Thanks From The Poms
It is 1928. The English Rugby League Team is on tour in Australia. They are here to play a large number of games including three tests. The interest generated is enormous as are the crowds that attend. The crowds are large even by today’s standards.
Australia lost the first two tests and therefore the series but managed to regain some honour by winning the third.
Benny Wearing only played in one test, the third, and scored two tries. After the series, there is a formal dinner accorded to the English team and officials.
There are lots of speeches. The captain, Jonathon Parkin, got up and proposed a toast to the Australian selectors for only selecting Benny for one test. The reaction of the selectors in the audience is not recorded.
For The Record
On a very wet night in 2014, Nathan Merritt scores a try. But this is not just any try. It is try #145 and thereby he passes Benny Wearing’s record, a record that has stood for 80 years.
Alex Johnston later does the same and becomes the top try scorer.
Benny Wearing
So who was this Benny Wearing?
South Sydney supporters sit down to watch a game in 2014. They don’t get too settled in their seats. Why? Well they know that when a certain superstar by the name of Greg Inglis gets the ball they will be on their feet in anticipation of something special.
So it was 100 years ago. Benny Wearing was one of the superstars of rugby league for many years, in fact for 50 years he held the record for the most games played for Souths.
He appeared in many advertisements. The story begins in 1920 when he entered grade for the first time. Prior to that he played for Redfern Iona and Christian Bros school at Waverly.
He then quickly went into first grade the next year. In 1923 he played state football and was a reserve for the test team in 1924. He played in many South Sydney premiership winning teams as well as many state and other representative teams but only got to represent Australia once.
Stories of his prowess are legion but one trick stands out.
Stories Are Legion
In 1988, Phil Blake, while playing for Souths against Balmain, short kicked over the top of the Balmain players, scooped up the ball and ran away for the try. Nathan Merritt did the same against Parramatta with little room to move and scored a brilliant try in 2007. Both these tries live long in the memory of Souths supporters.
However, Benny Wearing made it his trademark. Once he did it in his only test match running around Jim Sullivan, the most brilliant English fullback of all time.
South Sydney supporters went to games every week expecting some breathtaking moment of excitement and he rarely disappointed.
Benny went on to play until 1933, had a testimonial in 1934 and passed away in 1968. Wearing was a superstar in his time and one of South Sydney’s greatest players and should never be forgotten.
Benny Wearing
By Mark Emery for Bunnies TV.
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