Funny stories and amusing anecdotes

[Woodsie]

The mention of Iwo Jima in another thread has reminded me of one of the best pieces of ad-lib commentary I have ever heard.

By way of background, the old course at St. Andrews has 360 bunkers and each one has a name. During the 1978 British Open Tommy Nakajima was equal leader coming to the 17th hole on the final round. No asian had ever won a major.

On his 2nd shot to the 17th (the road hole) he put his ball into the bunker, a steep sided nightmare.

I think it was the legendary commentator Peter Bayliss who then described the heart breaking tragedy of Tommy taking 4 shots to get out of the bunker and lose any chance of victory.

Just before the 4 bunker shot, Ayliss in his slow laconic british accent said, " we'll have to rename the bunker, The Sands of Nakajima"

 

[Woodsie]

The off-season is time to bump the anecdotes thread ... surely some of you old heads have some yarns.

 

[double hoops]

@Woodsie could you tell us about the Bozos response to players complaining about Noel Cleal not tackling one, which had ya start this thread?

 

[Woodsie]

@Woodsie could you tell us about the Bozos response to players complaining about Noel Cleal not tackling one, which had ya start this thread?

Didn't witness this one personally, but was told by a few blokes.

Noel Crusher Cleal at the time was one of the most damaging hard running back rowers in the game, and any time Manly got in an attacking position Noel was unleashed. He did however go missing quite often in defence.

Apparently one night at training a couple of forwards suggested to Bozo that Crusher lift his tackle count. Bozo replied that that was not what crusher was for, and if you don't like doing his tackling l'll get somebody who will.

 

[The Quirkster]

At Beaver's last game at Brookie, my sister and I were looking for autographs.

We saw Beaver with a bloke who we found out was his brother, baby in his arms.

When I found out he was Beaver's brother, I asked him if he played. He did in a weekend warrior local competition.

Being Beaver's brother, I asked for his autograph. Surprised, he said yes and gave Beaver the baby to carry so that he could sign my hat.

Imagine Beaver standing there, holding his nephew. He didn't seem to care.

Now, I had/have Beaver autographs on nearly all my Manly jerseys and such. I didn't need his autograph because he had signed it all in the past. But Beaver doesn't know that.

One can only wonder what was going on in Beaver's noggin when I asked his brother for an autograph and not him, who had to hold the baby. His last game at Brookie and a fan asks for his brother's signature, ignoring him completely.

I still have the autograph!

 

[nightster]

At Beaver's last game at Brookie, my sister and I were looking for autographs.

We saw Beaver with a bloke who we found out was his brother, baby in his arms.

When I found out he was Beaver's brother, I asked him if he played. He did in a weekend warrior local competition.

Being Beaver's brother, I asked for his autograph. Surprised, he said yes and gave Beaver the baby to carry so that he could sign my hat.

Imagine Beaver standing there, holding his nephew. He didn't seem to care.

Now, I had/have Beaver autographs on nearly all my Manly jerseys and such. I didn't need his autograph because he had signed it all in the past. But Beaver doesn't know that.

One can only wonder what was going on in Beaver's noggin when I asked his brother for an autograph and not him, who had to hold the baby. His last game at Brookie and a fan asks for his brother's signature, ignoring him completely.

I still have the autograph!

classic ... I hope Beaver reads these posts

 

[yokahontas]

At Beaver's last game at Brookie, my sister and I were looking for autographs.

We saw Beaver with a bloke who we found out was his brother, baby in his arms.

When I found out he was Beaver's brother, I asked him if he played. He did in a weekend warrior local competition.

Being Beaver's brother, I asked for his autograph. Surprised, he said yes and gave Beaver the baby to carry so that he could sign my hat.

Imagine Beaver standing there, holding his nephew. He didn't seem to care.

Now, I had/have Beaver autographs on nearly all my Manly jerseys and such. I didn't need his autograph because he had signed it all in the past. But Beaver doesn't know that.

One can only wonder what was going on in Beaver's noggin when I asked his brother for an autograph and not him, who had to hold the baby. His last game at Brookie and a fan asks for his brother's signature, ignoring him completely.

I still have the autograph!

Gold! On a similar note, my sister has a jacket autographed by Jamie Lyon's sons (and Killer as well lol) - the boys would've been preschool aged, and were checking out the various scribbles on the jacket while their dad signed the other sleeve. So when Jamie was done, she gave the pen to the kids and got them to 'sign' as well lol

 

[Woodsie]

Mention of the late Dallas Donnelly made me recall an amusing meeting in the late 70's. Whilst I had run into Dallas on several previous occasions, I had never actually met him.

I was working over in Ashfield during Uni break and decided to have a counter lunch at the local. As was the go at the time I was sat at the bar ready to tuck into my thick sausages, mashed potato, mashed pumpkin, peas, onions, gravy and 2 slices of buttered bread, when 3 local morons took exception to my attire. For some ridiculous reason my old manly footy jersey was apparently not appreciated. Truth told I hadn't thought it through.

Just as the debate was getting heated a large dark shape appeared from the shadows and sat at the stool beside me saying "youse blokes piss off and let a bloke eat his food" Yes the saviour was big Dallas and we spent the next half hour talking ****. At the end he said you'd better scarper .. that really is a cu*t of a jumper.

I believe at no time did he realise how close those 3 mugs were to copping a flogging.

 

[The Quirkster]

In 2007, my little sister and I went to Brookie for a pre-season fan day.

The players were seated behind tables, signing autographs, scattered across the field.

My sister loved Michael Monaghan. We went to his table for his signature. Ox was sitting alongside him.

After getting Monaghan's signature, we moved away from the table. Monaghan said to my sister, "Hey, don't you want his autograph too?" referring to Ox.

My sister gave her blunt, curt, idiosyncratic response: "No." The lads started laughing so hard, and we moved on to the next table.

 

[wombatgc]

I was sat at the bar ready to tuck into my thick sausages, mashed potato, mashed pumpkin, peas, onions, gravy and 2 slices of buttered bread.

Those were the days. Now you'd end up with some master chef inspired concoction, most of it garnished with every leaf vegetable known to man.

 

[Mwseintville]

Recalling the urban myth of Bozo's response to a player complaining about Noel Cleal's lack of tackling, has got me to thinking, that within the collective memory of Silvertails there must be some wonderful yarns.

Would love to hear them, and the only two points that I would make is they should be more humerus than malicious, and shouldn't be slanderous.

And never, never ever let the truth get in the way..

Just talked to a kid signed by Scott Fulton from Iggy park to be formalised next week in Townsville.

 

[Woodsie]

Scott Scott

??

 

[Chip and Chase]

??

It's a story about the night he met Matt Scott's brother Scott. Ripping yarn but not appropriate for a family forum like this

 

[Mwseintville]

??

Sorry about that not sure what I was doing there lol.

 

[Bradza]

If you don't know then the rest of us have no hope!

 

[Woodsie]

^Bump^ Come on guys .... it's dull on here until tomorrow .... let's hear some stories.

 

[jbb/james]

I loved a jack gibson yarn. At cronulla he pulled a second rower aside and gave him a serve about his defence.telling him he is paid to tackle , that the club paid him 80 k to tackle and whats doing

Player response was yeah jack but he gets 120 k not to be tackled

 

[Harvies elbow]

I loved big Jack.
My favourite is to Graeme Hughes after an origin win.
Hughes " How do you feel Jack ".
Jack " I'm tired ".

 

[TWO DOGS]

Back in the 70's Rex Mossop had a sidekick by the name of Barry Ross. During a game Rex made the comment about a player "I believe he is from ethnic origin". Barry retorted "no Rex he is from Orange".

 

[Woodsie]

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.