RIP Mark Harris

[Babyface O'reilly]

The other story John Brass told about Mark Harris related to his punctuality. He said Mark quite often just made team deadlines by the skin of his teeth as he always seemed to be running late. Anyway in the lead up to game against the Bears at North Sydney Oval, Mark was determined he would get there nice and early and not be late in anyway for the game.

The game was a 3.00 pm kick off, he got to North Sydney Oval at 12.30 pm. He was astounded that he was able to get a parking spot right outside the oval, which he was chuffed about as he got out of the car with his wife.

As he got his kit bag out of the boot he looked up at the sign at the Ground "Sunday 3.00 pm North Sydney v Easts" it proclaimed. That's when Mark realised his one small problem. It was Saturday.

Only in rugby league

 

[horrie hastings]

I remember there was a (78?) one-off League Olympics held at Leichhardt Oval when the Amco Cup season had ended. Mark Harris smashed it in the kicking contest. Had the biggest boot in the game. RIP big fella.

The Roosters finished second in the League Olympics, i remember Kevin Stevens winning the goal kicking part of it then, just a shame cant find anything about it on the net, maybe an old Big League or Rugby League week may have something about it.

Mark Harris was usually remembered for his powerhouse runaway tries when he swatted away players or knocked them over like bowling pins but i remember him scoring a bizarre try at the Sports Ground against Cronulla in 1979, Ken Wright was going for an angled penalty goal and he sprayed the kick across the face of goal, the ball bounced in front of the try line and bounced twice again across the try line and Mark Harris swooped on it to score, for some reason that try has always stuck in my mind, Kenny Wright scored a side stepping try and Des O Reilly also crashed over from dummy half that day for a 16-5 win to the Roosters.

 

[Captain Apollo]

For those with Foxtel, note this television program on Fox League on Monday 20 January 2020 -



Source: https://www.foxtel.com.au/tv-guide/League-Legends-Mark-Harris/109515687

 

[GongPanther]

Remember Harris and the magnificent Roosters of the early 70's. Used to grab cartons of beer from the Olympic hotel for around $7 on gameday.

 

[Bobby DIGital]

The Roosters finished second in the League Olympics, i remember Kevin Stevens winning the goal kicking part of it then, just a shame cant find anything about it on the net, maybe an old Big League or Rugby League week may have something about it.

Mark Harris was usually remembered for his powerhouse runaway tries when he swatted away players or knocked them over like bowling pins but i remember him scoring a bizarre try at the Sports Ground against Cronulla in 1979, Ken Wright was going for an angled penalty goal and he sprayed the kick across the face of goal, the ball bounced in front of the try line and bounced twice again across the try line and Mark Harris swooped on it to score, for some reason that try has always stuck in my mind, Kenny Wright scored a side stepping try and Des O Reilly also crashed over from dummy half that day for a 16-5 win to the Roosters.

When I first started watching RL in the late 80s, kickers would deliberately miss penalty kicks at goal from weird acute angles for outside backs to challenge for aerial tries.

Kickers also used to pretend to go for a goal kick then run up and tap the ball off the mark (sand), and pick up the ball and run with it, completely surprising the defence.

Were either of these plays ever actually outlawed?

RIP Mark Harris.

 

[Captain Apollo]

When I first started watching RL in the late 80s, kickers would deliberately miss penalty kicks at goal from weird acute angles for outside backs to challenge for aerial tries.

Kickers also used to pretend to go for a goal kick then run up and tap the ball off the mark (sand), and pick up the ball and run with it, completely surprising the defence.

Were either of these plays ever actually outlawed?

RIP Mark Harris.

To answer your question there is a note to law 11 in section 6 (Scoring - Tries and Goals) of the Laws of the Game which states -

"Pretending to kick at goal
It shall be misconduct for a player to pretend to kick at goal from a penalty kick and then deliberately kick it elsewhere. Such misconduct shall incur a penalty. Having informed the Referee of his intention to kick at goal from an awarded penalty kick the kicker shall not do otherwise."

So if you have told the referee you intend to kick for goal you must do so and not pretend to do so and kick elsewhere (e.g. near the corner post). It is one of the few situations where you can get a penalty from a penalty. However you can get around it by not saying anything to the referee and just setting up for a place kick with the kicking tee - if you kick it over the cross bar and between the uprights it would be 2 points whilst if you kicked elsewhere you would not fall a foul of the note and thus be penalised.

 

[Cogburn]

The Roosters finished second in the League Olympics, i remember Kevin Stevens winning the goal kicking part of it then, just a shame cant find anything about it on the net, maybe an old Big League or Rugby League week may have something about it.

Mark Harris was usually remembered for his powerhouse runaway tries when he swatted away players or knocked them over like bowling pins but i remember him scoring a bizarre try at the Sports Ground against Cronulla in 1979, Ken Wright was going for an angled penalty goal and he sprayed the kick across the face of goal, the ball bounced in front of the try line and bounced twice again across the try line and Mark Harris swooped on it to score, for some reason that try has always stuck in my mind, Kenny Wright scored a side stepping try and Des O Reilly also crashed over from dummy half that day for a 16-5 win to the Roosters.

Harris played for Norths in 79.

 

[Cogburn]

My bad, Harris played for Norths 80 and 81.

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

To answer your question there is a note to law 11 in section 6 (Scoring - Tries and Goals) of the Laws of the Game which states -

"Pretending to kick at goal
It shall be misconduct for a player to pretend to kick at goal from a penalty kick and then deliberately kick it elsewhere. Such misconduct shall incur a penalty. Having informed the Referee of his intention to kick at goal from an awarded penalty kick the kicker shall not do otherwise."

So if you have told the referee you intend to kick for goal you must do so and not pretend to do so and kick elsewhere (e.g. near the corner post). It is one of the few situations where you can get a penalty from a penalty. However you can get around it by not saying anything to the referee and just setting up for a place kick with the kicking tee - if you kick it over the cross bar and between the uprights it would be 2 points whilst if you kicked elsewhere you would not fall a foul of the note and thus be penalised.

Didn’t Fulton try a couple of those when he played with us?

 

[Mr Spock!]

Didn’t Fulton try a couple of those when he played with us?

Back then it was probably legal.

Like place kicking for touch from a penalty.

Think they outlawed that one as well.

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

Back then it was probably legal.

Like place kicking for touch from a penalty.

Think they outlawed that one as well.

I have vague memories of Bozo doing those as well

 

[Mr Spock!]

I have vague memories of Bozo doing those as well

Yep.

I think both were some of Jack Gibson's ploys.

The game desperately needs an innovator like Jack.

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

Yep.

I think both were some of Jack Gibson's ploys.

The game desperately needs an innovator like Jack.

Indeed but I think in Bozo’s captain-coach year with us, it had more to do with Easts running out of ideas attack-wise