Indigenous Roosters

[Intercept]

best indigenous roosters team?

latrell
matt sing
hegarty
hodges
fergo
andrew walker
soward
george rose
widders
ron gibbs
artie
connor watson
salvo

Geez. Decent side! Players to miss out (including some that did not have their best years at Easts) include:

Graham Mackay (I think he had indigenous heritage?)
Ricky Walford
Dale Shearer
John Simon
Nathan Blacklock

Would have loved to see Mark Ella grace our great club. Within other rugby league clubs, Steve Renouf was a personal favourite and I thought Jeff Hardy would have been a good pick up too. Finally, despite Hedley Hall being my favourite player for a while, I couldn't believe we passed up childhood Easts fan Laurie Daley to sign him!

[wayne challis]

Geez. Decent side! Players to miss out (including some that did not have their best years at Easts) include:

Graham Mackay (I think he had indigenous heritage?)
Ricky Walford
Dale Shearer
John Simon
Nathan Blacklock

A couple of my favourite indigenous Roosters that haven't been mention yet are Rocket Rod Silva and Amos Roberts

[bondi.boy]

The is Mrs BB you can add Ron Saddler to the list. A proud Wiradjuri Man.

[bondi.boy]

BB will kill me for not reading the post fist should be This is Mrs BB not the

[Seventy Five]

BB will kill me for not reading the post fist should be This is Mrs BB not the

Ha ha, all good Mrs BB. must admit I didn't know about Ron Saddler before Horrie's post so I looked him up. Absolute Champion.

Really interesting read for those interested. Don't skip the comments at the bottom, nice personal touch..

[zac]

BB will kill me for not reading the post fist should be This is Mrs BB not the

Welcome! BB talks about you a lot and we're all big fans of yours.

[horrie hastings]

Thanks Horrie, I did not know that. Sounds like a hell of a player.

My earliest memory of Ron Saddler was i think 1967, i was very young and on the hill at the Sports Ground with my father, it was Easts vs Souths, i wasn't paying much attention to the game being so young but the one thing i remember the crowd screaming, a Souths player had made a huge break and was heading for the try line when this East player came out of nowhere and drove him over the sideline in a classic round the legs tackle, that East player was Ron Saddler, that is probably my earliest memory of rugby league, needless to say Ron Saddler became my favourite player after that. If i was picking a team of best Easts player, i would put Saddler the next best centre i have seen for Easts behind Harris and Brass.

[horrie hastings]

Another i remember is Eric Ferguson, he was at East from 1974 to 1977, he played mostly reserve grade but did get a few first grade games and would come on as a replacement for firsts also. He went to Souths in 1978 and played more first grade for the Rabbits. He was a very good goal kicker.

[bondi paul]

Nice post Horrie. I was also fortunate to see him play. Funny i likely would have been at the same game with my dad. The only time I had a Easts jersey was with a number 4 : Saddlers number.
He was also a handy kicker for the line. Kevin Junee played the same time as did the one and only Axe. Saddler was liked by all.

[horrie hastings]

Putting a different spin on it is there is there a favourite Indigenous player from another club that you would have liked to see play for the Chooks? As a kid I was in awe of Larry Corowa and would have love to see him streaking down the side line in the RWB.

Eric Simms, an amazing Fullback and goal kicker, he was joy to watch even though he played for South Sydney, we had friends who lived at Chifley and Eric Simms lived 2 doors down from them , he used to come to BBQs there and i remember having a double on the back of a mini bike through the bush there with him once, he seemed like a great bloke.
Yes agree about Larry Corowa, he was such a great winger.

[Seventy Five]

Eric Simms, an amazing Fullback and goal kicker, he was joy to watch even though he played for South Sydney, we had friends who lived at Chifley and Eric Simms lived 2 doors down from them , he used to come to BBQs there and i remember having a double on the back of a mini bike through the bush there with him once, he seemed like a great bloke.
Yes agree about Larry Corowa, he was such a great winger.

Great memories Horrie. Thankyou.

I reckon I could read whole book on these little memories and other snatches of sporting history that people share from time to time. Even though I've not met you I cant help but smile at the mental pictures of you and Eric Simms zipping through the bush on a mini bike. Great stuff.

[Kramer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dACnyzxW5UM

That bought back some memories. Thanks Hawkeye. I used to go down to La Perouse a lot, living close by at the time. Joe Timbery used to run the boomerang stand back then.

[Kramer]

Geez. Decent side! Players to miss out (including some that did not have their best years at Easts) include:

Graham Mackay (I think he had indigenous heritage?)
Ricky Walford
Dale Shearer
John Simon
Nathan Blacklock

Would have loved to see Mark Ella grace our great club. Within other rugby league clubs, Steve Renouf was a personal favourite and I thought Jeff Hardy would have been a good pick up too. Finally, despite Hedley Hall being my favourite player for a while, I couldn't believe we passed up childhood Easts fan Laurie Daley to sign him!

Mark Ella along with his brothers attended Mato high it was an Rugby Union School back then. My dad who was one of the founders of South Eastern juniors tried to get the Headmaster of the time Mr Mobbs to play League, he offered on behalf of Souths juniors to pay for the footy gear to persuade him to do so. He rejected the offer as he was an old Rugby man from Parramatta. that was back in the 60's.

[Kramer]

My earliest memory of Ron Saddler was i think 1967, i was very young and on the hill at the Sports Ground with my father, it was Easts vs Souths, i wasn't paying much attention to the game being so young but the one thing i remember the crowd screaming, a Souths player had made a huge break and was heading for the try line when out of nowhere this East player came out of nowhere and drove him over the sideline in a classic round the legs tackle, that East player was Ron Saddler, that is probably my earliest memory of rugby league, needless to say Ron Saddler became my favourite player after that. If i was picking a team of best Easts player, i would put Saddler the next best centre i have seen for Easts behind Harris and Brass.

You know that is where me and all my mated used to sit whenever Easts played at the Sports Ground during those years. Great fun, and very noisy lot we where. Remember Ronny well one of my favorite players and yes a great player as well.

[horrie hastings]

Nice post Horrie. I was also fortunate to see him play. Funny i likely would have been at the same game with my dad. The only time I had a Easts jersey was with a number 4 : Saddlers number.
He was also a handy kicker for the line. Kevin Junee played the same time as did the one and only Axe. Saddler was liked by all.

Yes Ron Saddler was well liked and respected by opposition players and supporters. I also remember Johnny Peard playing for Easts around that time also before going to St George for a couple of years before returning to Easts for the golden period of 1974-75. One of the guys i went to school with his father was Geoff Chambers who played for Easts 1967-69, they lived in Gordon st Paddington virtually across the road from the school.