[Resurrected] What position did you / do you play ?

[EagleFromMay1967]

Thought we could have another lighter thread to get our minds off things.
Each poster should only talk about your principal or fav League position.Keep it clean please . And there should be 1 main anecdote about your footy career.

Ok, so i played Wing for North Curl Curl 1970-71. I was in the Kerry Boustead mould, small but FASST. However my handling was more like Les Hanigan. ie I would drop 50% of balls passed to me, but surprisingly i was good under the high ball. Can anyone explain that ?🙂
My anecdote is my Rex Mossop story: After a match where Christian Bros had beaten us 62 - 0, i was loitering in the car park near my dads locked car. 4 huge CB forwards started in on me. Tirades of abuse, bullying etc. I of couse, was mortally afraid. They had me cornered against the car. Things looked grim.
I was probably about to sh-t my shorts. Then the sky darkened. This huge man came up behind them and boomed something like "Why dont you 4 pick on someone your own size ?"
Needless to say they all disappeared in a nanosecond. Rex saved my bacon. He asked me if i was a Manly supporter. Told him my fav player was Bob Fulton.
Ok lets hear your story.

 

[The Who]

Played rugby for North Sydney and Gordon as a centre. Then played Journalist Cup for The Sun, and represented NSW against Queensland Journalists as fullback in rugby league.

 

[ManlyArmy]

Played 5/8 for Wenty and Guildford and also my school. Nearly 21... Might polish up the boots and head down to Manly HQ, cause thats whats best for me and my family.

 

[HoldenV8]

I started playing league in 1991 when I was 16. Played for the Northern Districts Dragons here in Adelaide. I was a goal kicking front rower in the juniors, but only played one game of seniors before a broken foot that won't ever heal properly forced me to quit and I started coaching juniors at the club.

I will admit, if my senior career had been for a few more years I would have been strictly reserve grade. I wasn't that good lol (though my kicking was ok, about 70%. I was the only one at the club who kicked around the corner because I copied Matthew Ridge's style).

Even though he only played two first grade games (from the bench) for them in 2003, I am proud to admit that one of the juniors I coached went on to play first grade at Cronulla. A kid named Nathan Vagg. I believe he might have been the first South Aussie born player to ever play in the NRL. Ironically he made his debut against Manly at Shark Park on the day they hammered us 40-16.

 

[Menzies11]

I played left right out, I was one of the best going around.

 

[Jerry1]

Grew up in Wales & Bristol in the UK, played Hooker (Union). Never seen a game of league till moving here 20 years ago. No interest whatsoever until my kids wanted me to take them to some games. Ended up driving to every game drive-able every week with 5 or 6 kids for 12 years. Now they are all grown up & I usually just do the home matches where I know a few people I can sit with. My boy takes me to the home games a lot as well which is nice as I get to have a beer or two.

 

[Wombat Legacy]

Played 5/8 for St Mary's in Penrith comp. Our schoolboys side were state runners up.
Moved to Central Coast and played for the mighty Toukley Hawks for a couple of seasons. Then got a contract to play for the Kariong Wanderers rugby side at 5/8 and fullback before finishing at Northlakes United.
Loved my footy, wasn't a world beater, but I prided myself on never letting a player get past me! Some did, but it was very rare!

 

[WESTIE]

I was one of four forwards who played for christian brothers and we beat nth curl curl one day 62-0 in the early seventies....just joking EFM1967....seriously though ...representative standard arm chair critic..mainly sat in the middle when on my own and prefered the left side of the couch when watching with company...only claim to fame was thinking my finger was dislocated and having a mate put it back in place twice during the " battles of chisolm park" out near Cabramatta in the early nineties playing amongst mates...but continued on despite it being cleanly broken and at right angles....other than that imitated the powerful manly pack of 1987 in many heated arguments at horsley park pub with inbred squeel and tigpie fans without taking a backward step...and sledging terry lamb at greenfield tavern on behalf of the great Toovs.

 

[COMMANDER]

Fullback for the mighty Souths Woodridge Magpies.

Was under more high balls than a midget hooker.

 

[KOMORI]

Started off at age 4 playing "N" grade for North Curl Curl in 1979, as a tiny winger. Played for them until '83 when I played Rah Rah for the Collaroy Cougars lol!! Moved up to Tweed Heads in '84, played with the mighty Bilambil Jets and also with Seagulls until the mid 90's, finished up in either Front Row or Second Row, and a half decent goal kicker as well.. This was in the days when backs were blokes who hung out with footy players 😉

Stories? Got millions of them, a lot that can't be written in a public forum. Some footy stories though...

Playing against Nerang (read Kiwi brickies labourer squad!) and as was fairly normal a blue broke out.. I'd run a short side decoy and was just feet away when the second marker ironed out my mate playing the ball, so I cleaned his clock real bad then set about sorting out the other marker as it just erupted everywhere.. I *thought* I was going pretty well, put him away then nek minnit I'm looking at the sky.. Didn't feel a thing, but I remember thinking "I just got hit, real real hard I think"?

I've bounced back up and there's this Kiwi prop, you know the kind that are about 5'8", 125kgs and built like the proverbial brick sh*thouse? He's NAILED me, and is in the middle of throwing another so I slip it and hit him with EVERYTHING. It was the perfect right hook, right on the button: you know when you hit a golf ball or a cricket shot juuuuuuust right? Boooooom!!! Old mate the Kiwi just rocks back half a step, shakes his head and says "nice punch bro"!!

Fark. Me!!

So I lead with a realllll long left going away, and back pedal like Floyd Mayweather at his peak.. I manage to not get hit again (which was good: my left eye was shut already!) and eventually the ref and touchies got it under control.. I got a talking to, and a warning but the ref sorta went "your going off anyway right...?" I couldn't see but nodded and got subbed off... Turned out I'd cracked my eye socket..

After the game, having a beer and the big Kiwi unit walks up with a schooner and wants a chat, was a great bloke with a head like Mt Warning!! Good times 🙂

 

[EagleFromMay1967]

Westie ! wow. Any relation to the Matai family ?

 

[Nike]

Wing for Cromer Kingfishers. Played against Will, Jamil and some of the other Hopoate kids. My highlight was feigning injury in a semi final against Manly Cove after I tackled Will once, the kid was on another level and I would have died if I didn't do it.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Played rugby for 5 seasons, my last season was aged 18, and played for the school and also in the local comp on weekends. They tried me at 5/8 then wing, but I soon found myself at second row and then spent the bulk of my career in the front row. Which was stupid as I wasn't the right build for that spot. The coaching was almost non-existent. I was an untapped talent, if they'd taught me how to catch and pass or make a tackle or kick... or something... well, things might have been different.

As it was, my local team was once on a trip from Sydney to somewhere (can't recall the town) for a weekend footy carnival. At one stage there was a team from Moruya calling for volunteers as they didn't have enough players, so I thought I'd help them out.

Anyway someone kicks the ball over the try line and I dive on it for a try! It wasn't for my club or my school team but it was the only try I scored in a 5 year career playing 2 comps each year. Which as I say is no reflection on my natural ability …well maybe some reflection, but seriously the coaching was crap!!!

 

[anthonyb1965]

I played front row for Cootamundra up to the under 16's in the late seventies early 80's. I busted my ankle and that was the end for me 🙂

 

[Shoe1]

Short career for belrose, back-up half, behind Tooves. Cruelly ended by a collarbone break. Good short kicking game, still quite accurate over about 20 metres

 

[PONTIAN SEA EAGLE]

Centre midfield & sometimes sweeper.Played state league for various clubs.

 

[niccipops]

Very interesting stories. Thank you for sharing gentlemen.
My playing career was limited due to being a female. My older brother, who insisted I couldn't play for Manly when I grew up, turned out to be right. Smarty pants.
The highlight of my playing days was in a muck-around boys match at Jacka park, Harbord. The boys, my brother's friends, said I couldn't play due to being a girl. They ended up one short so they decided to let me play. I scored four tries so I was allowed to play the next time.
Also, I once got the old black and white cardboard corner post at Brookie after a Manly victory.😀
It's good to see little girls playing Nrl today and a high standard women's comp, as those opportunities weren't available back then.

 

[manlyfan76]

Forestville Ferrets under 6's 8's. Supposedly on the wing bit we all just chased the ball.
Played Soccer at school for a few years at Chatswood where I was coached by Des Hasler who was teaching at the school.
Moved schools played rugby in the 2nd row where I was terrible ( always had delusions about being a fullback like Wombat). Played some leauge later in the backrow by this time I thought I was destined to be the next Matthew Ridge.
Broke my back when I left high school and haven't played since. I play some touch occasionally and I can say I have finally given up trying to be a fullback, I think I'm more of a Cliffy now.

 

[wedgetail eagle]

Played wing for CBC Young, mid 70's. I remember being Spear-tackled like a Javalin in a game against Redbend College, Forbes. 🙂

 

[manlyfan76]

Going good, we just need another centre and a Hooker for a team.