Darling of the Silvertails

by Peter Jackson

This article has been transcribed without permission from Sports Weekly, Wednesday, 24th May, 1995, page 74-76.

Allan Langer, Ricky Stuart and a host of serious injuries have prevented Geoff Toovey from assuming a position as Australia's premier halfback. Instead his astute leadership, fierce defence and tackle-splitting running have helped make Manly one of the most consistent clubs in the past haf-dozen seasons. Peter Jackson catches up with the darling of the Silvertails...

Jackson: Manly have been going well since you've been out?

Toovey: Yeah, mate, I was speaking about it to Robbo. He goes, ``We'll have a strong reserve-grade side next week.''

Jackson: But they are going great. What do you put it down to?

Toovey: I don't know. We've got a hard run coming up. I guess we'll know more after we get through that.

J: We've just been talking about injuries, you've had a bad run over the last three years. How frustrating is it?

T: It's pretty hard sitting on the sideline watching, there's nothing worse. I suppose it's bad luck. I heard it came in threes, but this is the fourth for me so maybe I've got another two to come.

J: Has your enthusiasm ever got that low that you've thought, ``Stuff it''?

T: No, I suppose the worst was last year when I broke my jaw. It's a pretty horrible injury to have, although you are probably out for only six to eight weeks. It's just the circumstances around it, you can't eat, you can't really go out. Your face is swollen and that just contributes to how you feel - really low. I suppose that's the worst thing that has really happened to me. I've had others, the shoulder reconstructions and knee reconstructions. You don't feel good about them but at least you can still get up and get around. At least your head's not blown up like a balloon.

J: You put it down to bad luck. Other people might reckon you try and play the game a little too hard for a midget?

T: Everybody would like to be six foot tall, a hundred and something kilos and super fast. But you just have to play with what you've got. Unfortunately for me, it's a five foot something body and well under 80 kilos.

J: Football's going full-time professional now but you're a fully-qualified accountant. You've got a beautiful office, beautiful leather-bound books. It looks like you're going pretty well in your career. What's going to happen if they say we need you here all day, every day?

T: Football comes first at this stage, but I think there's opportunity to do both. A lot of players rely on football and at the end of their careers say, ``What do I have now?'' Like Mal recently saying it did nothing for me. I'd like to think it's given me a head-start in life. I'm not relying on it solely to carry me through the rest of my career, and I wouldn't like to think I'm putting all the hopes of my family or my future family on the earnings of football.

J: It would be scary, but there are lots of blokes who go to training early in the morning, go and have breakfast with the boys, go and have a surf in summer, a game of golf... you're here at Neutral Bay and putting in 40 hours. You must get jealous?

T: It's frustrating, especially when you're under a bit of stress. I'm still doing further studies now and I get home from training and I sit down and open up the books. I sometimes ask myself, ``Why am I doing this when all the other blokes are probably out their with their wives and their girls, or whatever, doing something that they really enjoy and here am I sitting with my head in a book?'' But that's just the choices we make, I suppose.

J: You probably don't realise this, but that sort of attitude is probably one of the main reasons why you're captain of the side. Let's face it, people don't realise how many old blokes are playing for Manly. Cliffy is 34, isn't he? Des is 35, Cement's 31 and Iron would have to be 30. There are a lot of old guys, yet you're the captain. Is it tough when you've got so many experienced players or does it make it easier for you?

T: The captaincy is a leading role, but there's no great decisions that have to be made because of the experience that is in the side. Everyone knows their job. The main decision I have to make is which way to run, or the toss of the coin - heads or tails? Most of the players are experienced enough to know what to do.

J: What about Cliffy? I reckon he gets a bum rap because he has been one of the great players of the Winfield Cup.

T: I wouls say close to being the dominant five-eighth for the last six years. Overall, no one stands out as consistent. At one stage he had a bit of a rough trot, but it was only for a short period. I consider him the best five-eighth running around in those years. He's got a lot of natural talent and I wouldn't be surprised to see him playing when he's 40. He doesn't rely on his strength or speed solely. His football brain is just one step ahead of everyone else.

J: He just loves it too, doesn't he?

T: It doesn't matter what he plays. In the off-season, he plays darts and cricket; competition darts. He likes a gas-bag, he likes a beer, he likes the card machine... he thrives on competition. Whatever it is, if it's competitive, he'll be in it. He likes to win.

J: Manly's the flagship of the ARL. It has been incredibly involved with Arthurson and Bozo. As captain of the Sea Eagles, do you see yourself as a major player in the Super League row?

T: I'm not a major player because I'm not one of the superstars they were chasing. The Fittlers, the Harragons, the Langers and Stuarts... but I suppose players like me are the backbone of the league and I think an important component along with the up-and-coming players. I'm probably past my time, I've been around a few years now and I don't see myself as a key point in the Super League debate - but I suppose plaers like myself as a group would be a key.

J: But you are still the captain of the ARL's number one team. Do you have a strong standing on the matter?

T: No, I don't. Each player has their own choice. I believe in that. I'm not criticising anyone, but I don't think some players weighed up their options... they rushed into things a little. Obviously not the top players who were offered unbelievable amounts, but some players, I think, did themselves an injustice by rushing into it. But good luck to them. I have no qualms against anyone looking after themselves. But I do have trouble with some of the hype surrounding it and some of the things that have been said and used to influence people.

J: What about Ridgie, Ian Roberts and OJ, three of the Manly players who've gone over to Super League? Has that caused problems?

T: No, it hasn't. I mean, the players in the team look at it as each person making his own decision. It's a business decision. They have done what they think is best for them. But Ridgie has another year after this one with Manly, Robbo has another two and OJ has more than paid back his dues to the club and to the League.

J: I think players have handled this better than a lot of other people. For instance, the other day Ricky Stuart and Mark Soden had a stink on the field. Obviously Canberra are very much Super League and Norths very much ARL, but after the game they had a laugh and shook hands, had a beer together. I think a lot of people are reading more into it than there really is.

T: Yeah, I think that might be the case but I also believe, as do most of the senior players, that if the league does split into a Super League and an ARL competition the game will suffer, which I don't think the players want.

J: What about Spud? I read the other day he said, ``Don't worry about State of Origin - just get the Super League team. I want to play them, I want to belt 'em.''

T: Well, I suppose he's that sort of bloke.

J: Is he?

T: Yeah, even after him and Nick Kosef had that clash in the City-Country. But I don't see the game that way. I mean, we've got a few Super League plaers in our team, so if it were going to be that way, people would start staying they threw the match so the Super teams would win. No, it's not like that at all.

J: That's good.

T: Super League hasn't kicked off yet, and I think the players are playing to the best of their ability to try and win the premiership.

J: When you look back on your career will you think of the four years that you copped injuries as the worst?

T: Yeah, but then again I look at it in a different way. I worry about injuries costing my spot. Fortunately, I have managed to fit in a few games in between injuries, which have probably kept me going.

J: But what about rep football? You probably would have been the first picked for NSW if your form early in the season was any indication. Then you get injured and you don't get back in time and now someone else gets in front of you again in Andrew Johns.

T: It's just part of the game, it's certainly nothing that I am too concerned about. I've had opportunities in the past when I've gained some representative honors when other people have been out injured. What goes around comes around.

J: Yeah, you know how great Papua New Guinea is. It was incredible up there, wasn't it? The adoration we received will be one of the great memories of my life.

T: Yeah it is. When we spoke to the Prime Minister or President he said rugby league was the national sport. I remember when we went up to the highlands ``Munster'' Bella and I hired a car and went out the back-of-nowhere and got lost. We pulled over to ask one of the locals how to get back. She pointed us in the right direction and the next minute the car was surrounded by about 30 little tackers saying, ``oooooh Bella, Bella''.

J: In their homes they haven't got a stove let alone a TV.

T: No, but some travel for four days to get to some of these games. When they couldn't get in - I mean, no wonder they rioted and pulled the fences down.

J: What about young Steve Menzies, he's a sensational footballer, isn't he?

T: Yeah, I'm glad to see he hasn't fallen into the old second-year syndrome that some players suffer from. He started his career on the wing and I suppose it's been a good move for him to go into the second-row. He's been playing well, he's great on his feet, he's a good defender - I suppose he's got it all going for him and he's still a young fella, too. It's good to see a local Manly junior come through.

J: Manly have had a reputation in the past for trying to buy teams but it is not the case any more, is it?

T: No, I think that reputation originated when Roy Masters was the coach of Wests. He started the biggest propaganda campaign in the world. Sure, they bought some players but you have to remember when they got that reputation there was only Sydney-based clubs. Most players played for clubs which weren't really where they grew up. We've got a lot of juniors now and a lot of junior development. While it's a shrinking area in terms of numbers compared with a place like Penrith, I think with the number of players we've got playing and the junior development we've got there, there is a great number of potential stars.

J: Speaking of Manly, it's kind of funny. Manly used to be the team everyone loved to hate but since Super League has come up, Manly has become everyone's second favorite team.

T: Maybe at the moment, but I'm sure all that will change when all this ARL - Super League thing has died down. It is good to see the fans get behind the ARL because they realise if Super League kicks off they'll lose that sort of home-town feeling. They've got something to hold on to now and good luck to them. I'm sure I'd be behind the ARL. The game is about people, people who want to watch it and enjoy it. The players deserve what they can get out of the game and, as long as they enjoy what they are doing, well, they should keep it up. But the supporters are the ones who pay and I think the game owes the supporters a lot as well.

J: Who is the team to beat this year?

T: It's hard to say. Obviously you've got the teams with all the what's considered better players - Canterburys, Canberras, Brisbanes. Brisbane has been playing really well. I suppose until they met Canberra, and I thought well, hey, Canberra's played really well and they looked like the team to beat and I watched them play Norths and they had a very poor start to the game and I thought they were very lucky to win. So you just can't tell at this stage of the game. I think it will boil down to probably the last few rounds.