NRL Hall of Fame 2024 Class

[Yossarian]

A 9mth suspension for deliberately breaking someone’s jaw followed by a 12 mth suspension for deliberately eye gouging is enough for me to say thuggery like that should not be rewarded !
The baby faced asssssin is true. A blight on the game that is best forgotten.

12 months for the elbow, 15 months for the gouge.

 

[coivtny]

Im not comparing anyone to anyone..yes it was bad...Bob Cooper was bad too
The poms on the 70s and 80s Kangaroo tours was bad too...not to mention the refs.
Just saying many of the players we remember and celebrate dont have perfect scrapbooks...its part of the game and yeah Boyd went too far but as @gallagher said he did pay for it

Not excusing Les but the media played that stuff up as making State of Origin an unmissable spectacle. When Boyd broke Brohman's jaw they turned on him.
Cooper was unlucky. He punched Lee Pomfret once and broke his jaw really badly. Footballers were throwing punches in just about every game in those days without anything more than a penalty and a stern talking-to from the referee. Cooper's punch had a devastating impact but a punch is a punch and the result shouldn't make one punch more punishable than another.
But, the game has been cleaned up and is so much the better for it.

 

[Yossarian]

Not excusing Les but the media played that stuff up as making State of Origin an unmissable spectacle. When Boyd broke Brohman's jaw they turned on him.
Cooper was unlucky. He punched Lee Pomfret once and broke his jaw really badly. Footballers were throwing punches in just about every game in those days without anything more than a penalty and a stern talking-to from the referee. Cooper's punch had a devastating impact but a punch is a punch and the result shouldn't make one punch more punishable than another.
But, the game has been cleaned up and is so much the better for it.

There’s quite a good article where Roy Masters speaks to Cooper about the incident. Bob basically agrees punching on with one of the Steelers forwards was fine but he shouldn’t have gone after Pomfret (I think he was a winger?). Anyway it’s an interesting read if you haven’t come across it.

 

[TurnStyle]

Ink you cannot compare Boyd and Benny in terms of thuggery. Boyd is so far in front of everyone else its just not funny.

Agree Hal.
My (still intact!) jaw dropped when I saw his name there.

I think what should immediately come to mind about a Hall of Fame inductee are memories of how good they were.

I remember Boyd, but I don't remember if he was even a good player.

 

[coivtny]

There’s quite a good article where Roy Masters speaks to Cooper about the incident. Bob basically agrees punching on with one of the Steelers forwards was fine but he shouldn’t have gone after Pomfret (I think he was a winger?). Anyway it’s an interesting read if you haven’t come across it.

Yeh, probably a fair call by Cooper. Pomfret was mainly a winger who played a bit of fullback but definitely not a big guy. I'll see if I can track down the article. Thanks.

 

[coivtny]

Agree Hal.
My (still intact!) jaw dropped when I saw his name there.

I think what should immediately come to mind about a Hall of Fame inductee are memories of how good they were.

I remember Boyd, but I don't remember if he was even a good player.

At his best he was very good. Had a rampaging running style.

 

[jadtiger]

Agree Hal.
My (still intact!) jaw dropped when I saw his name there.

I think what should immediately come to mind about a Hall of Fame inductee are memories of how good they were.

I remember Boyd, but I don't remember if he was even a good player.

Boyd was a good player but in my mind he will always be a thug.I would rate him the third biggest thug i have seen behind Jim Mills(pommie who played for Norths)Lurch John O'Neill who played for Souffs and Manly then Boyd.
I don't mind hard and tough football because that is what our game is based upon and it always should be but there are borders i feel players shouldn't cross and become thugs.Obviously there have been others but those are the 3 worst i have seen in my 71 years.Curious to know other peoples thoughts

 

[Halbrowne61]

Yeh, probably a fair call by Cooper. Pomfret was mainly a winger who played a bit of fullback but definitely not a big guy. I'll see if I can track down the article. Thanks.

I’m sure Thirsty( Masters)will next come out with a poor Boydy article, coz he’s had his tongue in his rear end for the whole of his career.

 

[AmericanHistoryX]

The refs were thugs. BOYD toughest player ever alongside John Donnelly.

 

[Halbrowne61]

Fair enough. Where do you draw the line though? Some of the names in that Hall of Fame have been sent off well into double figures. Just because it was a different era and judged differently doesn't mean it wasn't just as grubby.

I draw the line under Boyd’s name coz his crimes were of a vicious and personality nature. Thick headed moron.

 

[AmericanHistoryX]

Well. Hall of Fame and NRL history sees it differently.

 

[Halbrowne61]

I’m sure Thirsty( Masters)will next come out with a poor Boydy article, coz he’s had his tongue in his rear end for the whole of his career.

As mentioned.

 

[Telltails]

Really enjoying the broadcast - all the players having a chat. Looks like Heigno is Benji's plus one.

 

[Jedi_Tiger]

I’m sure Thirsty( Masters)will next come out with a poor Boydy article, coz he’s had his tongue in his rear end for the whole of his career.

Thirsty was the late David Morrow not Masters

 

[marzie]

Got some noisy eaters in the crowd

 

[happy_tiger]

Congrats to Ron Coote 14th immortal

 

[diedpretty]

12 months for the elbow, 15 months for the gouge.

What did Latrine get for deliberately smashing Manu,s face. No one calls him a thug.

 

[diedpretty]

I draw the line under Boyd’s name coz his crimes were of a vicious and personality nature. Thick headed moron.

Lol. I agree with ink - you're taking this harder than brohman.

 

[happy_tiger]

Didn't realise that Tarsha Gale was Scott and Brett's sister

 

[happy_tiger]

I never saw Ron play ....how good was he ??