Reds sack devastated Bedgood from their dressing rooml

THERE is no longer room in the Reds' dressing-room for a proud 70-year-old who represents the heart and soul of Queensland rugby.

David Twoggod has been an inspiration in the Queensland dressing room for decades

THERE is no room for sentiment in professional football, which means there is no longer room in the Reds' dressing-room for a proud 70-year-old who represents the heart and soul of Queensland rugby.

For the past seven seasons David Bedgood has been one of the Reds' hard-working gear stewards. But he was far more than that.

A captain of Queensland in the late 1950s and an uncapped reserve for Australia against the Lions in 1959, Bedgood was invited to come on board the Reds by former coach Andrew Slack to act as a father figure to the younger players. And just by being there, he also served as a human link to the traditions of past Queensland teams.

Much of what Bedgood did went unseen. Certainly that was the case when he stayed behind on game nights to clean up the dressing-room long after everyone else had headed off to the post-match reception.

Yet his most valuable contribution was in lending a non-judgmental ear to any player who needed to talk.

"You'd be surprised who walked through that door," Bedgood recalled yesterday.

When Berrick Barnes was wrestling with the decision of whether or not to leave the Reds last year, he and his grandfather made the trip to Bedgood's home on the Gold Coast for advice.

But a knock on the door from team manager Lonnie Toia this week and suddenly Bedgood was being told his services were no longer required.

Toia, to be fair, said that breaking the news was the hardest thing he has had to do in his job. "Every person in the dressing room has to have a specific role. The dressing-room belongs to the players and we're looking to make that room as professional as we can."

He attempted to soften the blow by offering Bedgood free tickets to the Reds' home matches but it's not an offer the veteran intends to take up.

"I'm devastated," Bedgood admitted. "He kept telling me the Reds were short of money but I didn't cost them anything. I was never paid."