Pics of OLD Lang Park?

[Brutus]

Is that why there was 57000 in 1981 and something like 40000 in 1983.

Sure was. What we know as the Bill O'Reilly stand was being built at the time. You'll notice this if you watch a replay of the game.

 

[XXXX Cap]

That's what happened at Lang Park as well. It was possible to cram over 40000 in there back in the late 60's / early 70's when there was just one grandstand and the rest was outer. (The Great Britain Tests in '66 and '70 had crowds that big though not all went through the turnstiles).

When they built the McAuliffe Stand, it cut down the capacity.

Teddyboy, the match of the round at Lang Park on Sunday afternoon would usually get 15000 - 25000 in the early/mid 70's.

 

[Brutus]

BRL Grand Final crowds started to slump in the 80's even before the Broncos came in with I think 83 and 86 and 87 all down on capacity. The others (pre-87) were as good as packed though. That excellent photo of the 1982 decider shows standing room only, if that.

What crowds did they get to the State League finals?

 

[Teddyboy]

Sure was. What we know as the Bill O'Reilly stand was being built at the time. You'll notice this if you watch a replay of the game.

I wish i could but i don't have access to stuff.

 

[Teddyboy]

BRL Grand Final crowds started to slump in the 80's even before the Broncos came in with I think 83 and 86 and 87 all down on capacity. The others (pre-87) were as good as packed though. That excellent photo of the 1982 decider shows standing room only, if that.

What crowds did they get to the State League finals?

I know Wally Lewis played in front of 35000 in 1985.

What crowds did club team's get when not a Lang Park.

 

[XXXX Cap]

Probably 3000 - 7000 dependant on how the teams were going.

 

[The Preacher]

I remember as a kid going to the Easter Show at the old Moore Park Showground, and my brother and I would make a beeline for the Rothmans pavilion as they used to show replays of the Brisbane Grand Final from the previous season during the day and we'd plan our day around then. It was when Ross Strudwick left Saints and joined Valleys.
One year they also showed a game between Bris Brothers and South Sydney who had gone up to Brissy at the end of the season. That was the early '70's and there were good crowds there then.

 

[Teddyboy]

Said on a old post that an NSWRL/QRL merged comp might have worked in the 80's instead of the Broncos and Gold Coast.

 

[Brutus]

I reckon they missed the boat with an annual Sydney Premiers v Brisbane Premiers game.

 

[XXXX Cap]

One year they also showed a game between Bris Brothers and South Sydney who had gone up to Brissy at the end of the season. That was the early '70's and there were good crowds there then.

That game was between arguably one of the strongest Sydney Premiership teams ever and one of the best Brisbane Premiership teams ever.

It was played on Sunday 20th October 1968 and the teams were :

Brothers : Barry Kenning, Nev Harman, John Gleeson, Barry Dowling, Pat Maguire, Eric Gelling, John Smith, Wayne Abdy, Reg Cannon, Bill Williamson, Dennis Manteit, Dion McCarthy, Joe Gleeson Res - Graham Cronk, Beven Henselein Coach - Brian Davies

South Sydney : Eric Simms, Mike Cleary, Alan Heiler, Bob Honan, Ray Branighan, Dennis Pittard, Bob Grant, Ron Coote, Bob Moses, Bob McCarthy, John Sattler, John O'Neil, Elwyn Walters Res - Jim Morgan, Paul Sait Coach - Clive Churchill

 

[Teddyboy]

I reckon they missed the boat with an annual Sydney Premiers v Brisbane Premiers game.

U think it would of been a good thing.

 

[Brutus]

I remember Lang Park had an indoor cricket/soccer complex at one end - which end was that?

I know it was the scoreboard end, but Nth, Sth? I've lost my bearings with that place now that it is a complete stadium. You forget where everything used to be.

 

[XXXX Cap]

It was at the Northern end. The original scoreboard was at that end but the more modern one (1980's) was at the Southern end.

 

[Brutus]

It was at the Northern end. The original scoreboard was at that end but the more modern one (1980's) was at the Southern end.

So the Frank Burke stand was on the West side and the Senator Ron Stand on the East?

I would love to see an aerial shot of the old and new Lang Parks to compare.

There's a great shot of the ground/site in the Centenary RL book from about 1948.

 

[XXXX Cap]

That's correct about the stands.

Photo can't be 1948 - it wasn't built then. First RL game there in 1958.

 

[Brutus]

It was a shot of the site before the ground was built.

 

[The Preacher]

That game was between arguably one of the strongest Sydney Premiership teams ever and one of the best Brisbane Premiership teams ever.

It was played on Sunday 20th October 1968 and the teams were :

Brothers : Barry Kenning, Nev Harman, John Gleeson, Barry Dowling, Pat Maguire, Eric Gelling, John Smith, Wayne Abdy, Reg Cannon, Bill Williamson, Dennis Manteit, Dion McCarthy, Joe Gleeson Res - Graham Cronk, Beven Henselein Coach - Brian Davies

South Sydney : Eric Simms, Mike Cleary, Alan Heiler, Bob Honan, Ray Branighan, Dennis Pittard, Bob Grant, Ron Coote, Bob Moses, Bob McCarthy, John Sattler, John O'Neil, Elwyn Walters Res - Jim Morgan, Paul Sait Coach - Clive Churchill

XXXXCap, I'm sure I remember Lummy Longbottom playing in that game, could they have played more than two reserves each seeing as it was an exhibition match of sorts??

 

[XXXX Cap]

This has been queried in discussions on this game before. Longbottom could have and probably did play in it - these were just the programmed teams. Given the type of match it was, late changes to the listed teams were highly likely.

You must go back a fair way, Preacher ??

 

[The Preacher]

I remember being at the '65 Grand Final. We sat on the stairs at the bottom of the M. A Noble Stand. I'm a '59 vintage, and the first game I remember going to was at Henson between Newtown and Wests. I reckon I was about 3 1/2. I saw Wests play at Pratten Park v Manly when I was 5 I think, they're about the earliest games I can remember.
I don't think there'd be too many on here that have been to games in unlimited, 4, and 6 tackle era's. lol (silly old coot)

 

[XXXX Cap]

I'm very similar. I'm a 1957 vintage.

Was at the '65 Grand Final, different one - Redcliffe v Valleys - Big Artie had just made the change from centre to second row and played a big part in Redcliffe's first Premiership win.

Been to every BRL / Queensland Cup Grand Final since then.

I remember going to a game at Langlands Park in about 1961 - would have been Wynnum v Easts - one of my brothers was playing on the wing for Wynnum at that time. I started going regularly in 1965 and my memories of the football start from then.

Hadn't thought about having seen the various tackle rules in my time - I think they'd just gone from a 3 yard to a 5 yard ruck when I started going.