Barry Muir dead: Iconic Queensland rugby league personality passes away, age 84

Barry Muir, the iconic Queensland rugby league figure who coined the phrase “cockroaches’’ to describe players from NSW, has died.

At a time when the Broncos have been urged to “show some heart’’ rugby league had lost the man who was the very embodiment of those three words.

Barry Muir, the colourful, irreverent, loveable larrikin who was one of Australia’s finest rugby league halfbacks and greatest characters, has died age 84.

“Garbo’’ Muir will be forever remembered as the man who coined the phrase “cockroaches’’ to describe players from NSW as he tried to rouse undermanned Queensland sides he coached to special efforts in the underrated and often forgotten pre-Origin era of the 1970s.

Hooking great Noel Kelly once said of Muir: “He’s a real Queenslander, Garbo. To him, New South Welshmen will always be cockroaches, city slickers and big-timers.’’

Queensland great Barry Muir. Picture: AAP Image/Richard Gosling

Rough and raw and real, Muir’s coaching addresses would make Kevin Walters’ outburst after last week’s loss to Parramatta sound like a Sunday school sermon.

One of Muir’s greatest fans was the late great Test batsman Bill Brown who employed Muir in his sport’s stores.

“I loved him – what a larrikin,’’ Brown once told me.

“He would come into work with stories about where he had been the previous night. Trust me, the term colourful didn’t do him justice.’’

Earlier this month named halfback in the Brisbane Rugby League’s greatest team at a special lunch in Brisbane, Muir was a strident critic of the pre-Origin system which allowed Queensland players to be plucked from Brisbane then play against Queensland for NSW.

When Muir was named in the BRL’s best team, hooker John Lang said: “One thing I know about this team is I would enjoy playing with Barry at halfback.’’

Muir, who played 26 matches for Queensland and 25 Tests, fed Australia’s scrum during a challenging period from 1959-64 when the outstanding British halfback Alex Murphy was his rival.

Barry Muir at Lang Park in 1963.

Muir was born in Tweed Heads – ironic given his hatred of all things NSW – and played for Toowoomba Valleys and 11 years at Brisbane Wests, captain-coaching at that club before heading to Ayr in North Queensland to wind up his career.

“I saw Barry on Monday – I had seen his health decline but of late he had really enjoyed talking about his footy days,’’ said former star Queensland five-eighth of the 1970s Geoff Richardson.

“Only six months ago we looked at old footage on YouTube of him playing in freezing conditions against England.

“He was great for rugby league. He spoke up in the papers. Once before a game between Queensland and Great Britain we picked up a copy of the afternoon Telegraph at our hotel and it had a story where Barry said the Poms were cream puffs.

“After every tackle that night the English forwards would say ‘so we are cream puffs are we?’’

“Barry started the ‘us against them’ theme in Queensland rugby league. But he did not talk down to players. He urged them to have a go. He said to them you are good enough. You can do this. We were talking on NSW teams with Bob Fulton and Artie Beetson. It was never easy.

“We were working full-time. I was a teacher and would go to school on Monday after playing on a Sunday. Johnny Lang was an electrician. Greg Veivers was off the land but he went into insurance.

1962 Queensland team members Mick Veivers, Frank Drake, Lionel Morgan, Barry Muir and Col Weir.

“Barry got us to believe in ourselves and we had a couple of draws and a win against the Blues in the mid-70s. Barry liked the social side of league and the mateship that came out of it.

“You’d play for Queensland under Barry then play against him when he was coaching Redcliffe the next weekend and it was a heck of a challenge.’’

Former Test referee Bernie Pramberg said Muir had left a unique mark on the game.

“He was a very courageous and inspirational player and a coach who had the ability to make players believe in themselves,’’ Pramberg said.

“He was at his best with underdog Queensland teams. He was of an era of colourful coaches like Bob Bax and Henry Holloway. It was never dull for the media or the public.

“It was testimony to Barry at his 80th birthday party that so many players he had coached were there.’’