Alan Wieland’s family name is Valleys royalty.
He started his rugby league journey holding Struddy’s hand, but this young Diehard would have to become a Wests Panther and an Adelaide Ram all while winning two Rothmans Medals in the mud-and-blood.
Alan Wieland Q&A
That’s you with Struddy running out in the 1979 grand final, isn’t it?
I had the best seat in the house, I remember I would get dropped off at Lang Park in 1979 to be Valleys ball boy and all these people would be lined up near the players entry to get autographs and the man on the gate with the big white coat knew me and I would just walk through. I still have my Valleys jumper that I wore for the 1979 grand final. I just loved Valleys, dad won a premiership there in 1979 and I got to be ball boy until 1981.
Can you remember your debut for Valleys?
Ross Henrick gave me my debut. I was either nearly 18 or just turned 18. I would get there early to play Colts, then sit on the line for reserve grade and then Ross said 'you’re playing first grade today against Logan', so my day went from 10am to 6pm.
How did you feel at the end of Valleys?
It came all of a sudden, we came last and I remember saying to Marty Scanlan: 'I am not the first Valleys captain to come last, am I?' He was pretty sure I wasn’t and we had won a wooden spoon before. But we just got told that was it. A lot of us went over to Wests Panthers - it was close and Panthers always seemed like a good club. Tony Currie was going to coach Panthers, so I went and saw him and said I would like to be a Panther, but I am not running Mt Coot-tha. He said that was old school and we won’t be doing it. Then TC got the London job and Wayne Treleaven took over the Panthers, so I went and saw him and said I am happy to come to Panthers, but I am not running up Mt Coot-tha. He was happy to honour my arrangement. But we ended up doing Slaughter Falls, which they say is worse than Mt Coot-tha.
You played seven games for the Adelaide Rams, how did that come about?
I was playing for Wests and they had a deal with Adelaide and I got the call up to fly to Adelaide, but then I got told I had to play one more game for Wests to play finals. Dean Lance had already said I won’t be a Ram in 1999, so I said I am going home to play for Wests so I can play finals. They said 'there is two games to go in the year', but I said I am done.
1998 grand final up 16-0, what went wrong?
That was my last game and it still burns really badly. We beat Brothers in the finals and they were the Baby Broncos with Lote, Berrigan and Meyers - then had to go to Redcliffe and beat them, so we are in the grand final against Norths and up 16-0 after 25 minutes. I remember in the sheds at half time it just didn’t feel right, then they scored 35 points in the second half and won 35-15.
Favourite ever Diehard and Panther?
Favourite Diehard changed as I got older - it was Struddy. I used to sit in the dressing room during his half time speeches and eight out of every 10 words was swearing. I was only 10, but loved it. But when I got a bit older, it was Wally. Favourite Panther is Paul Schuler, I just loved playing with him.
Back-to-back Rothmans Medals in 1996 and 1997 at the Panthers - you polled in 13 of your 19 games including three votes seven times. Your 29 votes was the second most ever to Cavil Heugh in 1983 with 34 votes.
The second one was changed to 'The Courier-Mail best-and-fairest' because you couldn’t endorse smoking anymore, but it was a real highlight to win two.
I remember in my first game for Valleys I got three votes, that always stuck with me. The players on that list that won the Brisbane Rothmans Medal is unbelievable talent.
What was your job while you played?
I was a concreter, I remember when I went to the Broncos in 1989 and Kelvin Giles kept saying you need to put on weight, and I was only 85kg playing in the forwards. I would say I can’t do it in the sun all day laying concrete. That was the great thing about Wayne Treleaven, he understood my job and trusted me to stay fit working. So when I came last in a 400m run on Tuesday night, he wouldn’t be too hard on me.
