Former teammates relive Queensland’s biggest interstate rugby win over NSW 40 years on

They may be struggling to register a win in recent years but there was a time not that long ago when Queensland piled on the points and dominated their interstate showdown with NSW.

1979 Queensland players Tony Shaw, Brendan Moon, Roger Gould and Bill Ross.

Rugby great Paul McLean still remembers savouring Queensland’s greatest victory over NSW and copping the playful hisses of teammate Tony Shaw.

The 40th anniversary of the 48-10 triumph at a packed Ballymore in 1979 will be celebrated in style with the Tempo Tribute Lunch in Brisbane on Thursday.

The tie-in to honour 20 years since the passing of Bob Templeton, the coach that day, is a feature of the Vintage Reds’ fundraising push to help coach coaches and kids in the bush.

Memories of that heady summit in ‘79 are so vivid because it was scaled by one of the great Queensland teams.

1979 Queensland players Tony Shaw, Brendan Moon, Roger Gould and Bill Ross.

Captain Mark Loane, Andrew Slack, Brendan Moon, Chris Handy, Geoff Shaw, Greg Cornelsen, Roger Gould, Shaw, McLean and co were a masterful band.

“The interstate game was always that ‘one day of the year’ for me, the biggest,” McLean said.

“”Tempo’ did a lot to instil the history that Queensland had never been a dominant side, ever, against NSW.

“If we got the dominance we did in that era it was even more important to keep it.”

A flu-riddled winger from Townsville named Peter Grigg scored three tries that day, including one from a pinpoint Slack chip kick.

Loane smashed through defenders for a 30m try like the “train without a station” he was aptly tagged.

“The crowd was packed in and when the eighth try was scored on the bell the call ‘we want 50’ went up,” McLean said.

“My conversion attempt shaved the post and I had to put up with abuse from all my good mates...Shawry, of course, Billy Ross and Slacky in his quiet way.”

Queensland were the dominant force at Ballymore in 1979.

It was never enough just to beat NSW for backrower Shaw who revelled in forward domination and the knowledge that put a few more Queenslanders in the next Wallabies pack.

“In the dressing room, I remember Shawry saying ‘get his fingers’ if you were ever in a ruck with (NSW back) Laurie Monaghan,” Grigg said.

“It was curious but Shawry had remembered from a tour together how Laurie really hated his fingers being bent.

“Sure enough, someone did and the footy popped out our way at a ruck on a platter.

“In that era, you had players like Chris Roche who’d always take a look at the NSW team printed in the newspaper and just muse, ‘another one in the bank’.”

The much-loved Templeton was at the helm for more than 200 games as Queensland coach and many beside prop Stan Pilecki, a steady supplier of cigarettes and racing tips.

Grigg had another memory of forwards coach Alex Evans in 1979 when the former Queensland forward was 40.

“Alex had played for Queensland, obviously, but he was in the dressing room foaming at the mouth to get into his boots on for another five-minute crack at NSW,” Grigg said.

“‘Just give me five minutes,” Alex would say...that’s how much it meant to want to beat NSW.”