Tweet
SMH article
For three decades, Souths and Roosters icon Ron Coote has been excluded from rugby league’s most exclusive club, the Immortals, much to his disappointment.
But the towering lock-forward can soon take comfort in having a grandstand named after him in the new $828 million Sydney Football Stadium.
Coote’s name will sit alongside two fellow sporting giants in the world-class arena, which is on track for completion in August.
Late Socceroos legend Johnny Warren and Wallaby great Sir Nicholas Shehadie, the former ARU chairman and SCG Trustee critical in the building of the first SFS in 1988, will also be recognised.
A fourth stand will curiously be named the Garrison Stand, which acknowledges the historical significance of the precinct when British Army Soldiers played cricket on a stretch of turf that later became known as the Sydney Cricket Ground.
While that decision is sure to confuse many patrons, Coote’s inclusion has already raised the ire of his former team, the Roosters, who argued to Venues NSW that Immortal Arthur Beetson should have been named ahead of him.
Coote played in nine grand finals over 11 seasons from 1965, winning four with South Sydney before controversially linking with foundation club arch-rivals Eastern Suburbs, playing for the Tri-colours in their 1974 and 1975 premierships.
Beetson was the captain of both those sides and the Roosters claim his status as an Immortal — something Coote has not achieved since the concept’s inception in 1980 — should put him ahead of his former teammate.
Advertisement
Other powerbrokers want former Roosters and NSW captain Brad Fittler acknowledged because of his appeal to a younger generation.
The SCG Heritage Trust was charged with the onerous responsibility of naming the stands in the 45,000-seat facility.
Members of the trust include prominent businessman Maurice Newman and former SCG Trustee Rodney Cavalier.
All tenants of the Moore Park precinct, including the Sydney Swans who don’t play on a rectangular stadium, were invited to put forward names.
A shortlist was drawn before the Heritage Trust made a recommendation to the Venues NSW board.
It is understood Coote was endorsed for two reasons.
First, the belief that his playing achievements have been under-recognised by rugby league, although he has been inducted into the game’s Hall of Fame. Apart from Coote’s premiership success for Souths and the Roosters, he played 23 Tests for Australia.
Second, he was the founder of the Men of League Foundation, which has provided invaluable support for former players, coaches and officials who have fallen on hard times since its inception in 2000.
The Roosters refused to comment on the record, nor did Venues NSW, but privately the club believes their recommendation should hold greater weight because they are the ground’s oldest tenants, having played out of the former Sydney Sportsground since 1911 before it was replaced by the first incarnation of the SFS, which it also called home until its demolition in 2018.
While Beetson has been overlooked this time, he could be named on a grandstand in the future. There are a further four naming positions yet to be decided.
It has also been speculated the Roosters’ centre of excellence inside the new stadium could bear his name, although there will be a strong push for the club’s long-serving chairman and benefactor, Nick Politis.
Recognising history is often a thankless task for administrators, especially when so many clubs and codes share the venue. Rarely do people agree on the naming of grandstands or erection of statues.
Warren’s inclusion doesn’t just recognise his contribution to football, but football’s link to the Sydney Sportsground, where the Socceroos played most of their matches because it was a flatter, truer surface than the SCG.
Shehadie’s name adorned one of the stands in the old SFS, but the Heritage Trust considered his contribution too great to not use again.
The Roosters and South Sydney are expected to play the first match at the stadium when they meet in Round 25 on September 2 despite lobbying from the Matildas, Wallabies and Sydney FC.
For three decades, Souths and Roosters icon Ron Coote has been excluded from rugby league’s most exclusive club, the Immortals, much to his disappointment.
But the towering lock-forward can soon take comfort in having a grandstand named after him in the new $828 million Sydney Football Stadium.
Coote’s name will sit alongside two fellow sporting giants in the world-class arena, which is on track for completion in August.
Late Socceroos legend Johnny Warren and Wallaby great Sir Nicholas Shehadie, the former ARU chairman and SCG Trustee critical in the building of the first SFS in 1988, will also be recognised.
A fourth stand will curiously be named the Garrison Stand, which acknowledges the historical significance of the precinct when British Army Soldiers played cricket on a stretch of turf that later became known as the Sydney Cricket Ground.
While that decision is sure to confuse many patrons, Coote’s inclusion has already raised the ire of his former team, the Roosters, who argued to Venues NSW that Immortal Arthur Beetson should have been named ahead of him.
Coote played in nine grand finals over 11 seasons from 1965, winning four with South Sydney before controversially linking with foundation club arch-rivals Eastern Suburbs, playing for the Tri-colours in their 1974 and 1975 premierships.
Beetson was the captain of both those sides and the Roosters claim his status as an Immortal — something Coote has not achieved since the concept’s inception in 1980 — should put him ahead of his former teammate.
Advertisement
Other powerbrokers want former Roosters and NSW captain Brad Fittler acknowledged because of his appeal to a younger generation.
The SCG Heritage Trust was charged with the onerous responsibility of naming the stands in the 45,000-seat facility.
Members of the trust include prominent businessman Maurice Newman and former SCG Trustee Rodney Cavalier.
All tenants of the Moore Park precinct, including the Sydney Swans who don’t play on a rectangular stadium, were invited to put forward names.
A shortlist was drawn before the Heritage Trust made a recommendation to the Venues NSW board.
It is understood Coote was endorsed for two reasons.
First, the belief that his playing achievements have been under-recognised by rugby league, although he has been inducted into the game’s Hall of Fame. Apart from Coote’s premiership success for Souths and the Roosters, he played 23 Tests for Australia.
Second, he was the founder of the Men of League Foundation, which has provided invaluable support for former players, coaches and officials who have fallen on hard times since its inception in 2000.
The Roosters refused to comment on the record, nor did Venues NSW, but privately the club believes their recommendation should hold greater weight because they are the ground’s oldest tenants, having played out of the former Sydney Sportsground since 1911 before it was replaced by the first incarnation of the SFS, which it also called home until its demolition in 2018.
While Beetson has been overlooked this time, he could be named on a grandstand in the future. There are a further four naming positions yet to be decided.
It has also been speculated the Roosters’ centre of excellence inside the new stadium could bear his name, although there will be a strong push for the club’s long-serving chairman and benefactor, Nick Politis.
Recognising history is often a thankless task for administrators, especially when so many clubs and codes share the venue. Rarely do people agree on the naming of grandstands or erection of statues.
Warren’s inclusion doesn’t just recognise his contribution to football, but football’s link to the Sydney Sportsground, where the Socceroos played most of their matches because it was a flatter, truer surface than the SCG.
Shehadie’s name adorned one of the stands in the old SFS, but the Heritage Trust considered his contribution too great to not use again.
The Roosters and South Sydney are expected to play the first match at the stadium when they meet in Round 25 on September 2 despite lobbying from the Matildas, Wallabies and Sydney FC.
Comment