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5/08/2006
The Sea Eagles greatest ever team was announced this evening at a gala function at the Manly Leagues Club. The black tie event was attended by over 400 people including Sea Eagles greats from the past and present. The greatest ever Manly side was selected by an astute panel of judges and announced to enormous applause by the Sea Eagles greatest son Ken Arthurson.

I had the pleasure of having a chat with Malcolm Reilly on the 4th November 1990, it was at the completion of the Kangaroos touring game against Castleford. It was a night game and it was bloody freezing. It was that cold that I had wrapped a blanket around my head to keep me warm.

I was part of the large contingent of RLW supporters who traveled to the UK to watch the series. On this particular night the RLW had organized an after game function in a huge open Marquee outside of the ground. We were all invited to attend. During the game an announcement was made over the PA system that there would be an official function underneath the stand for the members and their guests.

Owing to the arctic conditions and the fact that the Marquee was an open sided affair, my offsider at the time I think it was John Ware,(not sure now) decided as aussies do that there was now a window of opportunity and we shall take it. A warm location for beer or shivering for a couple more hours drinking beer.

As John and I were making our way around from the other side of the ground I spotted Malcolm walking alone and obviously towards the official function. I went up to him, and introduced myself and sincerely congratulated him on his teams winning the first test at Wembley.

He was a very friendly and responded with friendly banter. I also told him I was a die in the hard Shark supporter and I have never forgiven him and Manly and bloody Fulton for the 73 Grand final result. He found this humorous and was laughing with me and John as we entered underneath the stand. I enjoyed my brief conversation with Reilly.

We where now at the door of the official function and as you would expect all attention was turned to the Great Britain Coach who was one up in the series. And who was beside him but two blockheaded Aussie supporters seeking warmth and sanctuary from the cold. The doorman asked if we were with the aussie officials, a polite nod was all that was needed and we were in.

The doorman pointed us to where most the aussies were and the only one I could pick out was the late great Tigers man Laurie Nicholls. Laurie spotted us and called us over..........and believe it or not, Laurie was standing at the bar wearing a bloody loose fitting singlet.

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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.

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In 1963, the 1st test was a night game at Wembley and Gasnier was at his imperious best. He's still the greatest centre I've seen. He never looked as though he was moving, but nobody could get near him. He had class to burn. Then we had the 50 - 12 game at Swinton. The die was cast and I think it gave Australian players the self belief to upset history. Since then of course we've only won one test series (1970), but I believe it was won on the back of my favourite all time player Malcom Reilly; and Roger Millward. They were the difference on that Tour. Many of the series around that time were close and different players stood just above to make the difference. I believe that in 67 it was a John Raper / Ron Coote combination as the game breakers. The test when they won in the snow typified the Australian never-say-die spirit.

In 73 Artie was head and shoulders above the rest.

In 74 it was Ron Coote's famous tackle on Steve Nash that broke our resolve.

In 78 we would have won that series but for the half back combo of Tom R and Bobby Fulton. Fulton was the finest captain of a touring team that I've seen and he lead from the front. Most of the players were young and inexperienced and making their first Tours, but players like Rod Reddy and Craig Young came up trumps. It was also the best test debut I have seen in the decider at Headingley. Les Boyd tortured us for an hour and came off injured, but by then the game and the series were run.

Apart from 1990 when we was within a minute of squaring the series, but for Ricky Stuart's breakout and Big Mal Meninga; since then we've been an embarrassment since 1978. But then we don't have players of the calibre of Reilly, Huddart, McTigue, Millward, Ashton, Murphy, Mick Sullivan.

Personally, I deride the modern game. The scrums are a joke and the 10 metre rule has killed off the great ball playing backs like Murphy and Millward in the British game. Same in the forwards. In those days you had to have the skills to break defences, because they were stood on top of you. Artie was the best ball playing forward I've seen and McTigue wasn't far behind.

Going back to stories about the Biff era. A good one was told to me by Brian Lockwood. In the 60's they had the John Player competition and the man of the match got an award. Brian was about 20 and at Castleford; playing in the same pack as Malcom Reilly and Dennis Hartley. Rocky Turner was the coach. Brian said that in training one night, Turner was laying down the law and was lecturing Malcom and Brian. Brian could see what was going to happen next and started running just as Turner copped Malcolm with a shot. Not long after, at Bramley, Brian got a man of the match award. Feeling full of himself he went up the steps as it was in those to the dressing rooms at Bramley. Waiting for him at the top and glaring was Turner, who said to him "you think you're good, but I've shit better than you." With that he hit Brian with a haymaker that sent him all the way down the steps. All the players were scared shitless of him; and Malcom always says that his aggression was part of the way he was brought up as a young player under Turner. Mind you I don't think Malcom needed much encouragement when it came to the biff.

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