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By Ray Chesterton Daily Telegraph, Tuesday 7th October 2008 A FEW of us were standing in front of frowning coach Harry Bath after a Saints loss looking for a way to open the interview.
From memory it was the late Bill Mordey who said: "Bad luck Harry. There were no (former Saints stars) Gasnisers, Rapers or Langlands' there today.'' Harry, always fiercely protective of his players, shot back with: "And there are no (former great league writer) Tom Goodmans among you lot either.'' Another time on a freezing tour of New Zealand, Mordey and Sun sportswriter E E Christensen came to Harry's hotel room and found him in bed fully clothed to keep warm "It's too cold to get up. Get in here with me,'' he said. Still the only rugby league interview ever conducted in bed. That was Harry, a captivating mixture of charm, unprecedented rugby league knowledge, kindness, harshness, frivolity and candour. His death this week at 83 robs rugby league of an engaging and commanding character. Harry did it all and he did it by his rules. Kind enough to share a blanket, pragmatic enough to use his casting vote to reject Langlands as an original Immortal. Only mistake Harry ever made. He was a encyclopaedia of knowledge and experience in England and Australia that will never be duplicated. He was the essence of rugby league after a life time of involvement. He single-handedly revolutionised rugby league in Australia with skills he developed in England and made tactics a scientific pursuit. He played in five grand final winning sides (Balmain 1946-7 and St George 1957-58-59). But it was in England where he was a legend. On Kangaroo tours locals in the north of England tell you about Harry. His ball skills, the deftness of his passes, his innate understanding of the game and its ploys. Harry learnt from his Warrington team-mates, talking tactics during the endless hours of bus rides to games. Harry listening, taking in what was useful, distilling what was not. Harry went to England seemingly minutes ahead of an international transfer ban after an injury cost him a Test jumper against Great Britain in 1946. He kicked more than 700 goals for Warrington, played in five major finals and captained a winning team at Wembley. "Of course I regret not playing for Australia. Anyone would,'' he would say. "But if I'd stayed in Australia I might have broken my leg next season and missed out again. England offered great opportunity. I had to go.'' Back in Sydney in 1957 Bath, 32, signed with a St George club wary of how much he still had to offer. Bath was also wary. Having honed silken skills in England that would revolutionise the Sydney game, he was an agent of seminal change - not a blunt instrument. "Australia was well behind England,'' he said. "Australian forwards tried to bash their way through rucks. I didn't want anything to do with that. In England you got out a little wide and brought players off you.'' Bath restructured Saints attack in 1957-8-9 to continue Saints' eventual 11 year run of premierships. As an advocate that brains beat brawn he set in motion a tactical revolution that still continues. As Australian coach Bath won the 1968, 1970 world cups, lost the 1972 series on countback and won four out of eight Tests. He took Saints to a grand final replay win in 1977 - helped by acute psychology - and again in 1979. In 1977 his injured half Mark Shulman was never going to be fit enough for the replay but Harry refused to rule him out. On game day Shulman was on the sideline in playing gear, seemingly ready to run on at any moment. He never did but it helped rattle Parramatta. "To me Harry Bath is the best known and most successful name in the code from football to coach,'' coach of the century Jack Gibson once said. "He won championships as a player. As a coach he won premierships and internationals. "On grand final day we should set aside time so we can all say: 'See you later Harry.' '' Harry was a man ahead of his time who left a lasting fingerprint on the game. |
