Memo to Sydney: Queensland clubs have a proud history too.

[1910]

MAL MENINGA Qld coach

RUGBY league’s Heritage Round is a great idea and one I support, but it is also a good opportunity to step back and remember that the game’s heritage extends beyond what was happening in Sydney however many years ago. On Sunday afternoon at Davies Park in West End, an important part of Queensland’s rugby league heritage will be remembered when Souths Logan and Wynnum Manly square off in the Intrust Super Cup.
The Magpies and Seagulls had one of the great rugby league rivalries back in the 1980s, playing each other in three grand finals between 1982 and 1985.
This year marks 30 years since one of those grand finals.

But I will probably wait until next year and talk about the 30th anniversary of the 1985 grand final instead.
The Brisbane competition was a separate competition from Sydney, not a lesser one.
Players were getting chosen for Queensland and Australia while playing in the local competition.
When the NRL talks about heritage, it is about how South Sydney started life in 1908.
They seem to forget Brisbane Souths started in 1910. Sunday’s game between the Magpies and Wynnum is a nod back to all of that wonderful tradition, and a reminder that for all the big names and big games and powerful clubs that made up the game north of the border before 1988, none of it seems to matter to officialdom.
Because the BRL’s history wasn’t a part of the Sydney competition’s history, it is not deemed worthy of inclusion in official statistics.
Wayne Bennett, as an example, is rightly lauded for winning seven premierships as a coach with Brisbane and St George Illawarra.
The truth is, he has won eight, having masterminded Souths’ 1985 win over Wynnum.
Ask Wayne himself whether that grand final in 1985 meant any less to him than the seven that followed, and he will tell you it was a career-­defining moment for him.

Or what about Wally Lewis, whose official playing statistics extend as far as 80 games for the Broncos and Gold Coast — excluding another 200-odd games for Wynnum and Valleys, not to mention two premierships, as unofficial.
When Cameron Smith was rightly lauded for reaching 300 first-grade games, his name gets mentioned with the likes of Geoff Gerard, Cliff Lyons, Terry Lamb and Andrew ­Ettingshausen.
But there are quite a few more who don’t qualify for that list because a large part of their careers was not spent in the “Sydney comp”.

In the era of the “National” Rugby League, such disregard for the achievements of those who played in the Brisbane competition is a blight on the game and its heritage.
It is something that is important to all of us that played in that era, just as it was to the likes of Noel Kelly, who played in the generations before, then went on to continue their ­careers in Sydney.
I know the league are taking steps to finally fix the anomaly, and so they should.
The achievements of those who played and coached for the Queensland clubs mean no less, just because they weren’t playing in a Sydney competition.
This afternoon at Davies Park, and every weekend at grounds around the state in the Intrust Super Cup, is a little tribute to those bygone eras.
And a reminder to those in Sydney that the game’s history and heritage didn’t start and stop at the NSW border.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...roud-history-too/story-fniabksc-1226875591523

 

[Foordy]

The N(SW)RL really doesn't care about what QLD want, its all about making NSW happy... i don't see anything changing anytime soon. even though there is now supposedly an "independent" commission in charge.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Things will never change.

 

[subsbligh]

The biggest coup for the NSWRL (and the death knell for Brisbane/Queensland Rugby League as a premier grade competion) was the inception of the Brisbane Broncos in the NSWRL in 1988.

The NRL is moving (and rightly so) towards a true national second tier competition, like with the NSW Cup and Qld Cup champion teams playing on NRL Grand Final day. To recognise games played for NSW or QLD Cup first grade sides would devalue that.

 

[Big Pete]

The history of the BRL definitely deserves more recognition, but how can the BRL effectively be honoured when it doesn't have any roots in the NSWRL?

It's just how it is, I mean, who could really wave the BRL banner? The Broncos? You mean the reapers of the BRL?

 

[KingWebcke]

The history of the BRL definitely deserves more recognition, but how can the BRL effectively be honoured when it doesn't have any roots in the NSWRL?

It's just how it is, I mean, who could really wave the BRL banner? The Broncos? You mean the reapers of the BRL?

if they'd just recognise all those BRL as first grade games I'd be happy. that's the only thing that has ever bugged me.

After that, I don't really care if the NRL honours the BRL and QLD rugby league history. I've long since got over the Sydney-centric nature of these things

 

[KingWebcke]

^ good article by Mal though.

 

[DropBear]

Absolutely. This is a massive part of rugby league and Brisbane history that has pretty much been forgotten about nowadays.

There was a real community/tribalism aspect in the BRL that helped shape a lot of Brisbane's/Qld's identity in general as well. I found this link some time ago where a Dr. was in the process of writing a thesis on the decline of Brisbane community culture linked to the decline of the BRL - Brisbane Rugby League History

I still remember (I was only a young fella) before the Broncos came along, watching BRL games on TV with my family, some of whom used to play in the BRL, and it was a really big deal back then. You can sort of see where the whole State of Origin 'us against them' mentality came from looking back and what the NSWRL did. I would love to see it remembered in a formal context by the NRL.

 

[1910]

The biggest coup for the NSWRL (and the death knell for Brisbane/Queensland Rugby League as a premier grade competion) was the inception of the Brisbane Broncos in the NSWRL in 1988.

The NRL is moving (and rightly so) towards a true national second tier competition, like with the NSW Cup and Qld Cup champion teams playing on NRL Grand Final day. To recognise games played for NSW or QLD Cup first grade sides would devalue that.

I disagree, players were going to Sydney in droves before the Broncos, at the end of 1987 Redcliffe lost 30 players to the NSWRL. NSW clubs had cleaned the comp out all through the 80's.

How would recognising first grade games from the BRL have anything to do with the game between the NSW CUP Premiers and the ISC Premiers?

Games from the NSWRL are already recognised, that's Mal's point. Games from the BRL should be as well.

 

[1910]

The history of the BRL definitely deserves more recognition, but how can the BRL effectively be honoured when it doesn't have any roots in the NSWRL?

It's just how it is, I mean, who could really wave the BRL banner? The Broncos? You mean the reapers of the BRL?

It doesn't need anything other than recognition. No one has to wave any banner and the Broncos didn't kill the BRL.

Wally shouldn't be listed as having only played 50 games for the Broncos and 37 for the Seagulls. He was playing Origin 8 years before his first grade debut!

His full career should be listed: Valleys 135, Wynnum 76, Broncos 50 and Gold Coast 37.

 

[1910]

Mal was wrong too, Wally won 3 comps.

 

[GCBRONCO]

I disagree, players were going to Sydney in droves before the Broncos, at the end of 1987 Redcliffe lost 30 players to the NSWRL. NSW clubs had cleaned the comp out all through the 80's.

How would recognising first grade games from the BRL have anything to do with the game between the NSW CUP Premiers and the ISC Premiers?

Games from the NSWRL are already recognised, that's Mal's point. Games from the BRL should be as well.

Absolutely, the Broncos were the only thing keeping players in Queensland, Lewis even confirms this in his books that himself and other prominent Queensland players only signed recent contracts prior to the Broncos entry on condition that the QRL would enter a team into the NSWRL competition, you already had players in the 80's in their droves heading South because the Brisbane clubs were financially struggling to compete with the money the richer NSW clubs had, hell the Raider's had basically all the big name Souths Magpies players in their squad before the Broncos even joined the NSWRL competition. At the end of the day even if the Broncos or another Brisbane based NSWRL side didn't enter the competition, the ending was the same, the only difference is Queenslanders would actually get to see their players in action locally in a national competition, not all playing for NSW based sides.

Recognition needs to be given to their services to the game for players like Lewis, Meninga, Miles, Linder, Dowling, Conescu, Langer etc their careers existed beyond just the NSWRL competition.

 

[DropBear]

Absolutely, the Broncos were the only thing keeping players in Queensland, Lewis even confirms this in his books that himself and other prominent Queensland players only signed recent contracts prior to the Broncos entry on condition that the QRL would enter a team into the NSWRL competition, you already had players in the 80's in their droves heading South because the Brisbane clubs were financially struggling to compete with the money the richer NSW clubs had, hell the Raider's had basically all the big name Souths Magpies players in their squad before the Broncos even joined the NSWRL competition. At the end of the day even if the Broncos or another Brisbane based NSWRL side didn't enter the competition, the ending was the same, the only difference is Queenslanders would actually get to see their players in action locally in a national competition, not all playing for NSW based sides.

Recognition needs to be given to their services to the game for players like Lewis, Meninga, Miles, Linder, Dowling, Conescu, Langer etc their careers existed beyond just the NSWRL competition.

Money is a powerful thing...

 

[Manbush]

The Brisbane competition was a separate competition from Sydney, not a lesser one.
Players were getting chosen for Queensland and Australia while playing in the local competition.
.

It was a strong comp but Mals kidding himself if he thinks it wasnt a lesser comp. Think the pre origin interstate series is pretty damning proof of that, 22 series in a row is hard to argue with.

 

[Mr Fourex]

QLDr's beating QLDr's ....that's why.

 

[DropBear]

It was a strong comp but Mals kidding himself if he thinks it wasnt a lesser comp. Think the pre origin interstate series is pretty damning proof of that, 22 series in a row is hard to argue with.

LOL. - 1976 BRL Grand Final - Wests v Easts - YouTube - and this is without Wally or Alf or Miles and many other great players who played in the BRL. And pre-origin series 22 - 0, well for every QLD'er who became part of the NSWRL residents team, there was another 2 future stars cutting their teeth in the BRL, making the comp pretty darn strong.

 

[Manbush]

Lol not attacking Qld players guys, no doubt many great Qlders were playing in both comps but how many great NSW players were playing in the Qld one? The 22-0 does sort of point to one comp being a lesser comp though doesn't it regardless of both teams containing Qlders.

If it makes it feel like I'm not attacking Qlders I readily admit the current Qld cup has been superior to the NSW version for many years now.

 

[DropBear]

Lol not attacking Qld players guys, no doubt many great Qlders were playing in both comps but how many great NSW players were playing in the Qld one? The 22-0 does sort of point to one comp being a lesser comp though doesn't it regardless of both teams containing Qlders.

If it makes it feel like I'm not attacking Qlders I readily admit the current Qld cup has been superior to the NSW version for many years now.

You're a Canberra supporter right? Of all teams you should understand the quality of players bred in the BRL that went on to the NSWRL. And I don't mean like Milford who plays a handful of first grade games then moves on. Just because the NSW players did not come here does not make it any more the less competitive comp., in the same way as until recently, with the $AUD improving, most Super League players did not come to the NRL even though it was a better comp. On that argument the English comp is higher quality than the NRL because they did not come here. One constant is that where there is money, the players will go. The NSWRL has always had more $$$, despite the BRL often pulling 30K-40K to a game, which once again is just like today with the Broncos crowd vs. the Sydney crowd. Qld is the heartland of RL even though we have never had the business nouse or political swing of the NSWRL to capitalise quite as much.