Footy flashback: All Rothmans, Civoniceva Medallists remembered
Footy flashback: We name all 53 mighty warriors to have won either a Rothmans Medal or Petero Civoniceva Medal - 1968 to 2021.
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They are a band of mighty warriors - all 53 of them - who have claimed the most prestigious award in club land - the Rothmans Medal (1968-1996) or Petero Civoniceva Medal (1997-2021).
It is like an AFL player winning the Brownlow Medal, a cherished piece of silverware given to the best player across all players in the once Brisbane Rugby League and now the Super Cup competition.
Some have the medal locked away in a bank or on display on a mantle piece, one is on display (Tony Obst) at the Redcliffe Leagues club, while others, like three-time Redcliffe premiership winner Michael Roberts, has it in a box of treasures from his playing days buried in his home.
“It is in a special box tucked away,’’ said Roberts, who arrived at the Dolphins from Mackay and won premierships in 2003, 2002 and 2006.
Some of the game’s superstars have won it. Players such as Gene Miles, Daly Cherry-Evans, Greg Inglis, Tony Currie and Cody Walker, but the beauty of the Rothmans and Civoniceva Medal is it can also be won by the rank and file footballers.
Players like Norths lock Neville Draper, Peter Lehman of Brothers and Chris Phelan from Souths.
And success can run in the family, with Alan Currie (Easts lock) winning the Rothmans and 10 years later his nephew Tony (Wests) winning it as well.
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Roberts won the medal early in his Super Cup career after moving from Mackay.
“You don’t understand it at the time but a lot of people over the years have mentioned it. And looking back on things, it is a special one,’’ said the Wavell SHS teacher.
He said playing next to Shane Perry in his early days of Super Cup football helped. “I loved playing with him and we have a special mateship,’’ Roberts said.
“We had a tight mateship and a great combination playing together. And when I made my debut for the Broncos, he was halfback which made things easier.’’
It was only natural Roberts would end up at Redcliffe after being scouted by then Dolphins colts coach Anthony Griffin.
After all his dad Eddie and Uncle David both played some first grade at Redcliffe.
“Anthony Griffin was the colts coach and he recruited me and I lived with him for the first couple of years,’’ Roberts recalled.
“Mum was happy about that - I was looked after very well.’’
Ironically Roberts was a late bloomer in league - he never started playing until aged 16.
As a boy he remembered watching Mackay legend Ray Gagai, Dean’s son, Wendell Sailor and Brett Dallas lighting up rugby league fields. “There was a buzz when they touched the ball,’’ he said.
So for a late starting 70kg half to finish with three Super Cup premierships, a Civoniceva Medal and a Broncos jersey was a mighty effort.
“Because it is the old Rothmans Medal, it is pretty special. And being renamed the Petero Civoniceva award, well, he is a legend,’’ said the boy who started at St Patrick’s Mackay.
“It was very special to get it.’’
Norths had an extraordinary knack of supplying Rothmans Medal winners early on, including “Big Man” Darryl Brohman winning in 1976 and Darryl Duncan winning in 1990 - 10 years after helping the Devils claim the 1980 BRL premiership.
Duncan was a BRL legend, starting as a bulky centre, progressing to a ball playing five-eight and then into the forwards where he would use his hips to repel defenders.
Norths also supplied the second Rothmans winner, halfback Johnny Brown, after Wests fullback Wayne Head had won the first.
The third ever winner, Graeme Atherton, was the cornerstone of a battling Souths side.
The joy it must have given him to see team mates Greg Veivers and John Grant play for Australia in the 1970s, and then the Magpies rebuild to make the ‘79 grand final and win the 1981 premiership.
Crash tackling Alan Wieland won the last Rothman’s Medal in 1996, and then the first Petero Medal in 1997.
This season magnificent Seagulls hooker Jayden Berrell won it from Wynnum - 50 years after Len Brunner was the Seagulls’ first medallist in 1973.
One of the Seagulls best players to win was wide running second rower Ian French.
Easts (Brisbane) Tigers had a block of five winners in 11 years at one stage - John Eales, grand final hero Jeff Fyfe, lock Alan Currie and young bulls Trevor Paterson and Cavill Heugh, while 2021 Queensland Origin coach Paul Green - playing for Easts - shared a medal with Wests Steve Mills.
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Some, like Jamal Fogarty of the Burleigh Bears and Cody Walker used the Super Cup - on their medal win - as a leg-up to playing NRL.
Surprisingly the famous Brothers club had just one winner - in 1994, prop Steve Bryant.
One of the most popular winners was Redcliffe’s Ian “Bunny’’ Pearce in 1978, followed two years later by Dolphins hardman Tony Obst in 1980.
Everyone loved Bunny and with good reason.
Aside from being a champion player and kicker, he was such a nice man.
ROTHMANS MEDAL WINNERS
1968: Wayne Head, fullback, Wests
1969: Johnny Brown, halfback, Norths
1970: Graeme Atherton, five-eighth, Souths
1971: Len Brunner, second-row, Wynnum-Manly
1972: Marty Scanlan, five-eight, Valleys
1973: John Eales, centre, Easts
1974: Jeff Fyfe. lock, Easts
1975: Steve Calder, lock, Norths
1976: Darryl Brohman, prop, Norths
1977: Alan Currie, lock, Easts
1978: Ian Pearce, centre, Redcliffe
1979: Neville Draper, lock, Norths
1980: Tony Obst, Redcliffe
1981: Chris Phelan, lock, Wests
1982: Tony Currie, fullback, centre Wests
1983: Trevor Paterson, second-row, Easts
1984: Cavill Heugh, prop, Easts
1985: Ian French, second-row, Wynnum-Manly
1986: Bryan Niebling (Redcliffe) and Scott Tronc, (Souths)
1987: Gene Miles, centre, Wynnum-Manly
1988: Kevin Langer, halfback, Wests
1989: Neil Tierney, prop, Wynnum-Manly
1990: Trevor Benson, five-eight, Redcliffe
1991: Darryl Duncan, five-eighth, Norths
1992: Jason Hanrahan, Souths
1993: Paul Green (Easts) and Steve Mills (Wests)
1994: Steve Bryant, prop Brothers
1995: Graham Cotter, prop, Redcliffe
1996: Alan Wieland, lock, Wests
PETERO CIVONICEVA MEDAL
1997: Alan Wieland, Wests
1998: Shane Perry, Logan Scorpions
1999: Mick Roberts, Redcliffe
2000: Jason Bulgarelli, Wests
2001: Adam Mogg, Redcliffe
2002: Scott Thorburn, Easts
2003: Denny Lambert, Wynnum-Manly
2004: Brent McConnell, Burleigh Bears
2005: Greg Inglis, Norths
2006: Brandon Costin, Souths-Logan
2007: Shannon Walker, Tweed Heads Seagulls
2008: Nat Bowman, Comets
2009: Scott Smith, Burleigh Bears
2010: Daly Cherry-Evans Sunshine Coast
2011: Javarn White, Norths
2012: Luke Capewell, Redcliffe
2013: Cody Walker, Easts
2014: Luke Page, Souths Logan
2015: Patrick Templeman, Wynnum-Manly
2016: Josh Chudleigh, Mackay Cutters
2017: Ase Boas, PNG Hunters
2018: Nathaniel Neale, Ipswich
2019: Jamal Fogarty, Burleigh Bears
2020: Not awarded
2021: Jayden Berrell, Wynnum-Manly
Originally published as Footy flashback: All Rothmans, Civoniceva Medallists remembered
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