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Steve Roach (rugby league footballer)
Encyclopedia
Stephen David "Blocker" Roach - (born 24 April 1962 in Sydney
, New South Wales
) is an Australian former rugby league
prop forward of the 1980s and early 1990s. He made thirty-nine representative appearances for the Australian national team in Tests, World Cup
and New South Wales State of Origin matches between 1985 and 1991. His football career was followed by a period as a commentator.
and was signed by the Balmain Tigers
in 1982. He quickly advanced to first grade and in 1983 was part of the Balmain side which made the semi-finals for the first time since 1977. Between then and 1992 Roach played 185 first grade games for the Tigers.
1987 was almost completely wiped out for Roach due to a serious knee injury and though he returned to excellent form in 1988 he was cited for a tackle on Penrith
's Chris Mortimer
suspended for four weeks, missing the 1988 finals including the Grand Final loss to Canterbury
.
In the 1989 club season his combination with Paul Sironen
, Benny Elias
and Wayne Pearce
was one of the strongest packs in club rugby league history and the side dominated opposing forwards. In the 1989 Grand Final, after having led Canberra
12 points to 2 at half-time, the Tigers were run down. Roach and Sironen were replaced by coach Warren Ryan
late in the 2nd half and when the game ultimately went into extra time they were unable to return and with their strikepower gone in the added period Canberra were able to overpower Balmain 19-14.
In 1991 his club form showed some decline but he again managed national selection and his experience was vital to the improvement of a side needing reorganisation after they suffered a shocking start to the club season. After an ankle injury in 1991 he was also troubled by a knee injury in 1992 which would prove to be his last club season.
side for all three games of that year's State of Origin
series. Thereafter barring injury and his surprise omission in 1989, he was generally a regular Blues starter and he made 17 State of Origin appearances up till game II of 1991.
In 1985, Roach became the 562nd player to represent Australia when he made his national representative debut in the first Test in Brisbane against New Zealand
. His excellent club form for Balmain in 1986 ensured his place on the Kangaroo tour
where he appeared in two Tests and seven minor tour matches.
Citations and despatches to the sin-bin in the 1989 club season may have contributed to his omission by State selectors from the Blues squad of that year however powerful club performances with his fellow representative Balmain forwards made him a certainty for the 1989 New Zealand tour where he played in all three Tests.
On the 1990 Kangaroo tour Roach played in all five Tests against Great Britain and France and in five other minor tour games.
In a Test match against New Zealand in Melbourne in 1991, Roach clashed famously with Kiwi forward Dean Lonergan
and required 20 stitches. He later lost his Test place and despite gaining a late call-up for the Papua New Guinea tour he broke his ankle in the first match which was to be his last national appearance.
Known for his aggressive approach and powerful running close to the rucks, Roach was at his peak possibly the number one prop in world rugby league. However he was also notorious for his controversial behaviour on-field, which may have made state and national selectors wary of him at times.
In a game in 1990 against Manly at Brookvale Oval
he received a four-week suspension for backchatting the referee Eddie Ward, whom Roach then patted on the head after he was ordered from the field. Coming into physical contact with a referee is regarded as a serious offence and Roach was fortunate that no further action was taken. Roach did himself no favours in this incident when he gave the touch judge a verbal bashing on his way off the field.
, Doing My Block and he became a commentator with the Nine Network
as well as making appearances on the The NRL Footy Show
. After a disagreement with fellow Channel 9 commentators Paul Vautin
and Peter Sterling
he was sacked by the network and signed by the official rugby league radio broadcaster 2UE
, before later moving to 2GB
with Ray Hadley
and his Continuous Call Team
.
He has made further television appearances on the Seven Network
's Sportsworld
and is one of a number of former players who appear in radio, TV and print ads for the Lowes menswear chain.He now still works for the Seven Network's Matty Johns Show with occasional appearances.
After a 3 year stint as assistant coach with Manly, Roach was appointed to the coaching committee of his beloved Tigers - now the Wests Tigers.
On 23 June 2000, Roach was awarded the Australian Sports Medal
for his contribution to Australia's international standing in rugby league.
In February 2008, Steve Roach was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) which was commissioned by the NRL
and ARL
to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia.
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
) is an Australian former rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
prop forward of the 1980s and early 1990s. He made thirty-nine representative appearances for the Australian national team in Tests, World Cup
Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...
and New South Wales State of Origin matches between 1985 and 1991. His football career was followed by a period as a commentator.
Club career
Though born in Sydney, Roach played his early rugby league for Wests IllawarraWestern Suburbs Red Devils
The Western Suburbs Red Devils are an Australian rugby league football team based in Figtree. The club are a part of Country Rugby League and compete in the Illawarra Rugby League premiership. The club play out of Figtree Oval, Figtree. Wests wear red and blue jerseys and have won 14 premierships...
and was signed by the Balmain Tigers
Balmain Tigers
The Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles...
in 1982. He quickly advanced to first grade and in 1983 was part of the Balmain side which made the semi-finals for the first time since 1977. Between then and 1992 Roach played 185 first grade games for the Tigers.
1987 was almost completely wiped out for Roach due to a serious knee injury and though he returned to excellent form in 1988 he was cited for a tackle on Penrith
Penrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
's Chris Mortimer
Chris Mortimer
Chris Mortimer is an Australian former professional rugby league player for the Canterbury Bulldogs, Penrith Panthers, New South Wales and for the Australian national side....
suspended for four weeks, missing the 1988 finals including the Grand Final loss to Canterbury
Canterbury Bulldogs
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions...
.
In the 1989 club season his combination with Paul Sironen
Paul Sironen
Paul Sironen is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who was a prominent second rower for the Balmain Tigers during the late 1980s and early 1990s...
, Benny Elias
Benny Elias
Benjamin Elias is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. He played primarily as a hooker for Balmain in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership. He was one of the leading hookers from the mid 1980s until his retirement at the end of the 1994 season...
and Wayne Pearce
Wayne Pearce
Wayne John Pearce OAM is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. An athletic Lock Forward for the Balmain Tigers, he was affectionately known as 'Junior'...
was one of the strongest packs in club rugby league history and the side dominated opposing forwards. In the 1989 Grand Final, after having led Canberra
Canberra Raiders
The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
12 points to 2 at half-time, the Tigers were run down. Roach and Sironen were replaced by coach Warren Ryan
Warren Ryan
Warren Ryan is former rugby league football coach and player from Sydney, Australia. He is considered as one of the most influential coaches in recent times. Ryan also played 1st Grade Rugby League for the St George Dragons and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks....
late in the 2nd half and when the game ultimately went into extra time they were unable to return and with their strikepower gone in the added period Canberra were able to overpower Balmain 19-14.
In 1991 his club form showed some decline but he again managed national selection and his experience was vital to the improvement of a side needing reorganisation after they suffered a shocking start to the club season. After an ankle injury in 1991 he was also troubled by a knee injury in 1992 which would prove to be his last club season.
Representative career
State representative honours first came his way in 1984 when he was called into the New South Wales BluesNew South Wales Rugby League team
The New South Wales rugby league team has represented the Australian state of New South Wales in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1907. Administered by the New South Wales Rugby League, the team competes in the annual State of Origin series against arch-rivals, the...
side for all three games of that year's State of Origin
Rugby League State of Origin
State of Origin is an annual best of three series of rugby league football matches contested by the Maroons and the Blues, who represent the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales respectively...
series. Thereafter barring injury and his surprise omission in 1989, he was generally a regular Blues starter and he made 17 State of Origin appearances up till game II of 1991.
In 1985, Roach became the 562nd player to represent Australia when he made his national representative debut in the first Test in Brisbane against New Zealand
New Zealand national rugby league team
The New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
. His excellent club form for Balmain in 1986 ensured his place on the Kangaroo tour
Kangaroo Tour
Kangaroo Tour is the name given to Australian national rugby league team tours of Great Britain and France. The first Kangaroo Tour was in 1908. Traditionally, Kangaroo Tours took place every four years and involved a three-Test Ashes series against Great Britain and a number of tour matches...
where he appeared in two Tests and seven minor tour matches.
Citations and despatches to the sin-bin in the 1989 club season may have contributed to his omission by State selectors from the Blues squad of that year however powerful club performances with his fellow representative Balmain forwards made him a certainty for the 1989 New Zealand tour where he played in all three Tests.
On the 1990 Kangaroo tour Roach played in all five Tests against Great Britain and France and in five other minor tour games.
In a Test match against New Zealand in Melbourne in 1991, Roach clashed famously with Kiwi forward Dean Lonergan
Dean Lonergan
-Playing career:Dean represented the New Zealand Kiwis from 1986 to 1991 and also represented Auckland. He played for the Glenora Bears and City Newton Dragons in the Auckland Rugby League competition and the Canberra Raiders in the NSWRL Premiership....
and required 20 stitches. He later lost his Test place and despite gaining a late call-up for the Papua New Guinea tour he broke his ankle in the first match which was to be his last national appearance.
The man and his playing style
His tremendously solid and stocky build made him a bull-like runner up the middle. He possessed a pair of hands as large as anyone's in the game and had excellent offloading skills that frequently gave team-mates tries or long breaks.Known for his aggressive approach and powerful running close to the rucks, Roach was at his peak possibly the number one prop in world rugby league. However he was also notorious for his controversial behaviour on-field, which may have made state and national selectors wary of him at times.
In a game in 1990 against Manly at Brookvale Oval
Brookvale Oval
Brookvale Oval is a sporting ground located within Brookvale Park at Brookvale, New South Wales, Australia. The ground is owned by Warringah Council and is primarily used by the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles rugby league team...
he received a four-week suspension for backchatting the referee Eddie Ward, whom Roach then patted on the head after he was ordered from the field. Coming into physical contact with a referee is regarded as a serious offence and Roach was fortunate that no further action was taken. Roach did himself no favours in this incident when he gave the touch judge a verbal bashing on his way off the field.
Post playing
By the end of the 1992 season Roach had written an autobiographyAutobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, Doing My Block and he became a commentator with the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
as well as making appearances on the The NRL Footy Show
The NRL Footy Show
The Footy Show is a Logie Award-winning Australian sports variety television programme, shown on the Nine Network and its affiliates. Following the success of the AFL program of the same name, the Nine Network quickly developed a version for the rugby league market. The rugby league version has...
. After a disagreement with fellow Channel 9 commentators Paul Vautin
Paul Vautin
Paul Vautin , is an Australian sports television personality and former rugby league footballer and coach. He currently hosts the NRL Footy Show and provides commentary for the Nine Network's coverage of rugby league matches...
and Peter Sterling
Peter Sterling
Peter Maxwell John "Sterlo" Sterling OAM is an Australian rugby league commentator and former player. He was one of the all-time great halfbacks and a major contributor to Parramatta Eels' dominance of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership in the 1980s. Sterling played nineteen Tests for...
he was sacked by the network and signed by the official rugby league radio broadcaster 2UE
2UE
2UE is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia owned by Fairfax Media. It is Sydney's and Australia's oldest commercial radio station, first broadcasting on 26 January 1925 on 1025 kHz AM before moving to 950 kHz in 1935 when virtually all Australian radio stations were assigned new...
, before later moving to 2GB
2GB
2GB is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia broadcasting on 873 kHz, AM. It is one of Australia's most popular talk-back radio stations, and is the number one station in Sydney.-History:The station commenced broadcasting in August 1926...
with Ray Hadley
Ray Hadley
Raymond Morris Hadley OAM is an Australian talkback radio broadcaster. He presents 2GB Sydney's morning show, and leads the Continuous Call Team, a rugby league-based talkback radio panel program.-Early Life:...
and his Continuous Call Team
Continuous Call Team
The Continuous Call Team is an Australian radio sports program, covering the news and live games of the National Rugby League. It is produced and broadcast by 2GB Sydney, and is relayed to stations in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia and Papua New Guinea.The team have...
.
He has made further television appearances on the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
's Sportsworld
Sportsworld
Sportsworld was an Australian Sunday morning sports information program shown on Seven Network. The program was broadcast from 9.00am - 11.00am following Weekend Sunrise on a Sunday morning, from Seven's Martin Place streetfront studios in Sydney....
and is one of a number of former players who appear in radio, TV and print ads for the Lowes menswear chain.He now still works for the Seven Network's Matty Johns Show with occasional appearances.
After a 3 year stint as assistant coach with Manly, Roach was appointed to the coaching committee of his beloved Tigers - now the Wests Tigers.
On 23 June 2000, Roach was awarded the Australian Sports Medal
Australian Sports Medal
The Australian Sports Medal was an award given during 2000 to recognise achievements in Australian sport.Recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, office holders, and people who maintained sporting facilities and services. Over 18,000 Medals were...
for his contribution to Australia's international standing in rugby league.
In February 2008, Steve Roach was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) which was commissioned by the NRL
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
and ARL
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia.
Sources
- Whiticker, Alan and Hudson, Glen; The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players (3rd ed); published 1998, Gary Allen Pty. Ltd.
- Roach, Steve with Ray Chesterton; Doing My Block; published 1992, Ironbark Press.
- Andrews, Malcolm (2006) The ABC of Rugby League Austn Broadcasting Corpn, Sydney