State of Origin Game 1: Dale Shearer will meet and greet fans at Limelight Cinemas for screening
Dale ‘Rowdy’ Shearer has a long association with Ipswich and he will be back to meet footy fans during a screening of the first game.
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ONE of the greatest and most entertaining blokes to ever pull on a Maroons jersey is coming back to the city that played a key role in his stellar rugby league career.
Dale Shearer may have been out of the game for more than 20 years, but few old enough to remember him would have forgotten his impact on the game, from the local level right up to the famous Kangaroos tours of the late 80s and early 90s.
He is one of the all-time top try scorers of State of Origin, and on Wednesday night he will join Ipswich league fans at Limelight Cinemas for a special screen of game one, where he will provide his own rare insights.
Shearer, 55, spoke to the Queensland Times ahead of his appearance in Ipswich.
He said he expected the Townsville crowd to have a big bearing on the game.
“Man for man there are some brilliant players in both sides, but I know NSW will once again be considered the favourites,” he said.
“Up in Townsville, I think Valentine Holmes and Kyle Feldt will both get a big boost out of that.
“It won’t be a huge crowd but I don’t think that will matter, because they will be very parochial and I know from my time playing that a smaller crowd can sometimes seem a lot louder in a small stadium.”
Shearer, who played 26 Origin games over 12 years, said representing Queensland was always “like coming home” for him, especially during the early years of his career when he played for Manly.
Reflecting back on the massive changes in the culture of rugby league since his playing days, ‘Rowdy’ said players in today’s game faced a lot of pressure to stay out of trouble.
“They have to be a lot more mindful these days because everyone’s got a camera,” he said.
“From what I’ve heard the guys spend a lot more time nowadays just playing PlayStation in their rooms.
“Those bonding sessions we used to have were mostly just an excuse, but they were great, especially for any new guys coming into the side.
“We just had good times with no real dramas, and unfortunately that’s something they don’t get to enjoy much any more. The game is a lot more professional.”
Before getting recruited to Manly in the mid 80s, Shearer lived in Ipswich and was part of an outstanding Ipswich Norths side that included Allan Langer’s brother Neville which won three premierships on the trot from 1978-80.
His father Bob was a principal at North Ipswich State School and later a deputy at Raceview State School, and Shearer later returned to live on Whitehill Rd, near his folks, for a while.
He said he was looking forward to being back in Ipswich for the Origin opener, where he would share some of his insights into the game before the screening and at halftime.
“There are going to be auctions and giveaways and there will be a licensed bar – which I think is important to mention,” he said.
The West Bremer Radio Origin Listener Party is on Wednesday June 9 from 7pm. Game 1 is on the Big Screen at Limelight Cinemas, and fans can meet and greet Dale Shearer.
Tickets are free but you need to register first.
Register at https://westbremerradio.com/win-origin-game-1-on-the-big-screen/
Originally published as State of Origin Game 1: Dale Shearer will meet and greet fans at Limelight Cinemas for screening
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