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It's an American thing based of the landmark Mount Rushmore of the 4 most iconic (maybe greatest? Idk about their history much) American Presidents but I thought this would be fun for an off-season topic: What is your Sydney Roosters Mount Rushmore? I am going to make the criteria that you have to choose the 4 people who made the greatest impact on the club and are iconic to the club.
Dally Messenger. It's arguable that without Dally Messenger signing with the Eastern Suburbs team for the inaugural season in 1908 that we wouldn't even be here today discussing rugby league such was his popularity and talent. He is currently immortalised in our game with the prestigious Dally M medal awarded in his name to the best and fairest player of each season and three Sydney Roosters have received the award (1992 - Gary Freeman, 2010 - Todd Carney, 2019 - James Tedesco) He didn't play much for the club but 113 years after his debut he is arguably one of the most important people in the history of the game and our club.
Jack Gibson. He played over 100 matches for the club throughout the 1950's but his legacy was cemented as the innovative coach of the team. His first coaching assignment was to take the winless 1966 team and took them to the finals for the first time in 7 years in 1967 but it was in 1974 and 1975 where his status as a legend of the club was cemented bringing back-to-back premierships in dominant fashion winning 19 and 20 games respectively before conveniently losing the semi-final so as to not have another week off before the grand final and winning both preliminary finals in dominant fashion. The 19 wins in a row of the 1975 team is still unbroken and the 38-0 scoreline of the 1975 decider remains one of the most iconic matches in rugby league history.
Arthur Beetson. The captain and leader of the aforementioned 1974 and 1975 dominant premiership winning teams he arguably stands tall above all others who have played for the mighty club. He is definitely the first Indigenous captain of the Australian rugby league test side but I believe he was the first Indigenous captain of any Australian side in any sport, along with Tommy Raudonikis he arguably is the reason why State of Origin is one of the highlights of the rugby league calendar, he played over 120 games for the Roosters, he coached the club 3 different times, he was a talent scout, he was a hero to a generation of Roosters supporters and Indigenous players to this day still speak of the impact he had on their lives and playing career.
Nick Politis. You could argue that Dally Messenger is the reason why we are still here as fans of rugby league but we might not be here specifically as Roosters fan if it weren't for The Godfather. He's been involved with the club for nearly 50 years first as a sponsor in 1976 and then becoming chairman which he still holds today and it is with his appointment as chairman in 1993 which would see the club turn around its poor fortunes from the 1980s in to a period of success know as "the decade of excellence" and further on to the success of the Trent Robinson era. I think we'd struggle to have a team in the competition if it weren't for Nick with all the upheaval and culling of teams, particularly foundation clubs, in the 1990s.
Thoughts? Anyone see it different? At the very least I can't see Artie and Jack not being there. Brad Fittler makes a very, very close 5th and in my list it's between Messenger and Fittler and as much as I love Freddy I have to go with Messenger since from what I've read he really was extremely influential in getting the game popular and without him we might not be talking rugby league today. In 5 years time I can see myself reviewing this and trying to figure out which one of Messenger, Gibson, Beetson, Politis and Robinson I have to leave off and really Robbo is probably already there and if I was to keep it strictly to players and coaches he'd likely replace Politis.
In all likelihood I see the contenders of a Sydney Roosters Mount Rushmore to come from a pool of: Dally Messenger, Ray Stehr, Dave Brown, Jack Gibson, Arthur Beetson, Kevin Hastings, Nick Politis, Brad Fittler and Trent Robinson.
Dally Messenger. It's arguable that without Dally Messenger signing with the Eastern Suburbs team for the inaugural season in 1908 that we wouldn't even be here today discussing rugby league such was his popularity and talent. He is currently immortalised in our game with the prestigious Dally M medal awarded in his name to the best and fairest player of each season and three Sydney Roosters have received the award (1992 - Gary Freeman, 2010 - Todd Carney, 2019 - James Tedesco) He didn't play much for the club but 113 years after his debut he is arguably one of the most important people in the history of the game and our club.
Jack Gibson. He played over 100 matches for the club throughout the 1950's but his legacy was cemented as the innovative coach of the team. His first coaching assignment was to take the winless 1966 team and took them to the finals for the first time in 7 years in 1967 but it was in 1974 and 1975 where his status as a legend of the club was cemented bringing back-to-back premierships in dominant fashion winning 19 and 20 games respectively before conveniently losing the semi-final so as to not have another week off before the grand final and winning both preliminary finals in dominant fashion. The 19 wins in a row of the 1975 team is still unbroken and the 38-0 scoreline of the 1975 decider remains one of the most iconic matches in rugby league history.
Arthur Beetson. The captain and leader of the aforementioned 1974 and 1975 dominant premiership winning teams he arguably stands tall above all others who have played for the mighty club. He is definitely the first Indigenous captain of the Australian rugby league test side but I believe he was the first Indigenous captain of any Australian side in any sport, along with Tommy Raudonikis he arguably is the reason why State of Origin is one of the highlights of the rugby league calendar, he played over 120 games for the Roosters, he coached the club 3 different times, he was a talent scout, he was a hero to a generation of Roosters supporters and Indigenous players to this day still speak of the impact he had on their lives and playing career.
Nick Politis. You could argue that Dally Messenger is the reason why we are still here as fans of rugby league but we might not be here specifically as Roosters fan if it weren't for The Godfather. He's been involved with the club for nearly 50 years first as a sponsor in 1976 and then becoming chairman which he still holds today and it is with his appointment as chairman in 1993 which would see the club turn around its poor fortunes from the 1980s in to a period of success know as "the decade of excellence" and further on to the success of the Trent Robinson era. I think we'd struggle to have a team in the competition if it weren't for Nick with all the upheaval and culling of teams, particularly foundation clubs, in the 1990s.
Thoughts? Anyone see it different? At the very least I can't see Artie and Jack not being there. Brad Fittler makes a very, very close 5th and in my list it's between Messenger and Fittler and as much as I love Freddy I have to go with Messenger since from what I've read he really was extremely influential in getting the game popular and without him we might not be talking rugby league today. In 5 years time I can see myself reviewing this and trying to figure out which one of Messenger, Gibson, Beetson, Politis and Robinson I have to leave off and really Robbo is probably already there and if I was to keep it strictly to players and coaches he'd likely replace Politis.
In all likelihood I see the contenders of a Sydney Roosters Mount Rushmore to come from a pool of: Dally Messenger, Ray Stehr, Dave Brown, Jack Gibson, Arthur Beetson, Kevin Hastings, Nick Politis, Brad Fittler and Trent Robinson.
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