Hang this masterpiece in the Louvre

BY JAMES SMITH

Long before the days of Team List Tuesdays, during which the fan base doesn’t believe the line-ups released by the current coaches anyway, we had “Big League on sale Thursdays”.

If you wanted to know who was playing footy for whom at the weekend, you never knew until you consulted the Big League - until, from about the late ‘90s from memory, the papers began listing the teams on Wednesdays, cutting the grass of the official publication of the NSWRL.

The magnificent work of art pictured below was filled in within the pages of the Round 24, 1986 edition of the great mag.

You can tell this person did this every week. All the detail is there: players who were replaced or who had switched jersey numbers, tryscorers, penalty kickers, the penalty count, scrums … it’s beautiful.

The Big League, long before Team List Tuesdays ruined all the fun ...

And look at those extended benches – such a naming of fellows these days would send the Twitterverse into absolute meltdown …

That number 40 for the Bunnies in the Under-23s would go on to produce a fine career. Meanwhile, fullback Danny Crnkovich crossed for a meat pie for the home side’s reserve grade outfit.

Not only were the Eels dominating first grade in 1986, they led reserve grade by four wins, with their nearest rival Easts having lost this particular weekend.

And no, your author didn’t go and consult Rugby League Project for that info, it was there in blue biro, all marked out and up to date on the points tables page at the back of the mag.    

Try having this much fun on Team List Tuesdays … 

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