League stars 'hungry fighters’

Press, 24 March 1988, Page 60

League stars 'hungry fighters’

PA | Sydney New Zealand's expatriate army of rugby league stars have been compared to “hungry” black boxers and West . Indian fast bowlers. | . j‘ J' - "The motivation of the Kiwis is similar to the will of American blacks,] who have chased! world b,oxing ] titles over the last! c]entury,” •isaidl dhe former Sydney! club coach,! Roy Masters. | ! | | |i ■ “They have ! been ‘hungry’fighters!, looking'upon boxing as an opportunity of earning a quick quid.” Mr Masters, who took St George to] the Sydney grand final ]in 1985, (made the comments' in (his column in (yesterday’s [‘Sydney Morning Herald," ! in which lie : highlighted

the impact of New. Zea- : land’s (league players in I Australia and Britain. | The latest! example is i the form of Newcastle,i one of three new teams in j this year’s expanded Syd- : ney premiership. Newcastle ; has surprised j the pundits] by winning!, two of its three games so | far, and Mr! Masters said( the club’s deputy, chair-} man, Mr Mick Hill, attributed much of this to the leadership of the Kiwi second-rower, Sam Stew-} art. ' (I | j '!■!'.! “Furthermore, . Tony! Kemp, their outstanding! young New.(Zealand full-] back,' clinched the win! agairist Balmain on Sun-] day with a] superb try,”] Mr Masters said. ( “Their- reserve grade]

team are unlucky not to! be leading the' prerhier- 1 ship via the inspirational! play of! Kiwi junior inter-' nationals James Goulding,] Tea Ropati arid George] Mann. . ('! • , ] ; “Wally' Lewis} might make jokes about blow-up sheep and say ‘how’s (your faaaaather?’ during [football ] games, and players might taunt Easts captain Hugh McGahan about Bondi being full of Maoris because it’s the] first C.E.S; (dole) office across the Tasman, but \ the ' men from the Shaky Isles are certainly making an impact in world rugby league.” ' | ' i| Mr Masters: noted the feats of Adrian Shelford, and Kevin and Tony Iro in getting Wigan to the

Challenge | Cup final at .Wemblfey in May. He said the England forward, Les Boyd, had iraved about the “defensive, ferocity” of Warrington’s Joe Ropati. brother of- Tea. .'] _ ] He compared the performarices! of North Sydney’s Clayton Friend and Balrnam’s j Gary Freeman to those of the (former Kangaroo, halfback, Tommy Raudonikis (J—--they “play with the intensity! of| a rumbling Mount Raudonikis volcano.” (' 4nd| he said the Norths skipper, I Mark Graham, showed his] toughness by playing in 'the new position of prop only four dajis after getting ]a cut to hisihead ,that needed eight stitches, ' |