Still Haunted By The Cleary Express
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday August 15, 2003
A ``midget breakaway" could not stop a flying winger setting a try-scoring record, writes Phil Wilkins.
It was a scar on his first-grade breakaway's reputation which Ken Rathgen has worn like a badge of honour for 42 seasons. The Sydney businessman's conscience got the better of him this week when he learnt that 21-year-old Morgan Turinui had failed to equal Randwick club's record for tries in a game seven by former Australian sprint champion Michael Cleary.
Rathgen expressed his remorse in a letter to the Herald, headlined ``A Public Apology to Morgan Turinui" after the Waratahs centre ran in six tries against Warringah.
Rathgen recalled how in 1961 he was an Eastwood team member when they met Randwick in the first round in atrocious conditions, playing with water ankle-deep, eventually overcoming the ``Galloping Greens" by kicking the ball along the ground ``like a five-year-olds' soccer team".
``Under the terrible weather conditions and the fact that our clubhouse was miles away at its present position at Vimiera Road, most of the Randwick team wisely went straight home after the match, only Dick Thornett of the first-grade team coming back to the club," he wrote.
``Unfortunately, our publicity officer wrote an article not only crowing about our win, but also calling Randwick bad losers, as they did not come back to our club.
``As it turned out, we had to play Randwick at Coogee in the last round and the Wallabies had just returned from their tour of South Africa, seven Australian representatives in the team including hooker Peter Johnson, second-rower Dick Thornett, halfback Ken Catchpole and Michael Cleary on the wing.
``Not only were Randwick out to teach the impertinent cellar-dwellers a lesson, but also the crowd was sprinkled with rugby league scouts. Eastwood's fourths, third and seconds were all thrashed by huge scores. Then the real massacre took place."
In that era, if a player was injured, he could not be replaced. After Cleary ran around and over the top of ``a game but untalented Canadian" for six tries, the Woods winger staggered from the field, mentally destroyed, if not mortally wounded.
The normal procedure in such circumstances was for one of the breakaways to replace the injured player. Come on down, Ken Rathgen.
Eastwood's captain turned to Rathgen and the so-called ``midget breakaway" detached himself from the side of the scrum and jogged out to mark the ``Cleary Express".
``No problem . . . I was half Michael's size with half his speed and talent, but I was determined he would not score against me," Rathgen recalled.
``Right on full-time Randwick set an attacking scrum on our 25. Michael and I that makes me sound important were on the blindside.
``Of course, Randwick won the ball, Michael came in from his wing and took the pass from their five-eighth.
``I had him well-covered, I thought, but as I went to tackle Michael, he took an almighty step to the left and I only managed to get one leg. I hardly slowed him down as he carried me about three metres over the line . . Try Number Seven.
``Sorry, Morgan. I really am."
Eastwood lost 53-3 at a time tries were worth just three points, and, though he received no point on the afternoon, Woods' fullback Dave Jackson won The Sun-Herald's best and fairest player award for 1961.
© 2003 Sydney Morning Herald