Roosters, Saints to remember VC hero at the SCG on Anzac Day
A war hero who died in Afghanistan and was awarded the Victoria Cross will be honoured at a moving tribute before today’s Anzac Day NRL match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A war hero who died in Afghanistan and was awarded the Victoria Cross will be honoured at a moving tribute before today’s Anzac Day NRL match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Corporal Cameron Baird, an avid NRL and AFL fan, is the fourth recipient of the Victoria Cross for Australia and the first posthumously (the award was instituted in 1991 to replace the Imperial Victoria Cross awarded to 96 Australians).
Baird, who was also deployed to Timor and Iraq, had a soft spot for the Sydney Roosters, who play St George Illawarra in the traditional Anzac Day match this afternoon.
Killed in June, 2013, Baird will be represented at the SCG today by his father, Doug, and a riderless horse — which represents fallen soldiers.
Baird was awarded the Medal for Gallantry for his brave response in a search and clearance operation of a Taliban stronghold during 2007.
An infantry report at the time read: “Displaying complete disregard for his own safety, Lance Corporal Baird led other members of his team forward under heavy fire from machine guns and assault rifles to recover the wounded team member back to a position of cover.”
Roosters chief executive, Joe Kelly, said: “There will be a special acknowledgment of Corporal Cameron Baird who was killed in Afghanistan and was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
“The Anzac Cup will be delivered by Cameron’s father, Doug, and will be accompanied by a pipes and drums band and a riderless horse.
“Cameron has been honoured before at the last Anzac Test in 2017 as well when his father awarded a miniature statute of Cameron to man of the match.
“The annual Anzac Day match is one of the highlights of the rugby league calendar. It brings together the wider NRL community which historically has been evident in the jerseys of all clubs being represented in the crowd.”
LISTEN! Matty with Paul Kent and James Hooper dissect the spin behind Phil Gould’s exit from the Panthers and reveal just how one match at Parramatta’s new stadium has completely changed the Sydney rugby league scene.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal the Roosters and Dragons will walk onto the field simultaneously. The Roosters will emerge the famous Members’ Stand home dressing room, the Dragons from the away dressing rooms.
Both sides will meet in front of the Members’ Stand and face one-another for the traditional Last Post.
It will be the fifth time the Roosters and Dragons have played on Anzac Day at the SCG — the others being 1927, 1959, 1961, 1978 and 1979.
Sydney Roosters chairman Nick Politis said his players visited Somme in France earlier this year — a famous battleground for the Anzacs in World War I — before playing the World Club Challenge in England.
“It has always been a great day to honour the military but this day means even more given we are going back to the historic ground where we played so many games in the past,” Politis said.
“It will be very special because our players visited the battle of Somme in France. They have a better understanding of what happened and the sacrifices young Australians made for our country so we can enjoy what we have now.”
A crowd of around 30,000 is expected to attend the match.
“This year is the 60th anniversary of the first time that the Roosters and Dragons played on ANZAC Day at the SCG,” Kelly said.
“It’s a special moment for our players to represent their club on Anzac Day.”
There will be messages displayed on the SCG big screen from Australian troops overseas and the Royal Australian Navy Band and Australian Light Horse Regiment will parade around the SCG.
The NRL will go from a new $360m state of the art stadium on Monday to the SCG — 171 years old — four days later.
“It’s the most significant day of the year as an Australian and Kiwi and we get to go and represent rugby league,” said Roosters coach Trent Robinson. “That’s the real proud moment. For us to play on this day, we are blessed every year.”
Kick-off today is 4.05pm.
Originally published as Roosters, Saints to remember VC hero at the SCG on Anzac Day
The VIP lunch that could deliver a new Blues captain
At a special lunch on Friday, Ricky Stuart pulled up a seat next to Nathan Cleary. What happened next could change the course of history for NSW, writes DAVID RICCIO.
The South Sydney contract call that infuriated Matt Lodge
Matt Lodge was confident that he was headed to South Sydney for a Wayne Bennett reunion, but one brief call blew up that plan and forced the NRL enforcer to make a surprising career pivot.