Monday Buzz: Robbed of a grand occasion
ON Saturday, McIntyre Warriors beat the Narwan Eels in the most stunning and spectacular Group 19 grand final. But it was a bittersweet victory.
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BOGGABILLA is a million miles away from NRL headquarters in Moore Park.
In this town on the Queensland border, rugby league is not a game or a business. It’s their religion.
Population 780. Grand final crowd of 2500. Says it all.
On Saturday the local team, Macintyre Warriors, beat the Narwan Eels in the most stunning and spectacular Group 19 grand final.
But it was a bittersweet victory because their club president and major sponsor wasn’t there.
Peter Rice sadly quit in the days leading up to the decider over a robbery at his business.
Rice started this club last year. He has put his heart and soul into it. And his money.
The dream was to get local kids off the street. To cut drugs, alcohol, violence and theft in the community.
“What’s in their past is in their past,” he told me two years ago.
“This club is to give them something to live for.”
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THE PRESIDENT
Rice is now the victim.
Last Saturday night thieves used sledgehammers to smash through the doors of Gundy Guns, his shop in nearby Goondiwindi.
Six weapons, ammunition and thousands of dollars were stolen. Some of it was footy club gate takings.
So he quit. Not in protest but more in disappointment that crime is still so prevalent in the area.
“I’ve had enough,” he said. “The fire’s gone out. Every week they’re knocking off five or six businesses. The town is living in fear.”
He doesn’t blame the club or its players.
“I’m just dirty that they (the crims) are being protected by people who should be doing something about it.”
THE FOOTY
If this was a Nine or Fox Sports game, it would be the best advertisement for the code. Stunning, adlib, attacking football. Breathtaking tries. Just beautiful rugby league.
Where instinct, skill and playing what’s in front of you are more valued than any structure or game plan.
A game in which forwards do the hit-ups so that the outside backs are fresh when they get the footy.
This is bush footy, indigenous style. Offloads and flick passes. No safety-first plays then a kick on the last. A flashback to Ted Glossop’s old Canterbury Bulldogs “entertainers” of the ’80s.
Or a team of Preston Campbells, Ewan McGradys, Anthony Mundines and Andrew Walkers.
THE GAME
The home side, the Macintyre Warriors, led 22-4 at halftime.
Here they don’t care to shut down a footy game.
Discipline is not a word in their rugby league dictionary.
Five of their players are sin-binned in the second half, mostly for back chat.
Here you don’t get those “next time someone will get sit down” warnings for which NRL refs are renowned.
Twice they are reduced to 11 players for 10 minutes.
As you’d expect under these circumstances, the Narwan Eels come storming back.
It is fair dinkum as thrilling as an anything I’ve seen on a football field. You’re thinking Canberra v Balmain in 1989. Or Newcastle v Manly in 1997.
With a few minutes to go, the Warriors lead by two but have only 11 players on the field. They are exhausted. Nothing in the tank.
Five-eighth David McGrady, a nephew of Canterbury great Ewan, receives the ball 30m from his own line and puts his right boot to it.
His extraordinary 40-20 kick rolls into touch 10m from the Narwan line. Unbelievable. The crowd goes crazy.
With just 11 men, they win the scrum and score.
From the kick-off, Narwan receive the ball and get a try. But it is too late. Game over.
The fans invade the field. The noise is deafening from the sound of car horns that surround the fence. Police and the riot squad watch on. They are smiling, too.
Old Warriors like Ricky McGrady are crying.
They’ve waited all their lives for this premiership. And the score, 26-22. You almost forget to write it down. You stand there watching with goosebumps.
And you are thankful that these two great clubs have restored your faith in rugby league.
It’s just a shame Peter Rice wasn’t there with us.
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