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Unyielding Queensland: The Resilient Origin Champions



It’s 34 years ago this week since Queensland produced one of its finest and most courageous Origin victories in Sydney.


Origin clashes have given rugby league fans many amazing moments and mountains of memories since the concept was launched at Lang Park back in 1980.


Origin victories are built on toughness, courage, heart, and passion by special players who for the past 43 years have pushed their bodies beyond human limits for their respective states.


The “take no prisoners” mentality of Origin football is why the best-of-three series is now a phenomenon and one of the fiercest sporting rivalries in the world.


On June 14, 1989, two great sides battled out an Origin game at the Sydney Football Stadium in front of a largely parochial Blues crowd of 40,000.



What unfolded in those brutal 80 minutes was a story of 34 magnificent gladiators playing on heart and adrenalin until their bodies were completely spent and their lungs burning like an out-of-control forest fire.


Both sides sustained casualties.


Queensland has pulled off some incredible Origin wins over the years with miracle tries and superhuman comebacks, but this was one of their finest given how many player they lost during the battle.


Reduced to 12 men for the last six minutes after gallant lock Bobby Lindner succumbed to a serious leg injury, his teammates somehow kept turning up to repel a desperate NSW for an epic Origin 16-12 win.


It was a magnificent contest which ended with almost every player from both teams collapsing to the turf exhausted.


I will leave it up to those brave players to tell the story headed by the man who inspired the win, Queensland captain Wally Lewis.


But first, consider this.


During the game, Lewis watched as five of his star players, Allan Langer (busted ankle), Mal Meninga (fracture eyes socket), Paul Vautin (elbow), Michael Hancock (busted shoulder), and Lindner (broken leg) were either carried, stretchered or limped from the field.


That would be like Queensland losing Daly Cherry Evans, Valentine Holmes, Patrick Carrigan, Murray Taulagi, and Rueben Cotter, at various stages during next Wednesday’s second Origin game at Suncorp Stadium next week.


Lewis, public enemy number one south of the border, was booed by a fired-up NSW fans as he led Queensland onto the field.


Wally Lewis

It was my usual reception from them down there.


We’d given them a bit of a touch-up in the first game (36-6) at Lang Park so we knew they would be looking to bash us in front of their home fans.


I remember players, starting with Alfie (Langer) were being carried off around me and things were beginning to look a bit grim in the second half.


At one point late in the game I remember yelling and screaming at Bobby Lindner to keep up with me in the defensive line because he was too slow coming up.


The next time I looked for him, he was gone.


I called out to our trainer “Where’s Bobby?’ and he said he had broken his leg.


Bobby soldiered on playing on one leg as long as he possibly could.


After the game the team was down in the corner of the stadium and the crowd began clapping us.


I called the players together and told them we were getting a standing ovation from the Sydney crowd.


I told them to remember the moment because it would never happen again.

I told the boys we’d just produced something that will never ever be repeated.


Our coach Arthur Beetson came into the dressing sheds after the game in tears and the players were either slumped on the bench or laying on the floor, completely stuffed.


Normally after an Origin win like that the players would be celebrating belting out the team song and yahooing with beer flying everywhere.


But everyone was either too physically drained or broken to celebrate.


Our team manager Dick Turner walked into the dressing room with tears in his eyes. He told me afterwards it was the best Queensland win he’d ever seen.


Paul Vautin

(Hyper-extended elbow)

I remember about six or seven minutes before half time my arm got hyper-extended , I thought I’d dislocated my elbow.



I was sitting in the dressing room thinking I want to go back on but I couldn’t move my arm. Tosser (manager Dick Turner) came over to me and I told him I wanted to go back out for the second half, but I wasn’t sure I could.


There was me, Mal, Alf, all injured but we knew we had to find a way to get it done.


Two memories stick out for me from that game.


The first was Trevor Gillmeister, who came off the bench, whacking, I think it might have been Brad Clyde, who spilled the ball about 30 metres out from their own try line.


The next thing the King (Lewis) has got the ball and he is running towards their try line.


I’m sitting on the sideline with ice packed on my elbow going: “he’s still going, he’s still going, he’s still going”.


Blokes were falling off him like they were scared to tackle him. It wasn’t like he was running like Dale Shearer; it was just Wally’s typical gait but he was so determined.


He should have been tackled 20 metres out, 15 metres out, 10 metres out but he ran through blokes like Laurie Daley, Gary Jack and carried a NSW player over the line.


It was the greatest try in Origin history, no doubt about it.


For a bloke who was almost 30, and not the fastest in the world, he should never have scored that try.


But that was Wally.


Every time I watch it, I asked myself, how he scored that try.


But then Wally is the King and, in the end, it was the King doing what only the King can do.


I just wish I had been on the field to be there to share the win with him.


I played in a lot of great Queensland teams but I reckon that ’89 team was nearly the best I ever played in.


Allan Langer

(Broken ankle)

I was thinking about passing the ball to big Sammy Backo but I dummied and got swung around by two blokes in a tackle.


I heard it (ankle) crack and felt the ankle snap. I knew I was gone straight away.


From then on, I was sitting in the dressing room with a moon boot on watching the game on the telly.


Blokes were joining me in the dressing injured as the game went on but we just kept playing for each other and Wally was inspirational.


That’s why the King is called the King.


He pulled another Origin game out of the fire, the strength and character he showed to score that solo try won the match for us in the end.


And the immense courage displayed by Bobby (Lindner) in playing so long with a broken leg that was the true Queensland spirit at its best.


I don’t think he told anyone he was hurt until he had to go off.


He stayed on the field as long as he could because we’d lost so many players, Mal, Fatty, Mickey Hancock, they all went down.


It was a fantastic group of guys that played that game and the guys who came off the bench all did their jobs that night.


We ended up winning all three games in that series.


Mal Meninga

(Fractured eye socket)

I was pretty disappointed I had to go off the field but because of the fractured eye socket my face blew up and I couldn’t see properly.


I wanted to keep playing and go back on but they wouldn’t let me. I couldn’t see. Once you fracture the eye socket it fills up with air and blows up and you can’t see.


I don’t remember how it happened, someone got me high I think, the tackling was pretty ferocious in those games.


I sat on the sideline for the rest of the game with ice on my eye.


It was an unbelievable effort to win, it was Wally (Lewis) at his finest leading a team that just hung and dug deep with him.


Just sitting on the sideline watching the game, I was in awe.


There’s no doubt it was one of the most gallant efforts by a Queensland side.

That was the spirit of Origin.


I don’t remember exactly what Arthur (Beetson) said at half time, it was a long time ago, but it was about the spirit of Queensland and playing for you mate and never giving up.


It lifted everyone; I just wish I could have played a bigger part in the win.


Michael Hancock

(Shoulder)


It was my second Origin game. I was only 19.


I was just trying to find my feet and not make a mistake. I remember Alfie going off and Mal but I was out on the wing so it didn’t affect me too much.


I can’t really remember who got me but I knew I couldn’t go off at the time because we were already down on troops but eventually, I had to leave the game.


I remember Alf being carried off and I knew Mal was gone with a cheekbone injury and that Bobby (Lindner) played a lot of the game with a broken leg.

The guys just dug deep and got on with the job after the early mayhem and everyone lifted each time a teammate was taken off injured.


To win that game after all those injuries, the players in such key positions, was pretty special.


As a winger you’re not involved in that heavy forward battle and it’s not as tough. All I remember is I tried to stay out on the field as long as I could.


They were pretty significant positions that we lost players, so it was a really great victory.


Everybody had to work a little bit harder because nobody wanted to let their mate down.


Bob Linder

(Broken leg)

I remember I swung off a tackle and actually collided with Gilly (Trevor Gillmeister). I was like a propellor spinning around and my lower leg just above the ankle smacked into his shin bone.