What’s there to say about Graeme Langlands and Johnny Raper? What can you say about Chang and the Chook that hasn’t been written ten times over? What superlatives haven’t been used? 

Between them they played 407 games for St George, 67 games for NSW, 67 Tests; they scored 133 tries for the Saints, 26 tries for the Blues, 26 tries for the Kangaroos; they won 12 premierships, a jersey in the Australian Team of the Century, a spot on the Immortals podium. But the numbers only give a hint.

So go back to November 9, 1963; the second Ashes Test at Swinton’s Station Road. The British newspapers labelled it “The Great Slaughter Of Britain”. Australian journos called it “The Swinton Massacre.” The Kangaroos unleashed a 12-try, 50-12 demolition of the Lions for their first Ashes series win in Britain since Chris McKivat’s tourists way back in 1912. That afternoon, Chang scored two tries and kicked seven goals; his 20 points a record for an individual haul against Great Britain. And the Chook played 80 minutes of such inspired brilliance that the Australian skipper, Ian Walsh, declared: “His was the greatest game I’ve ever seen.” Chang and the Chook – in many minds the finest leaguies to pull on a boot.

Who’s going to win the premiership this year?
GL: Wish I could say St George, but I can’t. I’d have my money on Melbourne.

JR: Oh, the Storm’ll win. They’ve got a good coach, his attitude’s right. They’re playing really well.

Saints haven’t won the comp since ’79. Are you excited to see Wayne Bennett heading there in ‘09?
GL: Yeah, well, it’s bad luck for Browny but it looked like they had to make a change. Wayne’ll bring a lot of discipline. Not saying Browny didn’t, but I don’t think the players backed him up as much as he wanted. You know, he played with a lot of those guys. It’s pretty hard to come out of first grade, start coaching the 21s, then move straight to the top grade. It would’ve been better for him to go to another club, then come back to St George.

I was captain-coach of the Australian touring side in ‘73 and if I had my time over again, I would never have done it. If I knew what was in front of me, the pressure … That’s the same as in club football now. If a team loses, you pick up the paper the next day and who do they blame? The coach.

JR: I like Wayne. I like his attitude towards the game and all those sort of things. I hope the St George people get behind him and I think they will. No disrespect to Nathan Brown, but Wayne’s a first class coach.

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