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Aussie RL history - book recommendations?


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11 hours ago, Dr Tim Whatley said:

Any recommended books on this topic? Appreciate it is a big old one, but is there anything approaching a definitive text on it? Alternatively, anything on the Super league war?


Super League the inside story by Mike Colman is a good read.

 

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On 21/08/2019 at 11:45, Dr Tim Whatley said:

Any recommended books on this topic? Appreciate it is a big old one, but is there anything approaching a definitive text on it? Alternatively, anything on the Super league war?

History of Rugby league Clubs: Ian Collis & Alan Whitticker

100 years of Rugby League by the above authors

Super League The Inside Story by Mike Colman

Or for a alternative view: Arko by Ken Arthurson

There was various other books published around 2008 concerning  the first 100 years of Australian League including by the Sydney Daily Telegraph, none are cheap now (bought them in Aus and posted them to my brother back here) but all are comprehensive, virtually every club has had a history written about them, some are social histories of their district too: The Mighty Bears & Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright are my faves (biased) but the books on Newtown, Manly and The Storm are interesting too.

One I haven't managed to obtain is West's Magpies, very expensive when available on Amazon or other book sites.

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Uncommon Heroes: The hard men and raw talent that built Rugby League, by John Ellicott. A good read, available on Kindle as well as in print form.

Here's the Google Books summary "Uncommon Heroes transports you back to a time when rugby league was a bruising tribal contest of local rivalries, muddy grounds were packed with fans and the corporate juggernaut of today’s game was all but a distant dream.

Much more than a weekend game and points table, rugby league was an all-inclusive family - a grassroots phenomenon loyally followed for generations. Players ran onto sodden fields and survived on their wits, natural brawn and the kind of mateship that transcended club allegiances, state lines and national borders.

Often men of little means, their names have faded like the newspaper clippings of their exploits. Through knockabout anecdotes and warm-hearted stories, Uncommon Heroes brings to life the legacies of players like Eric Weissel, Tom Kirk, Ronnie Coote, Lionel Williamson and the Warialda brothers Les and Noel Cleal, who would play in the fierce local contests, the Foley Shield and the Maher Cup, and end up in the big cities, or playing for their state and for Australia.

Their names were once emblazoned across the sports pages. They became uncommon heroes. Dreams came true."

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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