The Little Master, Clive Churchill had a protracted ending to his fabled career, one-year stints at Norths in Brisbane and Moree, of all places, bookending his otherwordly tenure at South Sydney (1947-1958).
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Now, I wasn’t even a salacious thought in my old man’s mind back then. But if any of those swansongs was treated as a farewell and he was booed, I’d stand naked on Bondi Beach and crow like a Rooster.
The legendary No.1 would have bathed in cheers, no?
But, really, why would they boo him? He was the greatest player of all time, and operated with such skill and integrity that the Clive Churchill Medal is awarded to the best and fairest player in each NRL grand final.
Billy Slater won the medal twice (2009 and 2017). He and Raiders icon Bradley Clyde (1989 and 1991) are the only players to do so.
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Churchill’s widow, Joyce, presented Slater with the medal after Melbourne beat Parramatta in the 2009 grand final. She says Slater is the man most reminiscent of her husband, one of the four original Immortals. If there has been a greater fullback than Churchill, it is Slater.
Joyce presented the medal to Sydney Roosters five-eighth Luke Keary after the Roosters’ 21-6 grand final win over Melbourne at ANZ Stadium on Sunday night. A crowd of 82,688 had watched the match – and many of them booed Slater before the game, during it and after it, in what was his career finale.
In the bubble of Australianism, we often observe, with contempt, the actions of other countries. Australians rightly recoiled as boos sounded around Arthur Ashe Stadium after Naomi Osaka beat Serena Williams in the US Open final this month. Now we should boo those who jeered Slater, because their behaviour was equally abhorrent.
On a night when the Roosters delivered a performance for the ages, the crowd failed to echo that high standard – not even close.
What were they booing? Was it Slater getting off the judiciary charge last week, after he was cited for a shoulder charge on Cronulla winger Sosaia Feki in the preliminary final?
Respected sports reporter Will Swanton, writing in The Australian, said: “Accused of a shoulder charge, all eight video replays showed a shoulder change. The verdict? Not guilty!
“The reaction in Sydney has been severe. Teflon Bill got away with another one. The ill-will has been partly due to the Storm being wholly unpopular up here but still, it was a remarkable response — one of the greatest rugby league players in history was howled down at the start of the final night of his career.”
It was a remarkable response. But it was also shameful and sad.
A 16-year NRL career featuring 319 games, 30 matches for Australia and 31 matches for Queensland – and this is how he was treated, as he farewelled a sport he so enriched with skill and integrity!
Raised in Innisfail, North Queensland, the 35-year-old revolutionised his position through cutting-edge dynamism, while emanating an erstwhile charm. It’s little wonder he reminds Joyce Churchill of her Clive.
As I said: Shameful and sad.
