Rugby league and Canterbury Bulldogs lose a great in the passing of Steve Folkes

STEVE Folkes was one of the greats at Canterbury because he was everything the Bulldogs prided themselves on being; tough, honest and family, writes PAUL KENT.

Steve Folkes will be sorely missed.

FEW ever knew Steve Folkes, who died on Tuesday at 59, began life at Canterbury as a lower grade five-eighth.

He was small and sinewy but his problem was he could hit so hard in defence he was never going to stay in backline forever and so Folkes was shifted to the backrow where he went on to greater recognition as a one of the game’s toughest and meanest defenders.

Folkes’s great delight was taking down bigger forwards.

RIP: They don’t come much more Canterbury

Folkes was known for his toughness on the field.

His favourite was Steve Roach, the Balmain and Australian prop who outweighed Folkes by roughly the weight of a small farm animal and was no easy target.

What usually happened said everything you know about Folkes.

One Sunday afternoon at Leichhardt Oval Roach was hitting the ball up and Folkes came in as he usually did, low and on the up.

He had tremendous centre of gravity. Not every player can hit and drive up but the ones that do are the ones who hear the ribs break and on this afternoon Folkes got in under the ball.

LISTEN: Buzz Rothfield talks to Miranda Devine about the Steve Folkes he knew.

As the shoulder drove in his arm also went up and it struck Roach flush on the nose.

Roach’s nose was busted and pouring blood. When the trainer came on for a penalty kick he walked across to grab a drink bottle and wash the blood from his face.

“Look at your nose, Fatso,” Paul Langmack said.

“I’ll kill youse both,” Roach said. “I’m tellin’ ya, I’ll kill youse both.”

“Well run it up, Fatso,” said Folkes.

One of Canterbury’s favourite sons.

Peter Tunks always called Folkes Prince Charles at the Bulldogs, on account of him marrying Peter “Bullfrog” Moore’s daughter Karen. He was next in line to the throne.

Karen died of cancer five years ago on Wednesday.

Folkes was always the Bullfrog’s favourite player, even before he married Karen, most probably because he was everything the Bulldogs prided themselves on being; tough, honest and family.

Back in the 1980s Bullfrog was managing the NSW Origin team when word got to him in Brisbane that back in Sydney coach Warren Ryan had dropped Folkes.

Folkes with wife Karen and their family.

Bullfrog was in a bar when he got the call. As the club boss he was also, in a lesser known capacity, chairman of selectors at Canterbury, and so he apologised for leaving those at the bar and he left and called the staffer whose job it was to fax the team to Big League for the official program.

“Put Folkes back in the team,” he said.

Folkes retired in 1991 and later coached Canterbury to a premiership, their last, in 2004, and three days ago was coaching Moss Vale in the bush as a favour to his nephew, who was in the team.

Folkes after leading the Bulldogs to their grand final triumph in 2003. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

The only photo of himself he ever kept in his office at Belmore through all those years of coaching was a ten by eight taken as he crossed the finish line in the Forster Ironman.

His finishing time on the Timex bridge above him was a formidable 11:50.15. He was 36 and several years retired from playing at the time and was never unfit for a day in his life, which makes Tuesday harder to understand. He died of a heart attack while riding an exercise bike.

“What was that like?” Folkes was asked one day about that photo on the wall.

He looked at the photo for a good few seconds, thinking through his answer.

“Long day,” he finally said.