If you were hurtling through West End in the 1970s then you might come across Magpie Allan Brackin.
The Souths five-eighth was as black and white as you can get and loved Davies Park like it was his home.
Allan Brackin Q&A
Why the Magpies?
I am from Townsville and the Magpies came up to get Pat Phelan, Marshall Colwell and Chris Phelan. I came down to go to uni at QUT and not to play football, but then in 1976 I played C grade at Souths, went on to play first grade the following year.
Can you remember your debut for Souths?
Valleys at Valleys in 1977. I remember in a trial game I scored three tries after Graeme Atherton told me exactly what to do and he’d put it on my chest. Mitch Brennan was out injured, so I started the year in first grade and then he came back. Wayne Bennett explained to me that he had to pick Brennan, which I understood, so on the Monday I was back to reserve grade, but then by the Wednesday, Wayne Bennett had given up the captain-coach role and was just going to coach, so I was back in first grade.
1979, things aren’t looking great when the Tigers are up 14-0 in the prelim, but you score a try just before half time to give the Magpies hope and come home 18-16 and the Magpies first grand final since 1953.
I think that if we change a few things that went wrong for Souths in 1979, I am not sure if we change the result, but I think we give ourselves a much better chance. Pat Phelan tragically died in early 1979, John Grant retired in 1978 and Greg Veivers had to retire with eye problems. That’s three very good players. I think we overachieved in 1979 we were a young team and had a coach that was late 20s, only five years older than us. Brown, Kellaway, Veivers, Phelan and Grant are a good forward pack.
1980 back again, this time in the halves - Norths get you in an upset?
Wayne had left to Brothers and I think no disrespect to Bob McCarthy, but I think if we had Wayne and built on the experience from 1979, I think we win.
1977 Wayne Bennett started - what was your first impression?
From day one that he retired from playing, he found his niche straight away. I remember he just knew what to say and knew how to get the best out of you. I remember he said just what I needed to hear - in 1979 there was an article in the paper that day about how I could maybe get a Brisbane jumper due to injuries to a couple of blokes. I got to training that night and he pulled me aside to say I wasn’t up to it, which was probably true, but it made me try even harder. If he says it to someone else, they might get upset.
You had the best seat for a young Malcolm Meninga - what’s your best Mal story?
Wayne was holding him back and keeping him away and then he tells us he has this kid from the police academy and he’s going to unleash him against Brothers in 1979, and he scores two tries and kicked five goals. I knew I was never going to play centre again, so I just worked with John Salter on making sure we could catch and pass very quickly. We had two great centres in Bruce Astill and Mal, so it just became a game of 'get them the ball'. Hopefully every now and then they’d be so keen to get up on Astill and Mal and then I could sneak over for a try. When Mal became Queensland coach, he brought me and a few other businessmen into camp as mentors for the Queensland players, so I had the best seat for the eight in a row. In the coaching box and in camp watching eight in a row and helping players out if they wanted it. He is a great coach and I loved helping the players out. I am stilled involved with a couple of ex-Origin players giving advice on their business ventures.
Who is your favourite Magpie ever?
John Grant was my hero and I got to play with him which I loved, but John Salter was the man, I loved playing with him. My best mates still are my Magpie mates, I catch up with Marshall Colwell, John Salter, Chris Phelan, Peter Ryan and Graham Baird regularly. I have one of Pat Phelan’s Magpie jumpers too.
I was only born in 1979, but I hear that the 1970s was a pretty good time in Brisbane?
I was 22 years old at uni and playing first grade at Souths and in grand finals. I look back and think: 'that’s a good life'.
