Bulldog’s Bite: Dean Ritchie reveals his wildest rugby league blows-ups
From Trent Barrett and Robbie Farah to Arthur Beetson and Bob Fulton, DEAN RITCHIE had stinks with rugby league’s biggest and most famous people. Bulldog reveals the wildest sprays he’s copped.
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Hey JT, welcome to the media.
This job isn’t all beer and skittles – as a rattled Johnathan Thurston found out last week when targeted twice by an aggrieved Spencer Leniu.
Sometimes ex-players are immune from criticism due to their profile, while we mere mortals who haven’t played at the highest level are open slather.
I have copped some terrible sprays over the years – some justified, others unfair. Here’s just a few.
FACE OFF WITH BAZ
Then Manly coach Trent Barrett and I went face-to-face before training one day at Narrabeen.
Barrett was driving past and wound down his window to say hello when I chipped him in front of other media for failing to return my calls. He jumped out of the car and blew up at my comment.
We were almost like a US baseball manager and umpire. I deadset thought he was going to deck me. Fellow reporter Jon Geddes, who was there, said: “I thought I was going to have to step in.” Barrett got back into his car and sped off but returned 30 minutes later after a calming coffee and we settled our differences. I now get on really well with Trent.
IMMORTAL COMBAT
I once quizzed the great Arthur Beetson, who was a national selector, about a surprise winner of the Clive Churchill Medal, given he was a judge. Arthur wasn’t in the mood to debate and yelled: “Well you pick it next time” and slammed down the phone.
ROOS TOUR BLOW UP
I was covering the 2005 Kangaroo tour and England and France when a story appeared in The Daily Telegraph back home questioning how many officials were on the trip. I had nothing to do with the report but Country Rugby League boss Terry Quinn, who was on the tour, was ropeable. He banged on my hotel door in Manchester late at night and I had to ring ARL CEO Geoff Carr, also staying in the same hotel, to come and retrieve Terry before he broke down my door. Terry even hurled my Do Not Disturb sign down the corridor. Terry and I laughed about it a few years later. He was a tireless worker for the CRL and may he rest in peace.
KLEM ON THE WARPATH
David Klemmer didn’t appreciate an article I wrote about him and I clearly remember the words he used when we next crossed paths: “You’re dead to me.” Big ‘Klem’ was fiery but we get on quite well these days.
TIGERS SPARRING PARTNER
Robbie Farah and I have had a mixed relationship. Sometimes civil, sometimes not. I remember the day he was due to conduct a NSW State of Origin all-in media interview at Sydney Olympic Park. I had previously questioned his commitment to Wests Tigers, which may have been harsh. When he saw me there in the media scrum, Robbie point-blank refused to conduct the interview. I had every right to be there and wasn’t budging, even if it meant the entire interview being cancelled. He wasn’t happy but was eventually coaxed into the press conference by NSWRL management.
SHARK DROPS C-BOMB
I once wrote a story about Sharks forward Nathan Long being “dumped” to the bench – a word then Sharks coach John Lang took exception to. Lang rang and said: “You know, I just thought it was a c … of a story.” ‘Langy’ was a good man but I managed to upset him that day.
RAGING BUNNY
In 2003, Souths parted ways with coach Craig Coleman. I had been covering the lead-up to the club’s decision and bumped Coleman in the Souths Leagues Club foyer on the day the axe fell. ‘Tugger’ let me have it in front of stunned patrons. He was clearly angry and upset and I copped it between the eyes. We have since become great mates.
FLANNO ISSUES BAN
Dragons coach Shane Flanagan barred me after I wrote a story which upset him around the time of his suspension from coaching at Cronulla. So that was it – silence for three years. We actually get on really well now and speak regularly. I shared a beer with him and Buzz Rothfield at Kirra Pub last year.
WOK HOT UNDER THE COLLAR
I interviewed the great Warren Ryan after he left Balmain in 1990. I guess I was trying to get him to bag the Tigers but ‘Wok’ was awake to the angle I was after. After a few leading questions, he roared down the phone: “If you ask that question one more time I’m hanging up this bloody phone.”
BENJI LET’S FLY
I penned a contentious Bulldog’s Bite column last year asking whether Benji Marshall was a part-time coach. I genuinely didn’t wish to denigrate Marshall because he wanted to spend more time with his family. More power to him. But he took it the wrong way and gave me a filthy call asking whether I had “something against” him. I don’t.
IN A LIFT WITH WAYNE
The lift door opened in a Leeds hotel during a Kangaroo tour and Australian coach Wayne Bennett was the only other person in the elevator. I remember thinking: “This is going to be fun.” Bennett knew who I was but didn’t utter a single word on our journey to the foyer. Talk about uncomfortable. I also remember Bennett having a crack at me during Rabbitohs training at Erskineville Oval because Souths back then completed their media duties after training – not before. I just thought it might be easier to get the interviews done first and then ask the pesky media to leave but Wayne didn’t exactly embrace my suggestion – and told me so.
COACH QUESTIONS MY METHODS
Then Parramatta coach Brian Smith made some interesting comments on radio one morning and I used a few of his quotes in a story. For some reason, Smith objected and angrily rang to accuse me of “cut and paste journalism.” Maybe he was right but perhaps he should have been more worried about winning a grand final.
CLASH WITH BOZO
Very early on in my career I wrote a story that the legend Bob Fulton didn’t like. The story wasn’t factually wrong – it was a prediction that Wally Lewis would captain the 1990 Kangaroos – but had a different interpretation to what Bozo was expecting. He quickly let this cub reporter know the angle I should have taken. Point taken, Bozo.
STOP THE LEAKS
Manly forward Anthony Watmough pulled me aside at training one day for a father-son, one-on-one chat. He manoeuvred me away from the other media and bluntly told me that he knew where the leaks for my stories were coming from and said I should stop writing stories about the young blokes in his side. It was almost passive-aggressive, even putting his arm around my shoulders as we chatted.
SCRAPPING WITH STICKY
Ricky Stuart and I have had a few ding-dong blues. Ricky is just so bloody passionate. I remember once we didn’t talk for a while after a stink and his lovely wife Kaylee stepped in and forced us to reconnect. He once deliberately crushed my sunglasses and later put chilli powder in my coffee.
FRANK LOSES HIS COOL
I recall as an 18-year-old cadet at North Shore Times writing a story suggesting Norths fullback John Dorahy didn’t look fit. Bears coach Frank Stanton must have taken the criticism personally and banned me from coming to training, games or dressing rooms. That stung when you’re so young, particularly given Stanton’s status. Despite this, I ended up getting along nicely with ‘Cranky Franky’.
THE KING’S SLEDGE
Wally Lewis, then at the Broncos, was dirty at a story I had written questioning his form and he told a Brisbane journo, Steve Ricketts, to relay a stern message which described me as “crocodile.” It certainly hurt but I was only young and kind of proud to think Lewis even knew who I was.
TWENTY-YEAR BAN FROM BEAR
Bears coach Steve Martin barred me because of a story I penned linking his club to Wallaby centre Tim Horan. Martin was filthy and didn’t speak to me for the next 20 years until we shared a coffee on the Gold Coast two years ago. Horan never did defect to rugby league.
See, JT, we all cop it.
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