Your favourite rugby league memories from the good ol’ 1980s

RETRO Round might be over but that hasn’t stopped fans reminiscing about the good ol’ days of rugby league. Tell us about your first memory of the footy.

RETRO Round might be over but that hasn’t stopped fans reminiscing about the good ol’ days of rugby league.

Phil Rothfield’s column today about how league crowds have dropped substantially since the 1980s had readers talking about their favourite memories from the retro era.

And some of them are gold.

Tell us about your first memory of the footy in the comments section and check out some of the best ones below.

Peter writes ...

I can remember as a kid paying 1 shilling (or 10 cents) to get into the match of the day at the SCG. You would get around an average of 20,000 fans but it still seemed packed as we stood on the hill. The same at the suburban grounds. We’d cram in to see a game. I used to go just about every week. Then the big money arrived and with it any loyalty left. For the first few years it was the erosion of player loyalty to their club and the club’s loyalty to its long serving players. One-club players were once common place but not any more. With the money on offer that disappeared. Eventually the fans started realising that the NRL, the clubs and the players were only interested in the money and were no longer interested in the people who made the game what it is, the kids in the juniors and the families who wanted to see their team each week.

Peter Sterling attempts to evade a tackle by Peter Kelly during the 1984 grand final between the Bulldogs and Eels at the SCG.

The Dogs in those days even had the Terry Lamb Family Hill. TV scheduling now rules when games are played. That is why Saints and Souths attracted just over 12,000 fans, when if it had been played on a Sunday afternoon at Kogarah the house full sign would have gone up. Once we used to see three games for our money now we see most times only one because of the ridiculous scheduling. I for one can’t be bothered going any more because I get charged a fortune to see my team once in a blue moon play at their home ground. (I did go once to ANZ but there was no atmosphere as the nearest fans were five rows away).

Michael writes ...

I remember going for three games, half time entertainment was whoever was on at the leagues club and the cheerleaders did a great job with the kids all day. The clubs made cuts at the same time as getting more money. The referees actually made decisions and were far better than today’s mob. The only thing that has not changed is the Roosters always have double the crowd that anybody can see at the game.

Tell us about your first memory of the footy in the comments section below.

Simon writes ...

I remember as a kid my Nan and I travelling to every Newtown Jets game we could afford to go to. We went to Henson, Leichhardt, Belmore, the old Sydney Sports Ground, North Sydney Oval and Redfern and I am sure other grounds that I can’t remember. I am 45 and I look back on those weekly winter trips in the rain, hail or shine and they are the fondest memories I have — people were passionate, the good old “get em on side ref” and “the’ve been doing it all day” after a penalty when the game had only been going for 5 mins. My nan was a pensioner but she found a way to take me because she loved the game, loved me and made it happen.

Royce Ayliffe is sent to the sin bin during a Newtown Jets v Easts clash in a 1981 match at Henson Park. Park: Peter Kurnik

I have been lucky enough to become a member of the footy stadium now so I take my kids to games there when we can but it’s more likely that you will find us at Henson — yes I love the Jets and still wear the jersey with pride BUT there is always a bumper crowd, the atmosphere is fantastic and there are things like the kids running on the field at half time. The NRL needs to look at what are bringing the crowds to places like Henson Park and North Sydney Oval and see what they replicate. One thing is clear — get the regular weekly games away from the big stadiums and get them into the suburbs. Imagine a Rabbitohs NRL game at Henson Park these days, you would have to shut the gate at 1pm, people would come from miles.

Tell us about your first memory of the footy in the comments section below.