On the back of the Eels’ big win last weekend, Big League headed down the coast to catch up with one of country rugby league’s biggest figures!
How’s the pub and the footy going down in Gerringong Mick?
Nothing much changes down this way mate, the pub has been in the family for 127 years and it’s still going well.
I finished up coaching in 2020. That was my twelfth season and I’d coached some of the kids before that as well so I think they were all getting sick of me.
You had a pretty good coaching record over that period didn’t you?
That had nothing to do with me mate, it’s been a great club that has had a good run over a hundred years.
I think they average a premiership every four or five years, or something like that. It’s just a bit of a mad rugby league town and it always has been.
When did you make your debut for the Lions?
I played my first game in first grade in 1969 and I was 17 at the time. That’s what I’d always wanted to do, to helpfully play for Gerringong one day and I got to do it pretty young, then I went on a bit after that.
It’s always been a really strong competition and clubs have good years and bad years at different times. But country footy is still providing plenty of first graders these days and I think people in the city forget that sometimes.
What was the biggest difference when you went up to Parramatta and started playing in the city?
I first got asked to move up to Sydney in 1970 by Kevin Humphries at Balmain but I wasn’t interested. Then I got picked to go away with the Kangaroos in ’73 and a few more clubs asked again. Terry Fearnley was just the most persistent and wouldn’t take no for an answer so I ended up joining Parramatta.
The training was probably the main thing. It wasn’t full time like it is today, but you know, it was three times a week and you wanted to go up there fit so you could give it a good go.
If anything, it was probably a little bit easier in some ways playing in Sydney, especially at Parramatta at the time, because they had plenty of good players there. So that made my job a bit easier.
There are a lot of good players in the country, don’t get me wrong, but not everyone is at the same level so when I came to Sydney, it made it easier when everyone around you knew exactly what they were doing.
Is there one particular Parramatta side or season that stands out for you?
I thought I’d go up there for a year or two and ended up staying for 10 so I obviously enjoyed it. But look, we got beaten in the grand final in ’76 and ’77 and we were in the mix most seasons, we just couldn’t win it. But then we finally got there in ’81 and went on to have plenty of success after that.
What was it like playing in the inaugural State of Origin?
I’d been picked before when I was playing in the bush but a lot of people thought I was just the token selection from the country and I probably believed that.
So when I got picked for Sydney and then NSW when I was playing at Parramatta, it meant a lot.
It was amazing how things changed when Origin came along. You are probably too young to remember, but in the 20 years before Origin, Queensland would have been lucky to win more than a handful of games against New South Wales.
But when Origin started, they just got it from the start. New South Wales would pick their team on Sunday and we’d play on a Tuesday, whereas Queensland took more time and went into camp to bring the players together.
Coming from the country, I felt like I understood the way Queensland looked at New South Wales and why it meant so much to them and to be honest, it’s still a bit like that today.
Who is the most underrated player you played with or against?
That’s a tough one because there are a lot I could name. At Parramatta I played with a fullback named Paul Taylor who never got the recognition he deserved by those outside of the club. I think everyone at Parra got it, but he wasn’t your typical fullback.
I also played with and against a guy named Ray Branighan from South Sydney and I always thought he was a better player than people gave him credit for. He was one of those guys who always used to come up with something in every big game he played.
What do you think needs to be done to support bush footy?
I don’t think you can just throw money at the bush and hope it all works out. But if the game is going as well as they tell us, then I think a lot more can be done to support the people running the clubs out in the country.
I’d like to see them put time and resources into training the coaches and the volunteers to help them build their clubs. At the moment, a trainer has to pay a fee to get qualified.
The more support and resources we can give the people that want to give up their time for our game, the better.
I’d also like to see the clubs run more coaching clinics out in the bush. It’s always a big rush for the kids to see the players from Sydney up close.
Can your Eels’ back up their win from last weekend?
It’s funny what confidence can do. They showed a bit last week, which was nice to see. At 20-12, they looked down and out but then a few things went their way and they made the most of it. Hopefully that will continue in the weeks ahead.
