Throw Back Thursday – Blinded By The Flight (Of The Ball)
Eachweek, thanks to Cryo, we look back at a significant moment in our rich history.Today, the American NFL star who played for Newtown.
BLINDEDBY THE FLIGHT (OF THE BALL)
“Thecorks popped, the champagne flowed, and the Newtown Rugby League Jets soared todelirious heights.”
Thosewere the opening words of Sydney Morning Herald reporter Brian Curran’smatch report on Newtown’s 17-10 first round win over Western Suburbs at HensonPark in 1977. Champagne is usually reserved for celebrating a grand final winrather than a run-of-the-mill regular season game, but 20 March 1977 was noordinary afternoon in Newtown’s history. On that day 8,743 people at HensonPark basked in the reflected light of stars both off and on the field.
As clubbenefactor John Singleton entertained celebrities like Paul Hogan, JeannieLittle and John Laws in the newly opened Jet Set Bar, one of rugby league’smost memorable cult stars set foot onto Henson Park for the first time aftermaking a 12,000km trip from Oakland, California just three days earlier.
We are,of course, talking about Manfred Moore, the Oakland Raiders running back thatSingleton lured to the Jets for the ‘77 season. Unsurprisingly, there wasplenty of press surrounding Moore’s arrival at the club and during his firstforay into Sydney premiership football, the big man did not disappoint. Chasinga bomb from captain Col Casey, Moore leapt above Test fullback John Dorahy toscore the game’s opening try after 28 minutes.
“Theroar that went up around the ground from the ground from the crowd of 8,743 -the biggest at Henson Park for three years - sounded like it came from 50,000,”Curran wrote.
Triesto Dorahy and future Jet, Graeme O’Grady gave Western Suburbs a 10-3 lead abreak. In an effort to motivate the Newtown faithful, Farrington orchestratedstunt that would go down forever in Newtown folklore. As the two teams trudgedfrom the field, the Newtown secretary approached Moore with two footballs inhis hand.
Moorerecounted their exchange in the Sydney Morning Herald back in 2007.
Farrington:"I want you to toss it over the stadium [grandstand]."
Moore:"You want WHAT! I'm not a quarterback."
Farrington:"Oh, give it a try."
By hisown admission, Moore’s first throw was a shocker, but the second attempt wasclose to perfect.
“It wasa perfect spiral and it spiralled up and up and over and out of the stadium andthe crowd went crazy,” Moore recalled.
Thestunt seemed to do the trick, Newtown stormed back during the second half, witha dogged performance from the forwards laying the platform for the seven-pointvictory against a much bigger Magpies side.
“Theywere like little terriers,” captain Casey said of his pack after the game.
“Theynever stopped.”
Thegame proved the perfect start to season for both Newtown and their Americanimport. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t last. The Jets only managed just one morevictory during the 1977 season and by point Moore was long gone. The bigCalifornian played five games for the club before sustaining a cut above theeye against Cronulla in April which prompted him to return to the USA where hesubsequently linked up with the Minnesota Vikings.
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