Unflagging Magpies: The 1976 Brisbane Rugby League season
The premiers: Wests
It was Wests’ tenth premiership and the first time they’d gone back-to-back. Coach Ron Raper took over from former Valleys mentor Henry Holloway as the best in the business. Dual international Geoff Richardson was the creator. Slippery fullback Greg McCarthy made a difference in key moments. Captain Bob Green and young hooker Gary Prickett came of age.
The Panthers had to go the long way but saw off Brothers and then Easts convincingly to take the title.
Most tries: John Callus, Easts (19)
After four seasons just down the road at Wynnum-Manly, John Callus joined Easts in 1974. He would go on to win two premierships and play for Queensland during a long career at the Tigers. He really announced himself with 19 tries in 23 games for Easts in ’76.
Most points: Ian Dauth, Brothers (226)
The financial troubles which would ultimately be the end of the BRL and a few of its clubs were well underway in the mid-1970s, with the Telegraph remarking (see below) that the competition was primarily financed by chook raffles.
Ian Dauth’s 226 points in 1976 moved him to the brink of 1000 total points and given his trajectory there seemed a decent chance he could challenge Norm Pope’s all-time record.
It wasn’t to be. Dauth returned in 1977 but along with a few of his teammates saw his contract torn up by cash-strapped Brothers at the end of the season. Dauth and his teammate David Wright finished their careers playing on the Gold Coast.
An interesting morsel: The unflagging Magpies
The BRL’s decision to switch to a five-team finals series in 1975 didn’t make much sense beyond squeezing a couple of extra games into the schedule, and the format was quietly shelved after the events of 1976.
If Wayne Lindenberg hadn’t kicked a late conversion from the sideline to take a point from Wynnum-Manly in round 21, there wouldn’t have been a three-way tie for fifth and maybe the five-team format would’ve continued. Who knows?
But he did, and Wynnum, Souths and Valleys all finished together in a tangle of mediocrity. That the team who finished second-last was a very outside shot at winning the premiership was a very good argument against having five finalists in an eight-team competition.
The format aside, Souths’ achievement over the course of a hectic eight days in late August was still extraordinary.
Defeat to Redcliffe on the final Saturday of the regular season left them staring at elimination. They needed both Wynnum and Valleys to lose the following day to stay alive. Fortunately for them, Lindenberg had his kicking boots on and Valleys were drawn against Wests at Purtell Park. The Magpies lived!
Souths were the second-ranked of the three playoff teams, so they and third-ranked Valleys would play on Tuesday night, before the winner backed up against Wynnum-Manly on Thursday night. The team who survived the mid-week gauntlet would face Redcliffe at Lang Park on Saturday afternoon.
Three quick Souths tries late in the first half of the playoff against Valleys turned an early 2-10 deficit into a 17-10 halftime lead, and Souths didn’t look back, turning in a dogged defensive effort in the second half to win 19-12.
But one of Souths’ best tacklers, hooker Bob Muir, was sent-off after a wild brawl in the dying moments of the game and later suspended.
The appeal against Muir’s suspension was reportedly pending until mere minutes before kick-off on Thursday night. Souths were almost out the door when they finally learned Muir couldn’t play. Wynnum were comparatively well rested and now the Magpies were without a key forward. Surely the end was nigh.
When centre John Grant gave Souths the lead early in the first half, hope was restored. The Magpies were never headed. But the story of the game was another desperate defensive effort.
Wynnum looked to be surging home in the second half. Warren Orr was running riot. John Rhodes scored. Souths were clinging on. Wynnum had to score, but said the Courier Mail “always a Souths defender managed to get there to knock the man down”.
The weary Magpies held on. They were into the semi-finals, but they’d surely run their race already.
Well, it seems Redcliffe may have believed that too. ‘Bunny’ Pearce, Peter Leis and Tony Obst were there in body but maybe not spirit. The Dolphins couldn’t breach Souths’ defence. Reliable goal-kicker Tom Gillogy booted the Magpies home 14-6. They couldn’t possibly go all the way, could they?
No, they couldn’t. Wests, who’d surprisingly lost the Qualifying Final to Brothers, ended the Souths fairytale the following Saturday.
Everybody wants to win a grand final, of course, but sometimes unexpected and unlikely achievements in an otherwise forgettable season are almost as good.
More complete seasons are coming soon on Redcap’s BRL.
Leave a Reply