Almanac Book Review: ‘Jack Gibson’s Fur Coat: Rugby League Oddities and Artefacts’ by Glen Humphries

 

 

 

 

Jack Gibson’s Fur Coat: Rugby League Oddities and Artefacts
Gelding Street Press (August 2023)
RRP $29.99

 

Reviewed by Matt O’Hanlon

 

There is an old adage that if you stand in the one place for long enough, anything that has gone past you will eventually come back.  Glen Humphries latest addition to the Rugby League lexicon Jack Gibson’s Fur Coat: Rugby League Oddities and Artefacts just about proves this point. In terms of Rugby League memorabilia, the Gibson fur coat (and Kangaroo fur at that) is almost like the ark of the covenant – a sacred artefact of the Parramatta faithful – of a time when the blue and gold army conquered the Rugby League heathens. Now those same faithful search on for a new leader to wear the machofabulous kangacoat. If only in the 2022 decider Coach Arthur had been able to find the relic and hug his Moses after the game. The search for its whereabouts goes on as does the Eels’ faithful for premiership glory!

Humphries’ Jack Gibson’s Fur Coat details so many great stories in an easy read chock full of engaging insights, many of which are legend. Whilst I have read or heard of many before, plenty of others were both new and fascinating. For example, Chapter 13 – ‘Murder and the Mother in Law’ is surely going to be the next great Rugby League movie. Without spoiling it for the reader, this incredible yarn of footy, sex, police investigations and attempted murder trials about an international winger (of course) would put many of our modern-day mobile phone scandals to shame. This story alone is worth the cost of the book. Imagine Hemsworth as the winger, Blanchett as the mother-in-law, Robbie as the wife. All I can see is Blockbuster!

Just as V’Landys is trying to get league matches in the US next season in 1953 a team of players from College Gridiron and Wrestling toured Australia. Another great yarn yet one I was familiar with as my father always talked about watching the ‘Yankees’ playing at Browne Park in Rockhampton (with 5000 others) when he was 14 in July 1953. The tour was quite amazing when you consider it was the brainchild of a US promoter who saw league in Australia during WW2 and put a team together. They were coached by the legendary Latchem Robinson with a squad of 20 players who would play 19 games before heading to New Zealand. No mean feat for a contact sport. Whilst besotted with financial problems including bounced cheques, unpaid bills and injuries aplenty, the tour drew good crowds. Most of the Americans, however, thought that league had no future in the States. We will wait and see if V’Landys can pull this rabbit out of the hat.

There is just so much material going back to the earliest days of the league that I’m sure Humphries could complete a second instalment. How many of these ring a bell in the modern game? Rule changes and hybrid games; women’s league (first started in 1912); night football (started in 1928) – ‘,’an innovation the league had to catch onto cried the papers; the worst team ever- a debate that could have entrants from this year; match fixing; gambling; players in the ring boxing and then playing the next day; players intoxicated; bad referees; sign on and contract disputes; legal disputes. The list goes on and we haven’t got to the seventies. All great yarns that are linked to aspects of how the game has developed. Graham Langland’s white boots. Stop the fight.

But as I read, I kept thinking Humphries had left out one of the great artefacts of Rugby League but, relief, I was not to be disappointed. There on page 209 is the icon of St George in the 1990s – the Torpedoes. Now, as a kid I wore foam pads in the sides of my shorts to stop gravel rash but the Torpedoes were padded bike pants that covered the thigh to prevent soft tissue damage. The only damage they caused was to spectator’s ribs from laughing. An almost instant laughter creator when worn. Whose idea was this and, in the words of Geoff Toovey,”there needs to be an investigation!” Someone should be held to account for the image of ‘Chooky’ Herron, cult figure and St George winger with the most unique style kicking for goal, in Torpedoes and even being photographed with Tina Turner in them! Wow!

No wonder we love the soap opera of Rugby League.  Humphries’ in Jack Gibson’s Fur Coat provides a great read for the lover of the game. His early stories and the characters that adorn them could be books in their own right! And this is only really based on the NSWRL (barring a bit of hotel trashing and drunkenness in Queensland). The same stories would abound in leagues all over the country. As Humphries puts it so eloquently in his introduction, ‘you simply couldn’t make these yarns up!’

 

Post Script

My wife inquired as to what I was doing and I said I was writing a review of a book called Jack Gibson’s Fur Coat: Rugby Leagues Oddities and Artefacts. She feigned interest towards the Rugby League bigot and said she’d read the chapter on Russell Fairfax and Ian Schubert (genuine heartthrobs of 1970s teenage girls) and their flowing locks. I said ‘OK’. Looks like there is another book in the waiting, Glen!

 

Jack Gibson’s Fur Coat by Glen Humphries (Gelding Street Press $39.99) is available at Big W and all good bookstores, or to buy online go to: https://www.geldingstreetpress.com/product/jack-gibson-s-fur-coat/

It is available for pre-order at  https://www.geldingstreetpress.com/product/jack-gibson-s-fur-coat/

 

 

The Footy Almanac has published a number of Glen’s articles over the years. Read them HERE

 

 

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