My father Les McIntyre may have done all the hackwork.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
But there is no way known he would have even thought about lodging a team from this area in the NSWRL without the presence of Don Furner snr.
That's the bottom line of the foundation of the Canberra Raiders.
The relationship I shared with the late Furner snr was of the highest order, back from his days as Raiders coach all the way up to his death on Monday night.
Here was a man who would always give you the honest truth without having to swear on a stack of bibles.
A man who lured Arthur Beetson to Eastern Suburbs and managed to get him off the meat pies. A man who paved the way for a Raiders dynasty by recruiting the likes of Mal Meninga to the club from Queensland.
Although one problem we had which started to show itself in those days, was the old-fashioned handshake was losing its mettle.
There were quite a few fellas that Don had shook hands with, but when it came to drawing up the paperwork it was a different kettle of fish altogether.
But once he got Mal, the others followed. The rugby league Immortal may well have gone to Manly if we didn't have a coach of Don's reputation.
He's the one I spoke to before we brought Wayne Bennett into Canberra for one season in 1987. The two individuals as dual-coaches, were treated as a complete and utter joke by the Sydney media.
Yet they won the Dally M coach of the year award for that 1987 season. Up until that time, there was another set of awards sponsored by Coca-Cola.
It was always Don's vote that decided who the Coca-Cola coach of the year would be. That was because he was the only one who didn't vote for himself. That, mate, is a true story.
That in itself, being a humble character, and Wayne Bennett was the same, was what produced our very first grand final.
READ MORE:
If it wasn't for Bozo Fulton cheating the bloody head bin rule, it may have been our first premiership.
Don and Wayne were a match made in heaven. The former would look after the media, the latter could worry about football.
There was a time before Don went into the nursing home when every time Wayne was in town, I'd pick him up and we'd go to Don's for a cup of tea in Red Hill.
Next time Wayne comes to town I'd love to see him for another, and we can reminisce about the special mate we've lost.