Looking back: Plenty was tackled over years in Coast footy

Premierships, NRL stars, Origin debuts and local club legends. Plenty has happened on the Coast over the past 40 years.

MEMORIES: Sunshine Coast Falcons halfback Todd Murphy on his way to scoring a try last year. PHOTO: Warren Lynam

RUGBY LEAGUE: I played my footy, not very well but for quite a long time, saddling up for Souths in Nambour, All Whites in Nambour – that’s correct, they had two teams back in the day – and Maroochydore.

I also played about four years for Mooloolaba Hotel in what was the Second Division competition as well.

My last official game of footy was in 1995 when I played in a Nines comp at Noosa with the highlight of that being awarded the player of the carnival, only because I wouldn’t come off and the referees all knew my name.

Now, the real highlight should have been 1983 when Maroochydore, coached by Ron Robinson, won its first A-grade premiership against John Reddy’s Caloundra Sharks, who were going for a three-peat.

RUGBY LEAGUE: 2019 Sunshine Coast rugby league grand final A-grade final. Stanley River V Caboolture. Photo Patrick Woods / Sunshine Coast Daily

The Swans won, no thanks to me, as I got knocked out first tackle and wasn’t much help after that. So no memories there but there were plenty of others.

Nambour won in 1987 and 1988 and were coached by Trevor Swan, who applied for the Swans job but got knocked back so went up the road and won two, ironically beating Maroochydore in ‘88.

I guess three premierships in a row by clubs is pretty memorable.

Brett Winkler won three for Maroochydore but they were a fair way apart, 2000, 2016 and 2018. Rob Brough did it for Kawana in 2012, 2013 and 2015.

The best effort by a club has to be Nambour winning 2003 to 2005, followed by Noosa winning the next three which is particularly hard to do.

Des Allen coached Nambour the first year, then ex-NRL star Dan Stains took them to the other two while another NRL gun Noel Goldthorpe player-coached the Pirates to their three wins.

The most significant impacts though, as far as I am concerned, has been ex-NRL stars like Billy Moore, Allan Langer, Craig Polla-Mounter, Dale Shearer, Noel Goldthorpe, Grant Young, Scott Hill, Wayne Bartrim, Nick (I don’t mind getting sent off) Patterson, just to name a few who came back and played local footy on the Coast putting something back into the game.

Billy Moore

The Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles/Falcons has been a roller coaster of passion and pain but is still proudly representing the Coast thanks to Manly and now the Storm.

It would be remiss of me not to mention founding chairman Peter Boyce who, through sheer persistence, kept the dream alive.

My most vivid memory of course is the Falcons leading in the 2017 grand final from the third minute until 78 minutes and 26 seconds when PNG stole the show.

If we were going to lose to someone at least it was to a country that loves the game.

Sunshine Coast Falcons CEO Chris Flannery. Photo Patrick Woods / Sunshine Coast Daily.

I must also mention current CEO Chris Flannery who continues to do a wonderful job at the Falcons and also the local league community that have embraced the black and gold.

Another highlight for me has been our Origin stars over 40 years of the Daily.

Mal Meninga, Chris Flannery, Ben Ross, Casey McGuire, Adam Mogg, Matt Gillett, Moses Mbye plus Jake Friend, who should have played, but just happened to be behind the greatest hooker ever. I’d need another page to mention all those that have made NRL from the Coast.

Mark Carstens at his 400th game.

Over those 40 years, if I had to name local players who contributed to rugby league through talent and commitment it would look like this – Caboolture’s Mark Carstens, with more than 400 games and now a coach, Nambour’s Graham Allen, Caloundra’s Brad Ibbs, Maroochydore’s Murray Goldsworthy and Noosa’s Greg Christensen were all talented one club players.

Maroochydore’s Murray Goldsworthy gets tackled by a Nambour player in 2017. PHOTO: Warren Lynam

Finally, if there is one major highlight of someone who has done more for the game of rugby league it would have to be local stalwart Rhondda Poor, thanks for the memories.

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