Your earliest Rugby League memories

[Meth]

Not really a Friday night thread, but while I think of it...I'm interested to hear your earliest memories of Rugby League. Not so much your U-5's debut, but more as a spectator.

The first game I watched was the 1991 Grand Final. I remember Royce Simmons' 2nd try most strikingly. I also remember the Kiwis' win over NZ in the first test in Melbourne- Wally Lewis' last game. (We got smashed in the next 2 games)

My earliest memory of a live game was when Canberra toured NZ in 1992. I was a 10 year old, sitting on the grass about 5m behind the in-goal area (crazy!) and watched Mal Meninga tackled by an Auckland player. He held himself upright off the ground with one hand and hopped a metre or so towards the try line to score. I thought that was insane.

Unsurprisingly, I was a Canberra Raiders fan from 1992-1994 and then started supported the Warriors.

Shoot.

 

[TheDalek079]

First game I remember watching was Roosters v eels 20-20 in 1996.

 

[Mr. Shaman]

1994 at Leichhardt Oval, Manly v Balmain.

It’s my birthday, was 6. Aunts and Uncles who are all Tigers fans chipped in and got me a Tigers jersey and took me to the game, my old boy went as well and brought me my first Manly jersey. Didn’t take long to tell the relos they could keep their Tigers shit away from me, Beaver has been my fave player since that day. Manly went on to win 42-0.

 

[Grapple]

earliest memories were probably late 80's...Going round to the neighbours and watching the league as they had sky tv, or whatever it was back then in nz at the time. Specifically remember watching balmain play on a small tv and just being obsessed at this other world in Australia as a young kid in NZ only used to the all blacks and provincial rugby.

I think Gary Jack, then Greg Florimo were my first favourite players and north sydney was my first of many jerseys. Early 90s was something else. We definitely played it more in our local park than watched it on tv back then. Good times.

 

[Willie Ray]

My old man and me with my uncle (I was about 9 or 10) drove down from Forster to Sydney to the 1971 GF between the Bunnies and the Dragons....f**k I'm old...
I don't remember much,but for a country kid that crowd was freakin" enormous(around 55 or 60 thousand I think)....
Definitely a lasting memory.

 

[muzby]

It was maybe 2-3 minutes after being born, after having the gunk wiped out of my eyes I recall looking at a tv out in the waiting room and seeing a green square with lots of people in different coloured shirts chasing a strange oval object..

I would have paid more attention to know who was playing but at that very moment they cut my umbilical cord.

f**k that hurt.

 

[blue bags]

playing o grade, under 5s ,the training Tuesdays, Thursday afternoon
putting the jersey on. big Saturday morning games, kick off about 7.00am
oranges at halftime
ground covered in dew, grass as high as our ankles
watching the great teams, players,
rabbits, eagles, roosters, sharks, dragons, bulldogs, eels, jets, kangaroos

 

[unforgiven]

Watching my dad play footy for the Aberdeen Tigers in 82 or 83, that was before I was old enough to play.

 

[Sphagnum]

1986 grand final. Was only 5 at the time but remember all the relos going absolutely mental and just wondering what happened to all the adults while we’re out playing in the traffic on sorrell st

 

[Steel Saints]

One of my earliest memories is watching my first ever live game at Steelers Stadium or Wollongong showground, where Allan McIndoe scored five tries. Might be 1990 or 91.

 

[Diesel]

Manly v Parra @ Brookie maybe 1990. I remember the RLW magazines from 89.
First GF I watched was Penrith v Canberra 91

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

Late 70's, I was 6 or 7 years old. Got taken to Kogarah oval by my neighbours to watch Dragons vs Bears. We were in the main grandstand (tiny by the current layout) and an old lady was sitting next to us, a Norths fan, and she was rabid all game, I was amazed an old person could get so wild.

Dragons won the game, no idea of the score. But I couldn’t have loved the experience any more and confirmed my fandom of the dragons forever thereafter. Thanks Aunty Agnes for taking me along that day..

 

[moffla]

Oooft. Great thread
Born in 1994, raised up around Parra. My earliest memory was the 2001 grand final.

 

[dogslife]

Round 5, 1995. My old man took a young 5 year old to see the South Queensland Crushers play the Bears at the old Lang Park. The Crushers won, and I was a fan for life.

Until Round 7, 1995 when he took me to see the Broncos play the Sydney Bulldogs at ANZ stadium. Suffice to say I had two teams at that point. Even though the Dogs lost.

 

[Fangs]

Picking up a whistle left behind by some Souffs fans on the hill at Penrith stadium around 95. It was engraved as well, must have been a special one.

Dad made sure to put it in boiling water at home to kills off the germs. Then I lost it before I even got it blow it.

Disappointing.

 

[some11]

Opening of QEII Stadium 1993 - Parra def. Broncos 12-8

Dad took us, too young to really remember any footy, just that my brother and I were annoying these old parra supporters in front of us. Come to think of it by now they must be dead, but at least they got to see parra win a comp in their lifetime.

 

[Chief_Chujo]

Late 80s/early 90s listening to the footy on the radio while dad worked on the car. Hoping the Raiders would win cause he would be cranky otherwise lol. Me and my best mate in year 1 getting Raiders lime with our lunch orders.

Lots of games at Bruce sitting on the hill with sleeping bags to fight the cold. But the one thats most vivid is Mals last home game where we got to sit behind the goal line and rushed the field at the end.

 

[Reflector]

Reading some of the responses here made me think of this clip:

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

Reading some of the responses here made me think of this clip:

I urge all fans of sport to read the book. Don’t have to be a soccer fan to appreciate it.

 

[Willie Ray]

@Meth....now this is an interesting thread.....
so much better than those " the players from my team threads."