THEY played more than 1900 first grade premierships games between them, won six NRL grand finals, played in almost 100 Tests for Australia and 84 State Of Origins but they were at Werris Creek’s David Taylor Park yesterday afternoon playing touch with the local boys
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Brad Fittler, Nathan Hindmarsh, Steve Menzies, Matt Cooper, Josh Perry and Ian Schubert stopped off for the clinic as part of their Hogs For The Homeless Harley Davidson Tour.
It’s a nine-day tour, covering some 3500kms across the State and hoping to raise $300,000 for Father Chris Riley’s Youth Off The Streets program in Sydney.
Perry clocked up 255 first grade games with Newcastle and Manly and is employed by the NSWRL as a project manager.
He’s helped plan the Hogs For Harleys tour and is delighted with the response.
“We raised $150,000 last year – $300,000 is the target.
“Everyone has got behind us.”
Cooper played 243 games for St George, the centre also making 13 State Of Origin appearances and seven Test appearances.
He also left the game as the leading tryscorer for the Dragons, surpassing Nathan Blacklock’s century.
Menzies, known everywhere as Beaver, played 477 first grade games for Manly, 20 State Of Origins for NSW and 13 Test matches.
He amassed 180 tries while winning two grand finals with the Sea Eagles, in 1996 and 2008.
Fittler chalked up 336 games for Penrith and the Sydney Roosters, winning premierships with them in 1991 and 2000 respectively.
He also played a record 31 State Of Origins for NSW and 40 Tests for Australia.
“He’s still fit,” said Schubert as he watched Fittler, Hindmarsh, Menzies, Perry and co run around with the Werris Creek juniors.
“And he’s still a big kid, just a natural – still got a great pass.
“This is what I love about this trip. It’s magic watching Freddy and the boys play with the kids. The look on their faces ... magic.”
Schubert was no slouch himself, joining the Jack Gibson-coached Roosters from Wauchope as an Australian Schoolboy and winning a grand final in 1974, where he was man of the match.
He played 269 first grade games and four Tests for
Australia.
These days he’s left the employ of the NRL and “bought a pub at Bomaderry with a mate”.
“We left Sydney the other day, we’ve been to Cessnock and had a lay day yesterday,” he said.
Raising money for the charity makes it a great trip.
“We do have some great sponsors and the people are so generous everywhere we go,” he said.
“And we have a good crew. Matt (Cooper) did the southern tour with us last year – this year he’s doing the whole lot because he had such a good time last year.
“It’s a great ride though, 3500km in nine days.
“Five days up north and then four days down south.
“We go right down to the border too – Bega, Jindabyne, Gundagai, Young, Forbes, Orange and Oberon.”
Today they will be in Uralla at the Rocky River School before linking with the NRL community carnival ambassadors – Nathan Merritt, Shaun Timmins, Mario Fenech and Andrew Ryan – in Inverell.
That quartet are in Inverell, Glen Innes, Tingha, Ashford and Bingara visiting 14 schools over three days while also hosting three junior rugby league clinics.
Yesterday Merritt and Fenech were at Bundarra Central School.
Today, Ryan and Timmins are at Inverell Public School while they link with Merritt and Fenech for a junior rugby league clinic at Kamilaroi Oval, Inverell from 4pm.
Tomorrow they head to Bingara Central School and a junior rugby league carnival at Gwydir Oval, Bingara from 4pm.