http://townsvillebulletin.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,18921511%5E14793,00.html
Age shall not weary them all
By ANTONY STEWART
25apr06
SOME will be happy to hang up the boots forever while others showed their skills haven't been lost entirely at the Legends of League Charity Match at Dairy Farmers Stadium last night.
In a flashback to the early 1990s - and for some, even earlier - 34 of the greatest ever players from Australia and New Zealand came together to help raise money for the Far North Queensland communities devastated by Cyclone Larry.
For the record, in a match where defence was not a priority, the Kangaroos won 44-36 in front of a crowd just shy of 8000.
Aussie coach Greg Dowling, who was more than happy to watch some guys who used to be teammates sweat it out as he watched on from the sidelines, said the players were rapt with the response from the North Queensland locals.
"The game of rugby league is alive and well up here and that is why the boys put their time back into it, it's the least that we can do," he said.
Townsville Centrals junior Gorden Tallis received the biggest cheer of the night as he streaked 30m to score under the posts and start a 22-point burst that saw the Kangaroos go to the halftime break leading 34-12.
But just to show the 7844 fans on hand he's still got it, he refused the easy conversion, marching the ball towards the sideline from where he calmly slotted the two points. While Tallis looked pretty pleased with himself as he made his way back to halfway, his teammates weren't quite as thrilled with the former Brisbane skipper's achievement. Cliff Lyons reckoned they wouldn't be hearing the end of it for a while. "All night we will be getting that one," he said.
But the former Manly great showed he still had a few tricks up his sleeve.
It's often joked that Lyons would still be running around in the NRL if given the chance and after witnessing some of the skills he showed last night, they could be right. The 40-something, who still plays in a local Sydney competition, laid on the first try for Dale Shearer with a sweetly timed cut- out pass to send the former Cowboy on a 40m dash for the tryline.
"He still looks great doesn't he?" Dowling said. "He showed some great skills out there with his hands and things and that was the great thing for these fans. It's a great opportunity to come and see some of these players, because most of them wouldn't have seen the wide array of talent we've got within New Zealand and Australia and I think they put on a great display."
While the Australians had rocketed out to a 22-point halftime lead, New Zealand fought back to be within six with 13 minutes to go.
As of last night the money raised by the event was nudging the $500,000 mark, but promoters said they were still keen to see the magical $1 million figure before the donation lines closed in two weeks.
Further donations can be made online at www.landcareline.com or by calling 1800 441 533.
AUSTRALIA 44 (Dale Shearer, Gary Belcher, Gorden Tallis, Michael Buettner, Kerry Boustead, Chad Buckby, Mal Meninga, Cliff Lyons tries, 6 conversions) d NEW ZEALAND 36 (Shane Horo 2, Tony Tatupo 2, Sam Stewart, Darrell Williams, Tyran Smith tries, 4 conversions)
Age shall not weary them all
By ANTONY STEWART
25apr06
SOME will be happy to hang up the boots forever while others showed their skills haven't been lost entirely at the Legends of League Charity Match at Dairy Farmers Stadium last night.
In a flashback to the early 1990s - and for some, even earlier - 34 of the greatest ever players from Australia and New Zealand came together to help raise money for the Far North Queensland communities devastated by Cyclone Larry.
For the record, in a match where defence was not a priority, the Kangaroos won 44-36 in front of a crowd just shy of 8000.
Aussie coach Greg Dowling, who was more than happy to watch some guys who used to be teammates sweat it out as he watched on from the sidelines, said the players were rapt with the response from the North Queensland locals.
"The game of rugby league is alive and well up here and that is why the boys put their time back into it, it's the least that we can do," he said.
Townsville Centrals junior Gorden Tallis received the biggest cheer of the night as he streaked 30m to score under the posts and start a 22-point burst that saw the Kangaroos go to the halftime break leading 34-12.
But just to show the 7844 fans on hand he's still got it, he refused the easy conversion, marching the ball towards the sideline from where he calmly slotted the two points. While Tallis looked pretty pleased with himself as he made his way back to halfway, his teammates weren't quite as thrilled with the former Brisbane skipper's achievement. Cliff Lyons reckoned they wouldn't be hearing the end of it for a while. "All night we will be getting that one," he said.
But the former Manly great showed he still had a few tricks up his sleeve.
It's often joked that Lyons would still be running around in the NRL if given the chance and after witnessing some of the skills he showed last night, they could be right. The 40-something, who still plays in a local Sydney competition, laid on the first try for Dale Shearer with a sweetly timed cut- out pass to send the former Cowboy on a 40m dash for the tryline.
"He still looks great doesn't he?" Dowling said. "He showed some great skills out there with his hands and things and that was the great thing for these fans. It's a great opportunity to come and see some of these players, because most of them wouldn't have seen the wide array of talent we've got within New Zealand and Australia and I think they put on a great display."
While the Australians had rocketed out to a 22-point halftime lead, New Zealand fought back to be within six with 13 minutes to go.
As of last night the money raised by the event was nudging the $500,000 mark, but promoters said they were still keen to see the magical $1 million figure before the donation lines closed in two weeks.
Further donations can be made online at www.landcareline.com or by calling 1800 441 533.
AUSTRALIA 44 (Dale Shearer, Gary Belcher, Gorden Tallis, Michael Buettner, Kerry Boustead, Chad Buckby, Mal Meninga, Cliff Lyons tries, 6 conversions) d NEW ZEALAND 36 (Shane Horo 2, Tony Tatupo 2, Sam Stewart, Darrell Williams, Tyran Smith tries, 4 conversions)
