Funny stories and amusing anecdotes

[Harvies elbow]

A true story about Mal Reilly ... as told by Zorba.

WHY were we all that surprised when South Sydney forward Sam Burgess put a squirrel grip on Melbourne Storm centre Will Chambers last Friday night?
After all, he is an English rugby league player.Remember last year’s grand final when Bulldogs forward James Graham took a chunk out of Billy Slater’s ear? He was a Pom, too. League's lowest acts

And before them, Adrian Morley.

Remember him? He played six seasons for the Roosters between 2001 and 2006 for 11 foul-play offences and 26 weeks of suspensions. The biggest was his last, a seven-week ban for a striking charge in 2006.

Colleague Dean Ritchie was on the sideline for 2GB that day at ANZ Stadium. “He kneed Corey Hughes at the play-the ball - it was one of the most reckless and dirtiest acts I’ve seen on a football field,” Ritchie recalled.
“That was the last we saw of him.”

Headbutting, grabbing testicles, biting, kneeing, kicking and king hits - you name it, the Poms have been doing it for more than 50 years.

Former Manly forward Peter Peters tells a fabulous story about Malcolm Reilly’s debut for the Sea Eagles in 1971 against Souths at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

He’d been in the country only two days.

When they arrive at the SCG, Reilly starts asking about their opponents and according to Peters, the conversation went like this:

Reilly: Who’s their best player?

Peters: Where do you want me to start? Coote, McCarthy, Sait, Pittard, Simms, Branighan …

Reilly: Cmon, who’s their best?

Peters: Probably McCarthy.

Reilly: What’s his number?

Peters: 10

Reilly: Who kicks off for us?

Peters: Denis Ward.

Reilly: Make sure he kicks it into touch on the full.

And so he did. In those days it meant at scrum back at halfway and Peters takes up the story.

“The touch judges and the refs were watching the ball sail into touch,” Peters said.

“As it was happening, Malcolm has elbowed Macca in the head.

“He’s face down in the Bulli soil on the cricket pitch and got carted off.

“And that was Malcolm’s Reilly’s first 30 seconds in the Sydney premiership.”

Reilly’s fight with South Sydney’s George Piggins on the same ground a few years later is often spoken about as the most brutal one-on-one exchange in rugby league history.

The one with piggins is where George had his thumb in mals eye socket and felt it start to come out but because Mal wouldn't stop blueing piggins had to get his thumb out of there.
Is that about right?

 

[Woodsie]

The one with piggins is where George had his thumb in mals eye socket and felt it start to come out but because Mal wouldn't stop blueing piggins had to get his thumb out of there.
Is that about right?

I don't know the details .. only that the blue has entered folklore.

 

[Harvies elbow]

I don't know the details .. only that the blue has entered folklore.

Well I do know that piggins told that story and it started with a punch up and Mal landed a Liverpool kiss on George so then came the thumb in the eye.
If I remember correctly Ray Branighan stepped in and broke it up when he saw Mals eye about to pop out because Reilly wasn't going to stop.

 

[Shoe1]

I heard one from when Reilly was coaching England in the 90s. One of the pommy forwards was skylarking in the team bus. Mal went over and lifted him out of his seat by the jersey and gave him a talking to eye to eye, before gently placing him back in his seat.

 

[Harvies elbow]

Or the knights player I think it was who wanted to sort Mal out at a pub and when the bloke went to the dunny Mal went in after him.
A player told him to be careful and Mal said "only one of us will walk out".
You can guess who that was.

 

[Woodsie]

<BUMP>

When the Pearce thread gets a 1000 posts you know the off season is too long .... good time to remember some of those stories to share ......

 

[Peter C]

There was a story about Noel Cleal when he went to play over in the UK when he left Manly in the late 80's, for some reason he was playing on the wing, and every time he got the ball he ran over the top of his opposing player, this happened three times for three tries, when the game ended and they came off shaking hands, the player said to Cleal "Hey Crusher do you not possess a sidestep?"

 

[Bearfax]

Woodsie I recall one of the funnier incidents from long ago involving a young reserve grade half back on the rise called Johnnie Gibbs. John was notorious for his wizardry in finding gaps among the forwards, and on this one occasion he broke free and headed for the goal posts. An opposition player was keeping pace behind him, though I suspect John was not at full pedal. John reached the try line under the posts, and then suddenly side stepped. The pursuer dove and found himself grasping at thin air and went sprawling past the posts. John then very casually placed the ball between the posts.

 

[Woodsie]

Woodsie I recall one of the funnier incidents from long ago involving a young reserve grade half back on the rise called Johnnie Gibbs. John was notorious for his wizardry in finding gaps among the forwards, and on this one occasion he broke free and headed for the goal posts. An opposition player was keeping pace behind him, though I suspect John was not at full pedal. John reached the try line under the posts, and then suddenly side stepped. The pursuer dove and found himself grasping at thin air and went sprawling past the posts. John then very casually placed the ball between the posts.

Played a few times with him .... and yeah he had a knack of just taking a skip as players launched themselves at his feet from behind.

 

[Bearfax]

Woodsie, our little tribe of supporters used to sit on the hill, northern end, between the 25 and goal line. 'Hollywood' Hartley was on stage performing as usual and we considered he was giving Manly a raw deal. So we shouted out consistently, giving him a serve whenever he came within range.

At one point late in the game after he'd been consistently heckled, he was standing adjacent to us with his back turned to us, as a scrum was being formed. We again shouted out a few comments regarding his apparently lop sided rulings, and one of us then shouted 'And look at me when I'm talking to you.' Hartley's only reaction was to bring his right arm behind his back and give us an up and down raised thumb sign. He knew that the TV camera was only on the grandstand side and that he could get away with it. We actually cheered him for what we considered a good response.

 

[nightster]

I remember many moons ago sitting near where Bearfax might have been .... there was a group of young mongrel grommets (probably Bearfax and his m8s), all swearing loudly and carrying on during the Thirds game ... there was a young woman with a baby and an older woman, I think her mother in law), they asked a couple of times for the lads to tone it down, which they didn't . As the Second grade game started a rather imposing man came over kissed the women and picked up the baby and walked over to the lads .... he simply said ... If you want to behave like Newtown supporters go and sit with them ..... it was Mick Veivers ..... ... the lads moved about 50 metres away ...

 

[globaleagle]

I remember many moons ago sitting near where Bearfax might have been .... there was a group of young mongrel grommets (probably Bearfax and his m8s), all swearing loudly and carrying on during the Thirds game ... there was a young woman with a baby and an older woman, I think her mother in law), they asked a couple of times for the lads to tone it down, which they didn't . As the Second grade game started a rather imposing man came over kissed the women and picked up the baby and walked over to the lads .... he simply said ... If you want to behave like Newtown supporters go and sit with them ..... it was Mick Veivers ..... ... the lads moved about 50 metres away ...

I read that and was like "Mick Veivers...sounds like that politician bloke I used to know in Southport..."

*checks internet*

Well fmd...it's the same guy! Some times things take a ...ahem... while to click inside the ole noggin.

 

[globaleagle]

pffft @Woodsie ...it wasn't that informative.

I mean knowing that it's P.P.P.S and not P.S.S.S - now that's informative!!

 

[Woodsie]

pffft @Woodsie ...it wasn't that informative.

I mean knowing that it's P.P.P.S and not P.S.S.S - now that's informative!!

You're lucky to get anything you manegy floor-rug in-waiting!!

PSS (It was informative because you let out a misspend period in Southport .... I.m stalking you MOOSE!)

 

[Bearfax]

I remember many moons ago sitting near where Bearfax might have been .... there was a group of young mongrel grommets (probably Bearfax and his m8s), all swearing loudly and carrying on during the Thirds game ... there was a young woman with a baby and an older woman, I think her mother in law), they asked a couple of times for the lads to tone it down, which they didn't . As the Second grade game started a rather imposing man came over kissed the women and picked up the baby and walked over to the lads .... he simply said ... If you want to behave like Newtown supporters go and sit with them ..... it was Mick Veivers ..... ... the lads moved about 50 metres away ...

We may have been mongrel grommets but we never swore. Dad, who was a Sunday School Superintendent and Church elder, would have given us a major serve. And he was always with us. And no way would he allow us to give a woman with a baby a hard time. But we were loud, in fact my father had the loudest voice in the crowd. Everyone knew when he was present. Big man with big voice, but loved his football. But I think you have the wrong group. We usually arrived at the start of reserves. You would have seen my father. he stood out as did my brother who eventually stood 6 ' 10". I was the runt of the litter at 6' 3"

 

[Budgie]

I remember many moons ago sitting near where Bearfax might have been .... there was a group of young mongrel grommets (probably Bearfax and his m8s), all swearing loudly and carrying on during the Thirds game ... there was a young woman with a baby and an older woman, I think her mother in law), they asked a couple of times for the lads to tone it down, which they didn't . As the Second grade game started a rather imposing man came over kissed the women and picked up the baby and walked over to the lads .... he simply said ... If you want to behave like Newtown supporters go and sit with them ..... it was Mick Veivers ..... ... the lads moved about 50 metres away ...

Oh dear. Reminds me of my mother who has just succumbed to dementia at 87 and gone into care. BUT, back in the seventies, she was five foot two and three quarters of pure feist.
Her and Dad (the only Parra supporter I will ever love) used to set us up in folding chairs at the top of the little hill to the left of the scoreboard (facing it) for all three grades. Gradually more would come in including Cliffy setting up for his family and the family of Tooves (I'll always remember their excitement for his first first grade game).
Anyhoo, one day it was very crowded and these latecomer young blokes (hope not you, Bearfax) pushed their way through to be behind our chairs. Many drinks later one of them spilled their beer on Dad.
Oh oh. Like a cricketer picking up the ball and throwing down the stumps, in one fell swoop she was up, turned, grabbed two full beers from the other blokes and poured them all over the three of them.
They limped away, tails between their legs. No one was to interrupt her Manly games.
While I'm at it, another time: SCG hill, Grand Final. Packed. It had been raining. We're on our rug with the esky, watching the footy.
Next minute, much noise, crowd parts, two blokes fighting each other ferociously all the way down the hill. They make the mistake of brawling right into our esky.
In no time, Mum has grabbed the umbrella and is beating the living daylights out of the brawlers telling them to stay away from her esky. They scurried together.
Yep. That was my Mum.

 

[Woodsie]

Oh dear. Reminds me of my mother who has just succumbed to dementia at 87 and gone into care. BUT, back in the seventies, she was five foot two and three quarters of pure feist.
Her and Dad (the only Parra supporter I will ever love) used to set us up in folding chairs at the top of the little hill to the left of the scoreboard (facing it) for all three grades. Gradually more would come in including Cliffy setting up for his family and the family of Tooves (I'll always remember their excitement for his first first grade game).
Anyhoo, one day it was very crowded and these latecomer young blokes (hope not you, Bearfax) pushed their way through to be behind our chairs. Many drinks later one of them spilled their beer on Dad.
Oh oh. Like a cricketer picking up the ball and throwing down the stumps, in one fell swoop she was up, turned, grabbed two full beers from the other blokes and poured them all over the three of them.
They limped away, tails between their legs. No one was to interrupt her Manly games.
While I'm at it, another time: SCG hill, Grand Final. Packed. It had been raining. We're on our rug with the esky, watching the footy.
Next minute, much noise, crowd parts, two blokes fighting each other ferociously all the way down the hill. They make the mistake of brawling right into our esky.
In no time, Mum has grabbed the umbrella and is beating the living daylights out of the brawlers telling them to stay away from her esky. They scurried together.
Yep. That was my Mum.

Gotta love mothers ... they can never have too much feist ..

 

[Bearfax]

I think you guys have our group seriously mistaken. We were two teenage brothers, our dad aged then in his 40s, occasionally his 30 something work mate, sometimes our sister, my bothers future wife , a mate, and sometimes one or two others. Hardly a bunch of young yahoo youths.

 

[Woodsie]

I think you guys have our group seriously mistaken. We were two teenage brothers, our dad aged then in his 40s, sometimes our sister, my bothers future wife , a mate, and sometimes one or two others. Hardly a bunch of young yahoo youths.

Sounds like a rabble to me .... your just lucky you didn't sit anywhere near the scoreboard and Missus @Budgewoi Eagle

 

[globaleagle]

I think you guys have our group seriously mistaken. We were two teenage brothers, our dad aged then in his 40s, occasionally his 30 something work mate, sometimes our sister, my bothers future wife , a mate, and sometimes one or two others. Hardly a bunch of young yahoo youths.

The importance of good punctuation....(and comprehension ge you git)

I read that as your sister was your brother's future wife!

lol