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Comments No 03

(FROM THE ERA --- WERE YOU THERE, THEN WHY NOT TELL US YOUR STORY- WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR IT......QUIGS)


THANKS A MILLION, ARTIE

Article from Lawrie Kavanagh in the Courier Mail, dated 9 July 1980.

Queensland stormed home to a 20-10 victory over New South Wales in the first state of origin rugby league match at Lang Park last night.

Queensland took out the match with the emotional crowd of about 30,000 chanting "Artie, Artie, Artie" in honour of state skipper Arthur Beetson, who played the role of a football giant in engineering this excellent victory.

Beetson played one of his greatest matches in his first outing in the Queensland jersey.

The 35-year-old Roma-born Beetson gave the crowd everything they could have wished for, with a match that excelled anything he had produced in recent years.

He shook off suggestions of injury or disinterest when he crashed, slashed and punched his way through his Australian team mates in the New South Wales team.

It was a Beetson punch which started a wild all in brawl midway through the first half, when the big man had raced in to protect his diminutive halfback Greg Oliphant.

Oliphant was being punched by giant second rower Graeme Wynn when Beetson stormed in, throwing punches.

The two sides erupted in the brawl which ended with three separate groups of players wildly throwing punches.

It was soon brought under control, but that fire remained throughout the match, with many more individual punches being thrown, but not getting out of hand.

Oliphant, who also turned in a gutsy performance, left the field later to be told that he had been dropped to reserve grade with his Sydney club Balmain.

While Beetson had the crowd eating out of his hands with his tremendous courage, it was hard to go past the explosive attack and defence of Queensland centre Chris Close, who justifiably won the $1000 man of the match award. He will also receive in excess of $1000 winning bonus.

Close had some magnificent runs, and capped his performance with an individual try which would be hard to go past as the best seen on Lang Park in years.

At one stage three players appeared to have him wrapped up, but he burst out of their tackles, fended off another attempted tackle, and with sheer speed burst around Test fullback Graham Eadie to score the try that sent Queensland to a sizzling 18-5 lead, with 26 minutes to go.

It was Close who also set up Queensland's other try, with a beautiful pass to his winger Kerry Boustead who flew over in the corner.

Each team scored two tries, but it was the magnificent goal kicking of Meninga which gave Queensland the wide winning margin. Meninga kicked seven goals from seven attempts.

Queensland hit the front in the second minute when Mal Meninga kicked a goal, and they were never headed.

Queensland forwards, particularly turned in a memorable match, with great defence and a willingness to take the ball up at every chance.

Beetson got tremendous support from John Lang, Rod Morris, Rohan Hancock and Wally Lewis. Unfortunately, Rod Reddy did not have one of his greatest games.

There was some terrific and fiery defence also from New South Wales, with forwards Jim Leis, Bob Cooper and Craig Young getting through a lot of work. Leis, I thought, was the best player in the New South Wales team.

Tom Raudonikis was strong as usual, and scored a good individual try, Eadie did nothing to redeem the bad reports of his recent form from Sydney.


MATCH DETAILS

QUEENSLAND 20
Tries: Kerry Boustead, Chris Close
Goals: Mal Meninga 7
Team: Colin Scott; Kerry Boustead, Mal Meninga, Chris Close, Brad Backer; Alan Smith, Greg Oliphant; Wally Lewis, Rod Reddy, Rohan Hancock, Arthur Beetson (c), John Lang, Rod Morris Replacements: Norm Carr, Bruce Astill
Coach: John McDonald

defeated

NEW SOUTH WALES 10
Tries: Greg Brentnall, Tom Raudonikis
Goals: Mick Cronin 2
Team: Graham Eadie; Chris Anderson, Steve Rogers, Mick Cronin, Greg Brentnall; Alan Thompson, Tom Raudonikis (c); Jim Leis, Graeme Wynn, Bob Cooper, Craig Young, Steve Edge, Gary Hambly Replacments: Steve Martin, Robert Stone
Coach: Ted Glossop.

Venue: Lang Park
Date: July 8 1980
Referee: Billy Thompson
Crowd: 33 210
Man of the Match: Chris Close (Qld)

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State of Origin No1 .... 1980

Qld 20 NSW 10

was only young sure, but had been going to an interstate match each year for a few years and had never seen Queensland win .... the closest we got was a game when Ian Dauth (sp ?) had a kick from the sideline after the bell to win .... and the kick scewed off closer to half way than the posts

i can remember my father and his mates talking about how our backs couldn't catch the NSW forwards late in games

can also remember Queenslanders like Rod Reddy scoring 30 and 40 meter tries ........ for the bloody blues

well the very first game was oh so sweet i can tell you

you want to instill hatred in somebody toward everything wearing a blue jersey ? have your own players go put on their jersey and come beat you

Oink !

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1980 State of Origin game
____________________________________________

My husband, Bill Mutton, was the
Secretary/Manager cum Chief Executive Officer of the QRL from 1972 to 1980.

He ran and organised the FIRST State of Origin game. I also was employed there as his off-sider. I can back his stories that it was Barry Maranta who initiated the state of origin idea - Senator McAuliffe inaugurated it - and Artie Beetson was initially not named in the team.

It was purely persistence by McAuliffe.

Which, I must say, was a winner.

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(Memories of the First State of Origin Clash 1980)

From reserve grade to QLD captain. AND he (Arthur Beetson) lead from the front.

We were standing on the hill at the XXXX brewery end.

Artie came on and the ground trembled under the roar from the crowd. We had been flogged year in and year out by NSW sides containing ex pat Qlders and we were dead set filthy. We sensed it, the crowd sensed it,
the players sensed it....we were seeing something extraordinarily special and we knew we were about to see probably the greatest sporting moment in Qld's history.

It was the end of being walloped.

To see Close and Meninga dominate Rogers and Cronin like they did will stay with me forever.

Likewsie Arthur standing up toe to toe with allcomers..what a night

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