Rugby league legend Bob McCarthy joined The Continuous Call Team to speak about the Mortimer-McCarthy Cup and reflect on his special career.
Gents.
The game that the boys will call for us tomorrow at four o'clock is the game between the Rabbit O's and the Bulldogs out of the Cool Stadium, and they're playing for a trophy that is named after two of the greats in Steve Mortimer and Bob McCarthy, paying tribute to two of the greatest family names in rugby league history. Of course, the trophy presentation will take place at full time, and it began the Mortimer McCarthy cut back in twenty twenty two. And I'm delighted to say that Bob McCarthy joins us on the line right now. Gooday, Bob, mate, I'm really well. Great your voice, hope you're doing well made and a lovely touch. I think from both these clubs to honor both yourself and Turvy with this trophy tomorrow. How does it feel, mate?
Oh, it's good night. I'm you know. I represented both clubs. Are at Ford Room with the Rabbits and two of the Bulldogs, so I fell a part of both their entidy sort of thing, and it'd be good. Tomorrow's some fortunate Turvey's got a bit of dementia in that, but it's is it the moment, isn't it. Just just got to try and avoid it if we can. And I've lost a few mates to it, but now we're still alive. It's amazing.
Hey, Bobby, it's Neil Brain. I think one of the things that listeners wouldn't realize is how amazing you've been as a supporter for South Sydney, even in retirement and going to training and meeting your old mates there. You've always spent a lot of time around the club. It's meant a lot to you over the years, hasn't it.
Oh yeah, well it's pretty clarly, but could you know. I'm not far away from the new facility there at Metreville, and I met a few mates here a Thursday and we sort of they've got a good coffee shop there now and we sort of just get out. I mean, we're all in our eighties now, but we don't know much longer, much longer we've got left on on this earth. That we just enjoy ourselves and bring up old times and all that type of stuff and just enjoy, Joey what we've got at the moment, as you.
Should, Bob. I mean, it's great to have memories like that, and you're one of the greats. We all know about that. In fact, I think most people who are you know of my agent, you know, maybe even older bit younger would remember the fact that you did. It did change the way second rows played the game because you're you're a big, fast thing and you're you're pretty hard to bring down. You got out a little bit wider than what the second rows of yester you used to do.
Well. Clive when the Ford tackle rule come in, you know, myself had Ron Kirk were just about as quick as the backs, and he didn't think we'd get the ball in the set of four, you know, And he said, Bath, just get out in the centers and work your way back myself mainly run, he sort of covered, but we'll work your way back in the when we've had and got the ball, and stay out wide if you can, because otherwise you won't get the ball. And I mean Clive took the didn't he didn't take a gamble on me. Because Clive coached and people know it. In the early sixties he coached the Bulldogs, yep, and I played a couple of games against him in the centers when South saw a bit short out there, and I was about eighteen or nineteen and I scored a few tries out there against him, and he knew it wasn't a game. We'll put me out there because you knew I could handle it, and I you said I had that speed to sort of get me out of trouble, and just sort of eventuated from there. I started doing that and over my career I scored over a hundred try. So it worked and we won for all premierships. So I played for Australia captain Australia. So you know what, wasn't the setback for me or anything like that.
It's a decent career. Made I look well, I vividly remember watching this game. I was up in Brisbane and we're watching the Grand Final between you guys and the Bulldogs. Now, look, just tell me if this is accurate. It says you scored an intercept seventy five meter try? Was it seventy five meters? I didn't know was that far? You ran a fair way. I know that from the Grand Final and the twelve to ten.
Victory it could have been seventy six. Just one thing when I got over the twenty two, But you got there didn't believe it. You got there easily. String. I did tell me, Hamstring, you don't have the twenty two medal of two weeks. You thought we'd and George and the Semis to get into the Grand Final. And I me leg all heavily strapped. I had had a bit of a niggle in there and I had it all strapped up. And in the Grand Final I thought I was sweet. And anyway, when I look back and I saw the two centers come up by Bobby Hagen and Johnny Greasy, both played for Australia, I just sort of exert a bit more pressure on my leg and can't have a twenty two meter line line It went on me and adrenaline sort of got me into the line. I was still a way in front of him. And when I scored the try, I got up and I said, the stats have done my hamstring and he I don't think he understand what I was talking about. It. You're right, you're right. But the time we got back up to the we A kickoff, it was nearly on half time. I could only walk off the furl and when I got in the addressroom, I said to Clove, I'm gone. He said, oh, you can't pull out. I said, I'm going man, I said, can't run. I can't know the walk. He said, Claire's pulled out. Michael had a too and groin muscle that was raining and drizzling, and he knew, he knew we could hide me in the forwards, whereas he couldn't hind Michael on the wing. So he said, now you stay on and you go down me half and Alan Walters can play second round and win the scrum packs again. You get back the second round, put album back in author and Ellen was on his fourth game in first rate I think, and from that game he got picked to play for Australia and I didn't. So it was a bit of a blessing disguise that the slickers could see that he was that it was a bit mobile for a hooker. And funny enough, on the Kangaroo Touring nineteen sixty seven, they're doing a bit tough over there and at one game they're around now short of a half back and they put him in his art back too, so people might know that, but he you know, he's a pretty versatile player. Yeah. Well, getting back to the Grand Final year, it was a memorial thing and the first time, you know, we'd want a comment about eleven years or something, and it was the start of what's name and that we've been George to the next six years or said.
It was a different era. Wasn't talk about how you played on with the hamstring. And you think about John Sattler a couple of years later playing that game with the broken jaw. I mean, it's just it's almost unfathomable really for people to die to understand what when you Blakes did.
And I wondered his door a couple of years before that. He was coming to a scrumb and you know dark he was, he was, he was, he was white coming to a scrum and he was second row with me then and and he comes and I said, you are right, and he went was killing me. And I looked in his arm and it was pointing the other way. I said, no, you're got to go off, mate. I said, that's come out, and he said no, wait a laugh time. So he came off at halftime. And they were no doctors in those days, but the rubber blukes just got his arm and he pulled it and all sort of come back in the place. Again, and I thought, oh, wish I had known that.
So how to see this guy going tomorrow? I made the Bulldogs on fire at the moment leading the competition. The Rabbit has been a little bit up and down. How do you see this one going.
I think we're a bit lighting in the in in the forwards paull in, but I don't think we're as heavy as we should be, you know, And I think we'll get run down in the last ten to twenty minutes in the last few games because of that. Yeah, they all have it. They have a guy that came a tanging and all them guys and Joey right, they had the guy. But you know, when you play get some of the twice and so are you're going to get wearing down in the end. And I think that's happened to say. I've had the last couple of weeks and I think Bulldogs well in a big pack. They're still I think they're still bigger than see us and I think still nickname. They've got a few players out. I think they won't be a bit too good for the seven though it was lost Cady in this Cardy you know Cardy walk and yeah, yeah, yeah, they were losing him and Campbell, Graham and Montreal. I mean, it's a big howl out of your back line and it's a big back line now out of your side really and it's going to be hard to sort. I have to come then. They don't know they've got good back up. The Bulldogs. They still got a better what we call it that overall they a better reserves and us. You know.
Yeah, well, Bob, it's great to hear your voiced, Mike. Great to hear you're doing well and a lovely tribute I think by both South Sydney and Bulldogs to acknowledge two great rugby league men and yourself and Turvy. Thanks for the chat made as always, and pass on our regards to everybody down there at the South Sydney Rabbit Oz and we'll catch up again soon, I will think so, Bob McCarthy. You know what, we throw the term legend around pretty loosely in sport, but he is a legend, just a legend of a bloke and a rugby league legend that as well.
Leave you know. He actually when he finished playing, he went up to Brisbane and coached South's up there.
Eighty one for a few years coach Marland everyone well from an Inga and they won the premiership, beat beat Redcliffe in Artie's last ever game in nine to eighty one on the Grand Final.
Yeah but I don't know all that well, but I know he's a terrific bloke. What a player. He was a big, fast thing, you know, and he would have been area in those days because most of the forwards I wouldn't say this light but bit of plotters, but he was just dynamite speed and they intercept. It probably was seventy five meters he ran in the Grand Final and as he said, he did his hand, you know, twenty meters out. He was a hell of a player. And you know, I think we're just reading there where he missed out on selection as sixty seven Kangaroo team. That would have, I reckon hurt him. You think you can tell by what he said to you know now. But there's a great so many great players in those days, and.
I think it's terrific the clubs do this to acknowledge the history because you know, without people like Bob McCarthy, you know, we can't forget the history of these great clubs. And that's one thing that my I grew up a sounds in his support. My dad always drummed into me the history and the greats that have represented and warn the Red and Green, so it's really really important as is. You know, gals a part of Shark's history and that story needs to be told for many, many years to come, so it's always great to catch up with the legend of the game in Bob McCarthy