What is the most controversial incident in league history?

[Willow]

Bigbopper: Since last Christmas, I've been compiling a history on St George, year by year... the more information which is available, the more awesome becomes the task. I've been in the 90s now for the last 3 months.
Eventually (soon I hope), the website will be launched and all the anecdotes will be there. I'm inviting anyone to criticise it and inform me of any corrections which are needed. I'd be honoured if you could find some time to contribute.

The reason why I mention this is because throughout all of this, I have slowly come to the view that the game was much tougher once. That's not a compliment to the game of the past, just an observation.
The players used to get away with horrendous stuff.
I heard stories of fans ripping into each other after matches and catching a 'footy' tram was a risky occupation.
It's no wonder that the fans rioted. Afterall, they were just reacting to what they saw on the field.

 

[tigger]

1. 1989 GF - The 'shepherd'.....

Due to bad memory i cannot remember the players involved, though Elias & Blecher could be the ones....
First time i had ever seen a shepherd called against a player for running behind an offside defensive player.......

2. Balmain merging with Western Suburbs to form Wastes Donuts.

 

[imported_Bigbopper]

Willow,
I look forward to the website. You're right about the early days - they were certainly rugged times and it was often more dangerous being a spectator. I can still remember Cumberland Oval in the 1950's - it was an exciting place to be (of course it was such a long way away LOL).
Cheers
Bigbopper

 

[Willow]

I just read back over this 'controversial' discussion and I have say it's hilarious. I was RATFLMAO!
Rasputin and I are still good mates and BigBopper deserves a huge wrap here for putting what could be our first century post!!!!

 

[Ramit54]

In July 1954 at the SCG a crowd of 27,000 witnessed possibly the most disgrceful International match ever played. So vicious and so uncontrollable was the clash between Britain and NSW that refree Aub Oxford did what no other had done, he walked off the field 56 minutes after the start, abandoned the match and left the players to continue a brawl ranging from one end of the field to the other.
The NSW side contained most of those who would make up the test side. But the Poms selected only three test probables and in a shock move, put forwards in the two wing positions and at fullback. This prompted many critics to suggest they planned to put the local test stars out of action.
The 1st half was quiet but the match exploded soon after the break when 5/8 Price was sent off for disputing one of Oxford,s decisions.
The game degenerated after that. It's climax came after an exchange between NSW fullback Clive Churchill and Britains half Alf Burnell.
A punch aimed at Churchill missed and hit winger Noel Pidding.
Within seconds, both teams were locked in a wild melee. Oxford, the touch judges and a couple of the calmer players tried in vain to separate them. When this proved fruitless,Oxford walked off.
No contest.
Cheers Retread

 

[imported_Bigbopper]

Another controversial non-selection, involved Clive Churchill. He had been picked in 99 consecutive representative matches for which he was eligible (City, NSW, Australia) but failed to bring up his century when Gordon Clifford, a top fullback from Newtown, was selected ahead of Clive.
Clive was then picked for the next match. It caused quite a stink because a lot of people reckoned that the selectors did it deliberately so that no-one would ever play 100 consecutive representative matches.
Cheers
Bigboppe

 

[The Dawson Twins Minus 1]

Indeed - Bumper was charged with biting the ear of Bill McRitchie - opposing prop for StGeorge. His defense (successful) was that he couldn't have bitten McRitchie as his teeth were in his locker at the time.

As Bumper was a serving police officer, he also had to face a Police Force tribunal to decide whether he had brought the force into disrepute by his actions (something that would take more than a bitten ear to achieve - considering the coppers' well-deserved reputation in those days).

The tribunal found him not guilty, but one of his judges was a senior officer who reportedly said "Well, Bumper, if you didn't bite him, you must have given him one almighty nasty suck."

Regards,
TDT-1

 

[imported_Go The Dragons]

Some controversial Crowd incedents. (there must be heaps of these)

<ul> [*]When the hill at Lang Park erupted at 'The King' being sin binned and started pelting the field with xxxx cans.[/list]
<ul> [*]When an absolutley disgusting NSW crowd Bood the Captain of Australia (Wally Lewis) as he led his players onto the field against, Great Brittan at the SCG.[/list]
This may have been the most significant &amp; contoversial part of RL

<ul> [*]August 10th 1907 – Dally MessengerDefected from Rugby Union (where he was an established star player), to the newly formed Rugby League.[/list]
This, although I don't know, would seem quitecontroversial

<ul> [*]Dally Messenger was the only player to tour with both the Kangaroos and the Kiwis, playing 7 Tests for Australia and 3 for New Zealand. [/list]

 

[ozbash]

Herbert Henry 'Dally' Messenger was in his prime at 24 years of age.Not unusually for the times,he was one of eight children,four of them brothers.The son of Anne and Charles Messenger,he was born on the 12th April 1883,in Duke Street,in Sydney's Balmain area.All the Messenger boys were apprenticed to their father in the boat-building industry.Sport ran in the family - his grandfather,James Arthur Messenger,had been a champion sculler for England in 1854 and Dally's father excelled at the sport.Although also a good cricketer,Dally's cleverness as a footballer made him unique.One of the masters of the Double Bay Public School,a Mr Molair,first saw this ability and gave him encouragement and advice.Messenger was 12 years old at the time.For some years he was one of the three-quarters of the Warrigal Club,playing in the city and suburban competition.He joined the Eastern Suburbs Rugby Union Club at Fraser in 1905 and in 1906 was promoted to first grade representing New South Wales against Queensland.He was the idol of the Australian rugby union having played so well against the amateur All Blacks.
Coupled with tremendous speed and elusiveness,he could kick exceptionally,both for the line and at goal.For the All Blacks his inclusion would give them a first rate kicker,and an added dimension to an already fast back-line.Peter Lester,quoting his contempories,says of Messenger:'One of the greatest assests was his physical fitness and toughness.Dally was not simply all dazzle and skill.His team-mates considered him to be the toughest and fitteset man they knew'.

this quoted from 'From All Blacks to All Gold' by John Haynes.

 

[Ramit54]

1940
Rugby league was banned in France by the wartime Vichy Government because the French Rugby League authorities were considered sympathetic to Britain.
1956
The first referee's strike occured in Brisbane on the weekend of Sept 1-2. They were protesting against lenient treatment of players ordered from the field. Strike breaking referee's were brought in but clubs would not play under their control.
Cheers Retread

 

[imported_Bigbopper]

Tigertread,
You're right about France during WW2 The pro-nazis even seized all the assets of the French Rugby League and handed it over the Rugby Union. Not the rah-rahs finest hour.
Cheer
Bigbopper

 

[Ramit54]

After the war, Rugby League had to start almost from scratch but again it was not long before the French were an International force.
France made it's first tour of Australasia in 1951. The Australians, who only a year before had regained the ashes from Britain for the first time in almost three decades, had no answer to the brilliant, unorthodox play of the Frenchmen who won two tests to one.
Cheers Retread

 

[imported_The One]

Everybody seems to know the beer-can incident of 1988 but there was actually another can throwing incident by the Lang Park crowd in 1971. NSW ref Keith Holman sent four men off the field, three of them were Qld'ers, in a interstate match at the 'Cauldron' and the crowd suddenly erupted, with some of them throwing cans onto the field.

 

[imported_Bigbopper]

Tigertread,
The French fullback Puig Aubert (or something like that I should look it up) was actually named Sportsman of the year in France - pretty good for a League player.
Cheers
Bigbopper 0

 

[Ramit54]

Bigbopper
Puig-Aubert was a roly-poly, chain-smoking fullback. He had a casual attitude. He took goal kicks as if he were idly practising on some remote field. And he would often refuse to try tackling an opponent, as if demonstrating against the failure of team mates to have done so first. Pipette, as he was called (a reference to his smoking so heavy that he often smoked on the field). The height of his success was the 1951 tour of Australasia when he played in 25 of France's 29 matches and scored a record 221 points outdoing English great, Jim Sullivan.
Puig-Aubert's performances in 1951 earned him his country's Champion of Champions title, the first time a footballer of any code had been so honoured.
Cheers Retread

 

[Bebeto in Japan]

Getting back to Grand Finals and St George, I remember the 1985 Grand Final and an incident which I still can't understand the ruling. There was a scrum and Canterbury's Peter Kelly (one of the dirtiest players to have played the game) punched Pat Jarvis in the face. The penalty was awarded to Canterbury. It has got to be the most mystifying referee's decision i have ever seen. Punch someone's face and claim a penalty. I still can't believe Kelly was given the man of the match. By the way, Canterbury's try in that game should not have been allowed. The play before the try, there was a forward pass thrown (I think from Peter Mortimer to Paul Langmack but i might have the players wrong).

 

[Willow]

Bebeto... I couldn't agree with you more...
Listen mate, when the eels are next years wooden spooners, I think you'll make a fine St George supporter...

 

[Bebeto in Japan]

Willow....There are two certainties in life. Parramatta will never be wooden spooners and I will never dicth them for Saint George-Illawarra. But I remember that game because I remember that Canterbury beat Parramatta to play in that Grand Final. I wanted a Parra/Saints final because of my school friends being either Parra or Saints fans. I hate Melbourne Storm for the same reason.

 

[Ramit54]

In 1977 Arthur Beetson was the centre of controversy, selectors originally omitted him from the National squad to go to N.Z for the first game. The ARL refused to accept any team without Beetson and so, the selectors reluctanly included him. Beetson was upset when he heard what had happened and withdrew. He was, however, chosen as his country's captain for the remaining Championship matches. Australia emerged unbeaten.
Cheers Retread

 

[imported_Bigbopper]

Tigertread,
Thanks for that report on Puig-Aubert. I remember those stories of him refusing to tackle players who broke through - instead he would stand there abusing his team-mates for missing them in the first place.
On his day he was th eonly fullback who could match Churchill.
Cheers
Bigbopper