Re: Halifax 70s,80's : Fri Oct 24, 2014 7:27 pm  

I started supporting Fax from about 1968 when I was 6 and that was the end of a golden era for Fax as the seventies were bad times the 1972 John Player trophy win aside until Maurice Bamford a hero to us got us up off the floor after finishing bottom of Division 2 winning just 2 games all season in 1976/77 but we did not really hit the big time until Brookie's era in the mid eighties although the fans came back in large numbers when we improved in 1978 onwards who remembers 13,000 at Thrum Hall for the CC game against Wakey which we won?
Our real golden era was in the fifties and before really.

Re: Halifax 70s,80's : Sat Oct 25, 2014 12:00 am  

Bullseye wrote:

As a Northern fan I always envied Fax's ability to get quality Aussies in the mid 80s. We just didn't have the contacts or the cash or the know how. You got Eadie, Anderson, Rix, Neller, Langmack, Bella etc and we got er Gary Mercer.

Wasn't there a story in "When Push Comes to Shove" about a minibus full of Aussie Fax players who were taking one of their number to the airport. They stopped in a bunch of pubs on the way and got legless. This attracted the traffic police who pulled over the minibus and the driver (a Fax player) legged it, jumped off a bridge and broke both ankles.

Maybe someone on here knows the player.

Just a little observation here young man. Gary Mercer was errrrrr A KIWI !!!!!
You, yourself, or your club's supporters may not rate that man MING, but for many of us, he has a place in our hearts as a modern
( SL era ) mini legend at Halifax RLFC.

To answer Fax4life's question, yes, sure i remember that day. Wakey came with all their big guns, including Mike Lambkowski iirc, Thrummers was bouncing that day, cracking atmosphere & Jonny Blair's drop goals. If only games like those were available online or to purchase on dvd/blu-ray. 13,000 in Thrum Hall, it was awesome & one win away from Wembley until the late, GREAT Clive Sullivan took us to the cleaners at Headingley in the semi final.

Re: Halifax 70s,80's : Sat Oct 25, 2014 7:57 am  

Great player was Gary Mercer, enough said.

Re: Halifax 70s,80's : Sat Oct 25, 2014 8:22 am  

Bullseye wrote:

As a Northern fan I always envied Fax's ability to get quality Aussies in the mid 80s. We just didn't have the contacts or the cash or the know how. You got Eadie, Anderson, Rix, Neller, Langmack, Bella etc and we got er Gary Mercer.

Wasn't there a story in "When Push Comes to Shove" about a minibus full of Aussie Fax players who were taking one of their number to the airport. They stopped in a bunch of pubs on the way and got legless. This attracted the traffic police who pulled over the minibus and the driver (a Fax player) legged it, jumped off a bridge and broke both ankles.

Maybe someone on here knows the player.

Yes it was as per a previous poster put a certain Bob Arnold who jumped over a wall to avoid the local constabulary in Mytholmroyd only to find it was a bridge! Also Bob Hudson was the player who slept through the whole episode and was found on the minibus floor by police!

Anyone remember the CC game versus Fulham at Crystal Palace which was played on about a foot of snow on the pitch! Possibly the coldest rugby match I ever attended and Kevin Moore broke his leg scoring a try on the posts....

Re: Halifax 70s,80's : Sat Oct 25, 2014 11:49 am  

chris_smith wrote:

Yes it was as per a previous poster put a certain Bob Arnold who jumped over a wall to avoid the local constabulary in Mytholmroyd only to find it was a bridge! Also Bob Hudson was the player who slept through the whole episode and was found on the minibus floor by police!

Anyone remember the CC game versus Fulham at Crystal Palace which was played on about a foot of snow on the pitch! Possibly the coldest rugby match I ever attended and Kevin Moore broke his leg scoring a try on the posts....

That was the coldest game I've ever watched, from a bout a mile away, I think my knee joints froze.
Remember my mates thinking they needed to warm up a bit so had a long jump competition in the pit, the the bloody heating broke down on our coach before the coach itself finally gave up the ghost at Tingley, all in all a long cold day. But great memories.

Re: Halifax 70s,80's : Sat Oct 25, 2014 6:05 pm  

For me coldest day ever was Oldham away - Boundary Park. Joe Kilroy looked "frozzen daft" after the match. So, so cold.

Re: Halifax 70s,80's : Sat Oct 25, 2014 9:46 pm  

marillion man wrote:

Just a little observation here young man. Gary Mercer was errrrrr A KIWI !!!!!
You, yourself, or your club's supporters may not rate that man MING, but for many of us, he has a place in our hearts as a modern
( SL era ) mini legend at Halifax RLFC.

To answer Fax4life's question, yes, sure i remember that day. Wakey came with all their big guns, including Mike Lambkowski iirc, Thrummers was bouncing that day, cracking atmosphere & Jonny Blair's drop goals. If only games like those were available online or to purchase on dvd/blu-ray. 13,000 in Thrum Hall, it was awesome & one win away from Wembley until the late, GREAT Clive Sullivan took us to the cleaners at Headingley in the semi final.

You obviously remember Jonny Blair and his drop goals that day. Can you remember the score, and how many he kicked?

Re: Halifax 70s,80's : Mon Oct 27, 2014 8:25 am  

Norman Bates wrote:

That was the coldest game I've ever watched, from a bout a mile away, I think my knee joints froze.
Remember my mates thinking they needed to warm up a bit so had a long jump competition in the pit, the the bloody heating broke down on our coach before the coach itself finally gave up the ghost at Tingley, all in all a long cold day. But great memories.

I was on the very same coach with my dad and loads of other old timers! I remember my dad saying there's bloody ice on the inside of the windows...... That was a long cold trip!

[Bullseye]

Re: Halifax 70s,80's : Mon Oct 27, 2014 12:33 pm  

marillion man wrote: Just a little observation here young man. Gary Mercer was errrrrr A KIWI !!!!! You, yourself, or your club's supporters may not rate that man MING, but for many of us, he has a place in our hearts as a modern ( SL era ) mini legend at Halifax RLFC. I know mate. But he and his pal Russell Stewart from Bay of Plenty were our only decent foreign imports in the late 80s. Mercer left us for Wire and we only really got one good season from him. As far as Aussies were concerned we had the likes of Bob Kellaway and Ash Lumby who were v poor. Nowhere near the quality of Eadie/Anderson/Rix/Neller etc. We did get Bob Grogan for a game or two though after he left Fax. Interesting Jo Kilroy tale here: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 6609613138

marillion man wrote: Just a little observation here young man. Gary Mercer was errrrrr A KIWI !!!!! You, yourself, or your club's supporters may not rate that man MING, but for many of us, he has a place in our hearts as a modern ( SL era ) mini legend at Halifax RLFC. I know mate. But he and his pal Russell Stewart from Bay of Plenty were our only decent foreign imports in the late 80s. Mercer left us for Wire and we only really got one good season from him. As far as Aussies were concerned we had the likes of Bob Kellaway and Ash Lumby who were v poor. Nowhere near the quality of Eadie/Anderson/Rix/Neller etc. We did get Bob Grogan for a game or two though after he left Fax. Interesting Jo Kilroy tale here: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 6609613138

Re: Halifax 70s,80's : Mon Oct 27, 2014 12:51 pm  

chris_smith wrote:

I was on the very same coach with my dad and loads of other old timers! I remember my dad saying there's bloody ice on the inside of the windows...... That was a long cold trip!

Yes my mate fell asleep and woke up stuck to the window.