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Pic above - a great pic sent to the Era by Paul Hussey. It was from Sterlos days in the UK
Australian Test Scrum Half Peter Sterling feeds a pass to Lee Crooks with, from left Shaun Patrick, Paul Rose and Steve Evens in support in the Boothferry Park Semi Final.

View Sterlo Try Click Here (links to www.centenaryofrugbyleague.com.au)
Sterling Tribute Click Here (links to www.centenaryofrugbyleague.com.au)

VIDEO LINK
Sterlo setting up Atkins Try in 81 GF(links to www.centenaryofrugbyleague.com.au)

Stats available -

I was 8 years old when I first saw Peter Sterling.

He was was playing for the 82' Aussie Tourist "invincibles" at the Boulevard against Hull.

The Aussies that day paid Hull the ultimate compliment and played their full test team against us.

We should have won, in fact but for a disallowed try we would've.

Sterling that day was majestic....with that blond mullet flowing in the chill North Sea breeze he looked like a greek god to me.

He was everywhere, crunching tackles, darting runs and his kicking game was flawless.

I recall the day Hull signed him 2 years later.

I got home from school and my Dad just smiled at me and held up the back page of the Hull Daily Mail and said "Son, he's coming".

His first Game for Hull was against the old enemy Hull KR.

Sterlo had literally stepped off the plane 3 hours earlier, warmed up with his new teammates and got the man of the match award in a 29-12 victory.

I still have that Yorkshire Cup final game on tape.
He played only 8 games that season as he was on a short term contract as was the fashion in those days, but he came back in '85 and played the full season.

We finished 3rd in the League and got to the final of the Challenge Cup.

Sterling was unbelievable that year. The cup run itself was a fantastic rollercoaster for us. We had an easy first couple of rounds, then played Widnes at home in round 3 We drew 6-6 and Sterlo missed the game with a thigh injury, he returned for the replay in Widnes and we won easily.

The Semi final was another draw this time against CAstleford, and Sterlo was the difference and the replay once more.

This is despite a real going over from Mal Reiily in one of his last ever matches for Cas.

Reilly punched, raked, gouged and spat at Sterling, but he never took a backward step.

We won the game 29-16 and went to the Final against Wigan.

We fielded 6 overseas players that day, a record at the time. Sterling, his brother-in-law John Muggleton, and 4 Kiwis Leuluai,O'Hara,Kemble and Ah Kuoi.

We lost the game 28-24 and it was the last game Sterlo ever played for us.

He was just shaded by Brett Kenny but he never stopped.

Hull recently included him as Scrum Half in our Team of the Century despite playing only 30 odd matches for the club.

I recently went to the footy show and met him and he spoke to me for 5 minutes...it felt like 5 seconds to me, my wife couldn't understand why i was smiling for days.

I just kept saying "but Darling, it PETER STERLING!!!!". She will never understand, she just knows him as the bald funny bloke from the TV, I know him as the man who shaped my Rugby League Education.

Every player to play at 7 for Hull FC since has his boots to fill, and most have had no chance at all.

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It is recognised somewhere on this site but it is a timely reminder here that Sterlo is the only player in history ever to receive a perfect 10 in a man of the match award in the early 1990's.

More amazingly, his team, Parramatta, lost that day.

A couple of years ago I met one of his contempories Neville Glover through work.

Neville was a Police prosecutor and a very fair and honest one at that.

Neville said that Sterlo was still very down to earth all these years later (and with his TV celebrity) and that the Parramatta sides of the 1980's still caught up with each other on occasion and were still good mates.

As good as Sterlo was, I think that that the 'prince of darkness' Steve Mortimer just pipped him at the post for sheer league talent-but then again-Steve never obtained that elusive perfect score!

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Lets not forget the memorable season and a half Stirlo " the God" played for the Airlie Birds including the greatest Challenge Cup Match EVER against his former team mate Brett Kenney And the victorious Wigan

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

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

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