Wests Tigers’ most important game at Leichhardt Oval
Leichhardt Oval is the sporting Disneyland. From the late Laurie Nicholls to a naked Steve Roach and hiding from Warren Ryan, MATTY JOHNS recalls his most memorable moments.
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Sunday, 2pm. My memory might be shaky but I can’t think of a bigger, more important game being played at Leichhardt Oval.
Tigers and Sharks, finals for the winner, Bali for the loser.
Leichhardt Oval deserves this match. Like Henson Park, when you walk into the ground you feel the sense of community, you feel the history of suburban Sydney.
In 1982 local Cessnock footballer, and a man who was also my under-11s coach, Mick Schofield, signed with the Balmain Tigers.
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Mick’s father Don, a Wests Magpies legend and Australian international, would make the long trek from Cessnock to Leichhardt Oval for most home games and a lot of the time, Joey and I, with our great mates the ‘Dever Boys’, bludged a ride down to support Mick and the Mighty Tigers.
I have so many great memories of Leichhardt from those early days, as a kid, through to playing there with the Knights.
FIRST TIME AT LEICHHARDT 1982
For a kid from the country, whose life was rugby league, going to Leichhardt Oval was like visiting the sports version of Disneyland.
People pouring down the narrow streets to get to the game, blokes selling hot dogs on every corner, people walking through the grandstand selling chocolate hearts and sugar coated peanuts, jumbo jets flying overhead, and of course, the Tigers’ No. 1 fan — the late Laurie Nichols.
We’d seen Laurie on TV but to watch him do his trademark shadow-boxing, while chanting the names of the Tigers players live was every bit as entertaining as the football.
To cap it all off, the Tigers won the game with a late try with only seconds remaining.
INTO THE SHEDS
The following year we travelled down one Sunday to see the Tigers pull off a great win and afterwards Mick’s dad Don informed us that coach Frank Stanton had invited us into the sheds to meet the players.
Joey and I were blown away. I remember Joey’s first words, “Matt, they haven’t got any clothes on …”
LISTEN! Matty Johns and Paul Kent are joined by Balmain champion Steve ‘Blocker’ Roach, talking up the big eighth place battle at Leichhardt Oval Sunday, look at some of Manly’s best ever hit men and the time Kenty got completely jammed by Mark Geyer.
It was intimidating enough seeing your heroes up close, without them being starkers as well.
Don urged us, “Go over and get Steve Roach’s autograph …”
So there’s Blocker, nude as a bear in the woods, and Joey and I, with our autograph books.
We were barely up to Blocker’s waist, I seriously didn’t know where to look. Joey on the other hand just stared straight ahead … seriously Andrew, you should’ve taken a photo, it lasts longer.
THE MAGIC OF THE ENGLISHMAN
In the 80s Keith Barnes signed some truly great English players.
In 1985 I remember watching Gary Schofield, the man they called ‘The Poacher’ for his ability to score a try.
He was so classy in every aspect. The way he moved on the field, his ability to score that important try and just his general persona.
One afternoon I saw him walking out of the sheds after the match, dressed in trousers, a shirt and tie, with a woollen jumper over the top and thinking, “Jesus that could be Paul McCartney.”
Then in 1988 came the great Ellery Hanley. No rugby league player had more charisma. Like Schofield, Ellery’s trademark was scoring that important try, right when the team needed it.
Ellery was a phenomenon and left the Tigers considered the world’s best player.
Then in 1989 the Tigers signed an unknown from Widnes called Andy Currier on a recommendation from Blocker.
Currier was fantastic. Big, strong and athletic, Andy had his greatest season as a professional and was a big factor in the Tigers reaching the grand final.
But my favourite memory of Andy Currier was the night my great mate and Knights legend Adam Muir challenged the big centre.
Adam was only 18 and full of ‘loudmouth soup.’ He told Currier that he was slow and bet $20 he could beat him in a sprint out the front of the Balmain Leagues club where they were all enjoying a beer.
Within minutes Andy and Adam are out on Victoria Road marking out 100 metres with hundreds of Tigers fans lining the sides of the road cheering the Englishman on.
It was a surprisingly close finish, with Currier collecting the $20, money well spent for the memories.
PANASONIC CUP
The Panasonic Cup was rugby league’s midweek competition. A competition the Balmain Tigers were a dominant force in, winning in 1976, 1985 and 1987.
A night competition, Leichhardt Oval was the feature venue due to being one of the only Sydney grounds with adequate floodlights.
The glamour team of the competition was Combined Brisbane. In the pre-Broncos days it was the ‘exotic’ Queensland side containing legendary players like Wally Lewis, Gene Miles and Greg Dowling.
In 1985 I remember the Tigers giving Combined Brisbane a good flogging. It was the talk of the schoolyard the following day.
DODGING THE WOK
Round one of the 2000 season we drew the newly merged Northern Eagles. Two weeks before that match they played a trial game against fellow merged side Wests Tigers at Leichhardt.
Coach Warren Ryan suggested we go down as a team to watch the game and get a feel for our opponents.
We boarded the bus at Newcastle at 11am with ‘Wok’ telling us he might meet us at the game.
That Knights team were an extremely social bunch, so without any coach or official on board, it was suggested we stop at the bottle shop and pick up a few cartons for the bus ride down.
By the time we got to Gosford, the fact-finding mission had turned into a pub crawl and the usual two-and-a-half hour trip to Leichhardt took us six or seven, and we arrived just before kick-off.
As we took our places behind the posts, Wok called me and asked where we were sitting.
Concerned as to how he would react to his whole team drunk as sailors, I told Wok we were in the grandstand, knowing there were three and it may buy us some time.
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After visiting all three stands and being unable to find his entire football team, Wok called again, “Where the friggin’ hell are you blokes?”
I replied, “We just moved, we’re on the hill.”
This continued for another half-hour or so, until he finally discovered us, after seeing the crowd cheering on our little, dumpy No. 7 who was in entertainment mode and dancing up a storm for the fans.
Warren took one look at us, raised an eyebrow and left.
How did our reconnaissance mission end up?
Fair to say we got what we deserved and suffered a shock round-one loss. Great day though.
Originally published as Wests Tigers’ most important game at Leichhardt Oval