. In the end sport cuts through some of the noise and people will pay attention - even to footballers!

Hey, in Liberia the first democratically elected presidnet was almost a star soccer player. Sure beats a can't bowl, can't bat, cricket-tragic like Howard.