Rugby League
Your Stories

-

THIS IS AN EXTRACT FROM GEORGE PIGGINS GREAT BOOK 'NEVER SAY DIE'

QUIGS RECOMMENDS IT TO ALL LEAGUE FANS - A FANTASTIC READ.......

Re the famous brawl with English Hardman Malcolm Reilly, then playing for Manly.........

George tell is like this,

"In the course of a career all players have stories to tell, of days that went very right and days that went very wrong. Most people would put the Reilly fight into the second category.

My brawl with Reilly took place at what was then football's 'home' the SCG (Sydney Cricket Ground), on an afternoon in 1973 when Souths were playing there keenest rivals, Manly.

Malcolm was a very tough player, and a bloody good one. Manly paid a fortune to bring him from England, and he gave them value, despite hobbling on a crook knee for much of the time. Anyone who tries to tell you that Englishmen arn't tough ..... forget it. Reilly pretty much introduced the lethal elbow into football and boy, he did some damage in the seasons he played.

Anyhow we were playing Manly at the SCG in a second round game. These matches always had plenty of sting. Manly were our main challengers in that era and the defending champions that year, having won their first title in 1972. But there was no existing feud or anything like that between me and Reilly. What happened, just happened.

At a certain moment in the game, I tackled him head on, across in front to the Ladies Stand side of the ground. Reilly had kicked me in the mouth in an earlier tackle, damaging my jaw, and I had put a shot on him then. When they separated us, we had both been cautioned. This second time he came down on me and as he got up he virtually played the ball on top of me, and his boot crashed down onto my jaw, the sprigs raking my mouth, ripping and tearing flesh from around my teeth.

When that happend I thought, "You bludger, you did that on purpose" and I whacked him. We grabbed each other and there were a couple of headbutts and punches thrown. Meanwhile the game went on. Laurie Bruyers, a sergeant major style of fer who officiated with his collar stiffly startched, ran past. "Cut it out!" he yelled. "If you keep going, I'II send you off". We had hold of each other at that point and I said to Reilly, "If we carry it on, we'll be off the paddock." Yeah", he said.

I relaxed my hold and next thing he let me have it - a big Liverpool Kiss. Then it was really on. I grabbed him and came up hard with my head in close. I had a bit of strength and I was able to fling him to the ground and lob on top of him. I'm trying to give it to him, and hes' trying to get me off andget back to his feet. In that sort of situation, I am a street fighter. It's win at all costs. Anyhow, it got a lot worse when he shoved a finger in my eye - I don't know whether it was deliberate or not, it could have been accidental. But I saw red. "Oh, you want to gouge, you bastard!" I yelled at him. I went straight for one of his eyes, and I'll swear I had it out in my hand. Ray Branighan, an ex-team mate with Souths who had joined Manly, ran in at exactly that moment and pushed me, and Reilly's right eye popped back in.




Then referee Bruyeres, who had followed the play, was back on the scene and sent both us off.

Anyhow a couple of nights later when Reilly and I fronted the judiciary, his eye was badly inflamed. And my jaw was swollen to buggery. At the NSW Leagues Club in Phillip Street before the hearing, hesaid to me, "Who did that to you?" And I said, "You did, you bludger", Anyway Reilly asked me if I was going to have a drink. I said, fine, and he bought me a schooner of lemonade. Then we went upstairs and faced the judiciary and were suspended for three weeks. The charge was head butting.

"What went on wasn't good for the game," said judiciary chairman Dick Dunn. I could only agree with him. "It was good for nobody" I told the media blokes. After that incident I never had any problems with Malcolm. "

AN EXTRACT FROM GEORGE PIGGINS BOOK - NEVER SAY DIE --- FROM PAN MACMILLIAN AUSTRALIA.
Quigs recommends this book - it is a great read - especially covers the Battle to have the mighty South Sydney reinstated to the NRL ---- Onya George.

- why not share your memories with other members of Team Era, just click here -

My dad took me to watch souths play st george at jubilee oval back during the 70s one afternoon.

I'll never forget it . out of a scrum near souths line Piggins drags Jon Jansen out of the scrum and smashes him.

I dont know what started it but jansen stood at least a head and a half taller than Piggins but it didnt stop george.

All jansen could do was cover up until it was broken up.

- why not share your memories with other members of Team Era, just click here -

Quigs- This is an extract from the story Martin kindly submitted for the Memorable Matches regarding his attendance to the 1970 World Cup Final .....

However, as the game went on it spilt into a blood - bath and Dennis decided to enjoy himself, sorting out the two Aussie props and anyone else that got in the way.In one incident I remember an Aussie off - loading a ball as he fell down.Play went one way and Dennis came rushing in the other direction kicking the aussie guy right in the face.

Malcolm Reilly was a Castleford team mate of Dennis's and my Dad knew Malcolm quite well. Malcolm once said to my Dad there was only one guy in the whole of Rugby that he was frightened to play against and that was Dennis Hartley, "thank God he is on my side" said Malcolm.

- why not share your memories with other members of Team Era, just click here -

Souths vs Wests at Lidcombe Oval in 1976

I remember going to the match with several schoolmates. It was a Sunday, and the crowd was so big that we spilled onto the cycle track inside the fence before first grade started.

I remember it was just a hard match. Wests absolutely hammered Souths in the first half. The game never seemed to be more than 30 metres from Souths line but they hung in. Wests had John Donnelly, Les Boyd and Geoff Foster and with Tommy Radonikus and John Dorahy were a formidable side - just watching them! I remember Bernie Lowther took an intercept and ran the length of the field to score. Souths seemed doomed simply by the weight of defence they had to produce but they just always got someone to the next tackle. It was the game that George Piggins scored a memorable try in the 2nd half, driving through the middle of the ruck to score by the posts. I remember the atmosphere and noise was amazing. I have supported Balmain all my life but I simply remember this game as being one that was the most memorable I ever saw live.

Best Regards with the site

Dean Gibson

- why not share your memories with other members of Team Era, just click here -

From a Roy Masters article in the Sydney Morning Herald, August 6, 2004

Noel Kelly (Western Suburbs Prop), recalling a game against Souths when he hit George Piggins as they were running to a position on the field where Wests' Peter Dimond had also been flattened.

Kelly said: "Referee Laurie Bruyeres asked me what happened as we both stood over Peter and I said Piggins had suffered sunstroke.

"I've forgotten the name of the Souths bloke who hit Peter but I told Laurie, 'If I was you sir, I'd send him off'."

Bruyeres says: "I took the report from the touch judge and told Kelly, 'If he goes, you're going with him."'

Kelly and Bruyeres agree on what happened next.

Kelly says: "I yelled out, 'Peter. He's going to send me off. Quick. Get up."'

As Bruyeres says: "I was never going to send either of them off.

- why not share your memories with other members of Team Era, just click here -

text

- why not share your memories with other members of Team Era, just click here -