1909 - Revolt, Coup, Forfeit and a future

Rugby League began its second year of existence having survived a busy and financially demanding opening season, culminating in a marathon pioneering Kangaroo tour to Great Britain.

With the tour still ongoing at the start of 1909, reports trickling in from England were stating that the Kangaroo’s had run at a considerable financial loss. Several star players had signed with English clubs for the end of the 1908-09 season and beyond, which would be a massive loss to the fledgling code in Australia, while others were reportedly being sent home early.

In February, South Sydney player Arthur Conlin penned a public letter to The Sun requesting the League to appoint a full time secretary at their upcoming General meeting, a suggestion which received immediate support from the clubs.

On March 5, the NSWRL Annual Meeting was held where startling observations about the management of the League’s finances had been made. With the secretary and founding father James Giltinan, getting his side ready for the 45^th and last game of their English tour, President Henry Hoyle and treasurer, the legendary Australian Test cricketer, Victor Trumper ran the meeting on their own.

Newcastle was unable to send any delegates, so it was stated at the meeting that Glebe’s Arthur Weymark and Souths Edward Fry had been appointed to act on behalf of the Newcastle club. Their appointment was questioned with Hoyle stating he had a letter from the Newcastle club, however he had forgotten to bring it, but would produce it the following morning. However the following day he was still unable to produce the letter.

The meeting carried on with Hoyle unable to provide a balance sheet while it was also revealed that Trumper and Giltinan had been banking monies for the League into a separate account under Trumper’s name. Trumper stated during and post meeting that the account was a trust fund and designed to hold the rent for the upcoming matches at the Agricultural Showground. A discussion was also had about the appointment of a full time secretary but none was elected.

After the meeting, North Sydney board member Alexander Knox stated that Norths were considering leaving the League if a balance sheet and full time secretary were not appointed while also intimating that Eastern Suburbs, Souths and Western Suburbs may also consider similar action. With the spat between Hoyle and Knox being played out in the media and causing division within the game, another general meeting had to be called to clear the air.

The infamous Newcastle letter about delegates finally arrived several days after the meeting but had not been signed therefore could not be accepted as official. This meant that the first meeting was made null and a new meeting was convened for March 15.

A fiery meeting took place at the rooms of the NSWRL with accusations, allegations and abuse hurled back and forth, particularly between Knox and Hoyle. After much confrontation, Henry Hoyle exclaimed “I have had enough. I mean to retire. Tomorrow I withdraw all my bonds. Now I tender my resignation.”

Upon this, the previous meeting elections were declared void and new elections took place that saw politician Ernest Broughton appointed as president, replacing Hoyle, while Horrie Miller was elected as Trumper’s successor for the Treasurer role. It was also agreed that a fulltime secretary would be appointed with Tom Phelan named in the acting role while Giltinan was en-route and a suitable candidate could be hired.

The balance sheet that was missing in the previous year was finally completed and submitted at the meeting. It was observed that Balmain’s games at Birchgrove Oval had been producing the best gate takings and so in 1909 it was agreed that they would play nearly all of their games at the ground.

Within less than a month, Broughton’s business matters took precedent and subsequently forced him to relinquish his position as President. He was replaced by another politician, Edward O’Sullivan, the games third boss within a month.

The Premiership season began on April 24 with defending premiers South Sydney beating Balmain 4-0 their first of 9 straight wins before a final round 5-0 loss to Newcastle prevented them from finishing the season undefeated. 1908 Runners-up Eastern Suburbs won five of their opening 6 games before losing their last four games while Balmain benefitted from all their home games, winning all of their last 8 games after losing their opening two.

In June 1909 the league appointed Edward Larkin as its first fulltime secretary, bringing an end to the reign of James Giltinan and finally adding some stability to the administration of the game.

Shortly after Larkin’s appointment, an idea by George Ball to have a series of games played between the national sides for both Rugby codes would be a great spectacle, as well as an opportunity to lure the best Rugby Union talent to Rugby League. He approached the Wallabies players but soon learnt that the 500 pounds he was allocated to pay them with, was a paltry amount.

After a meeting with John Quinlan and Larkin, it was decided to approach entrepreneur James Joynton-Smith for a loan. Joynton-Smith agreed and the purchasing of the Wallabies began.

In August, the semi-finals took place with Balmain defeating Easts 15-8 and Souths beating Newcastle 20-0 which saw Balmain and Souths progress to the final.

Upon learning of the secret activity to buy the Wallabies, President O’Sullivan publicly expressed his opposition to what he deemed acts of unprofessional behaviour and resigned. His replacement was none other than James Joynton-Smith who became the NSWRL’s fourth president, all of whom had held the office in 1909.

The competition was placed on hold after the semi’s for the third and fourth games between Australia and the visiting New Zealand Maori side. The first game was won by the visitors 16-14 before Australia squared the ledger in game 2 with a 16-13 victory. The Kangaroos won the third game 23-16.  During the tour, a Mr Robert Jack claimed that he was owed money by the Maori side owed to him for the organisation of their 1908 tour, which the Maori management disputed. Jack issued a court order against star player and Maori team manager Albert Asher who was arrested after the third game against Australia had been played.

When the NSWRL learnt of this development, they immediately settled the debt with Jack and had Asher released by the police so that he had enough time to get to the ground in time for kick-off in the fourth game, which the Kangaroos went on to win 20-13.

The competition was delayed even further when three hastily organised matches between the Kangaroos and the recently purchased Wallabies would take place. The Kangaroos won the opening game 29-26 before the Wallabies won the next two matches 34-21 and 15-6. After these games the League had still yet to raise enough from gate takings to repay Joynton-Smith for the money he outlaid, so a decision was made to play a fourth game on the same day as the Premiership final.

All year Balmain’s games had been played at 3pm, but the league then decided to move the kick-off for the Final to midday as the undercard to a fourth exhibition game between the Kangaroos and Wallabies. Balmain held a meeting before sending a letter to the League stating that their players would not be able to get to the ground in time after work, for a 2pm kick off, let alone a midday start and requested that the game be moved from the Agricultural Showgrounds which South Sydney had used as their home ground, to Wentworth Park, as it was a genuine neutral venue and closer to Balmain which would enable them to field a team. They also stated it was insulting to the competition to have the final deemed as a secondary game to an exhibition match.

The League informed Balmain that the program would not be changed. On the day of the final, Balmain players and officials who could get to the ground, stood outside and staged a protest while the Souths team took the field. At midday, Souths kicked off and scored a try against no-one and the game was declared over. Several days later, the referee for the game declared the game publicly and officially to South Sydney.

The League suspected Balmain would be a no-show, so they organised for a combined team to take on Souths to ensure a double header would still take place. Souths beat a Combined First Grade team 18-10.

The game attracted a paltry crowd of just 4,000 but it was just enough for the League to pay back Joynton-Smith, clear all its debts and finish the year with a very modest profit.

The drama wasn’t over though. A week after the Final, Balmain decided to start a fund raising campaign to launch legal action against the League over its decision to award the title to Souths. Alexander Knox got in Balmain’s corner along with former president Edward O’Sullivan to voice their disapproval at the League and its treatment of Balmain. Despite raising the necessary funds, Balmain eventually opted to abandon all legal proceedings after months of meetings and conversations, publicly and in house.

Arguably the most tumultuous season in the codes history but it was one that ended with huge improvements to playing rosters, finances, administration, security and stability of the game.

Ernest Broughton – An unenviable task (2018)

Very few people know of the second president of the NSWRL. Largely due to the fact he served for less than a month, however Ernest Clement Vernon Broughton was the very definition of a career politician who very much worked himself into the ground.

He was born in Kangaroo Point, Queensland on January 29, 1865. His father was a police magistrate in Drayton at the time. Ernest was the youngest of four children.

In 1882, he finished his schooling and relocated to Sydney. Two years later, at the age of 19, he and his brother had set up a business where they performed real estate valuations, sales and auctions as well as offering financial advice. They set up their office in Pitt St, Sydney.

Late in November 1884, Broughton was one of three men who had their buggy crashed into by a bus that poorly executed an overtake. The buggy was destroyed but the escaped with just some scratches.

Just four months later and Ernest was involved in another mishap. This time while he was out sailing on Lake George with a friend, Albert Cooper, when the boat jolted both men clear due to a heavy squall. Broughton could not swim, but managed to grab hold of a life belt attached to the side of the boat. They lost the bag which contained their shoes and a change of clothes, so had to make their way home in soaked clothes.

1884 was also the year that Ernest Broughton was a member of the School of Arts debating club, becoming its secretary. One of his colleagues there was Edward O’Sullivan, with whom Broughton’s career would regularly cross paths with. They were regularly opposing one another in debates at the School of Arts.

In 1887, he and his brother went their own separate ways and Ernest continued running the business, solely under his own name.

In 1890 he married Amelia Lockyer and the following year became the Manager of the Universal Advance and Investment Association, the first of many boards and committees that he would be a member of.

In 1898 he began campaigning for the seat of Sydney-King in the NSW Legislative Assembly, representing the Progressive Party. He won the seat in 1901, the same year that he also became the Mayor for Ashfield.

In March 1901, he was an office-bearer for the Western Suburbs District Football Club in the early days of the Metropolitan Rugby Union. Two weeks later he was at a meeting of the Political Reform Association, which fought to reduce the number of members in the State Parliament.

In early 1902 he was then on the board for the Ambulance Association, presiding over one meeting, where he stated, to great cheer, “I would be a helper of those who practised the religion of good deeds.”

Four days after that meeting he was in another, this time for the trustees of Hyde Park, where he put forward the motion of having a designated section of the park exclusively for children.

A rather boisterous sitting of the Legislative Assemble in 1903 resulted in a physical altercation between Broughton and Mr Norton. Broughton voiced his disagreement at a comment made by Mr Norton, and called him “a social leper”. Mr Norton became incensed and swung a punch at Broughton. Norton stated afterwards that he gave Broughton a black eye, however Broughton publicly refuted the claim and adding that he scarcely felt the blow. The newspapers of Sydney supported Broughton, stating they had seen him after the incident and there were no indications he had been struck.

In 1904 the electoral boundaries were all changed, which saw an end to Sydney-King and the creation of King. Broughton won this election, thus making him the last sitting member of Sydney-King and the first member of King. In 1904 though, he was aligned with the Liberal Reform Party.

In 1905 he was elected as a member on the board of the British Empire League alongside Edward O’Sullivan.

He had spent many years as a property and infrastructure developer. In 1907 this saw him on hand at the turning of the first sod which marked the beginning of the extension of the train line past Belmore.

In March 1908 he was made president of the East Sydney Aussie Rules club.

5 months later, he put forward a proposal for a gun licence bill, which aimed to have all gun owners licenced.

On March 3 he was appointed as patron of the Eastern Suburbs Rugby League club and two days later, he attends the NSWRL Annual General Meeting, where he was put forward to take over the governance of the game from founding father and fellow politician, Henry Hoyle. Hoyle won the vote by 1.

On March 8 it was learnt that two of the voting delegates were acting on behalf of the Newcastle club, but had not been officially appointed. Hoyle was unable to produce a signed letter, which he claimed he had from the Newcastle club, where the two delegates had been named.

The Newcastle club then revealed that they hadn’t appointed any delegates and thus, all elections at the meeting were deemed null.

The meeting has held again on March 15, where Hoyle was again unable to produce a balance sheet, while he was also accused of having a secret account. Another election for office bearers was demanded. Hoyle, amidst the angst and emotion, resigned on the spot. Broughton was elected President.

On April 6, just 22 days after taking on the role of President of the NSWRL, Ernest Broughton handed in his resignation, citing ill-health, a heavy work schedule and an upcoming holiday, all of which meant he would not be able to devote himself to the role as much as was required.

He was replaced by none other than Edward O’Sullivan.

Broughton had been ordered to take 3 months rest from all his working duties, but he largely ignored the orders, continuing his work in the Legislative Assembly, as Mayor, on the board of all the committee’s he was a member of, while still running his very demanding business, which had expanded to property development as well.

In 1916, His father-in-law passed away, leaving Ernest to handle his will. Shortly after, Ernest himself fell ill and after 12 months of dealing with his poor health, he finally succumbed to it on August 15, 1917, at the age of 52.

In his life, aside from the roles already mentioned, he had also served as:

Treasurer of the Queen Victoria Memorial Fund in connection with the Prince Alfred Hospital

Vice President of the Pioneers Club

Co-founder of the British Empire League in Sydney

Director representing the Government on the Sydney Hospital Board

Treasurer of the Surgical Aid Society

Member of the Sydney Golf Club

Member of the Fresh Air League

Member of the Australian Protestant Defence Association

Justice of the Peace

President of the Ashfield Harrier Club

Vice President of the Sydney District Cricket Club

The First Boss - Henry Hoyle (2012)

Henry Clement Hoyle’s entire life read as the perfect plan for a man to become a senior member of the Australian Labor Party and as the first presidents of the game for the working class man, Rugby League.

He was born on November 20, 1852 in Millers Point and attended a convent in Balmain before transferring to the Fort Street Public School. Aged just 10, Hoyle entered the workforce, taking on light duties at a local sawmill before becoming an apprentice blacksmith at P N Russell & Co. In 1868 aged just 16, like many other his age at the time, began working on the docks in Balmain.

When he was 24 he joined the Railways Department and within a few brief years became a foreman. His passion for equality and fairness for all men saw him rise to a position of authority and as the spokesmen for his fellow co-workers. He was the key activist in the iron trade strike of 1882 that sought to obtain a better wage for all employees. Hoyle took a hard-line stance as he believed that his co-workers had earnt and deserved a significantly better salary. Even when the employer offered packages to senior staff to get them to cease strike action, Hoyle refused the offer. This strike lead to him founding and becoming the inaugural president of the Eight-Hours Conference. In 1885 Hoyle founded and became the inaugural president of the Railway and Tramway Association.

In 1877, shortly after he joined the railways, Hoyle married Maria Dillion and soon after, they moved into their first home in Surry Hills. They had 7 children born between 1878 and 1895 – Mary, Clement, Myra, Ida, Gladys, Leo and Clifford.

In 1890, the Railway Commissioners issued Hoyle an ultimatum: to surrender his role as President of the Eight-Hours Union or be relieved of his duties as President of the Railway and Tramway Association. Hoyle was given 24 hours to do as requested, but he refused and was subsequently sacked. He quickly set up his own real estate auctioneering business in Darling Harbour.

A year later he joined the NSW Legislative assembly, as a member of the Protectionist Party. The Protectionists ran mostly economic and trade policies that used trade restrictions and tariffs on imported goods between the states, mostly Victoria and New South Wales, to try and create fair competition. Australia’s first and second Prime Ministers, Sir Edmund Barton and Alfred Deakin, were both members of the Protectionist Party.

Hoyle remained with the Protectionists until losing his seat at the 1894 election. He then began writing for the Freemans Journal, an Irish Catholic publication.

During 1907, there was a growing discontent within Rugby Union player ranks in Australia, leading to a semi-revolt which saw some players keen to create their own competition based on the Northern Union game being played in England. Test Cricketer Henry Hoyle, entrepreneur James Giltinan and Hoyle regularly met for discussions with some disgruntled players at Trumper's sports store. These talks inevitably lead to a mass player revolt by the players, who took an enormous risk to create a breakaway competition.

On August 8, 1907 at Bateman’s Crystal Hotel, Hoyle was elected as the inaugural president of the NSWRL, alongside James Giltinan (secretary) and Victor Trumper (treasurer). The trio helped finance the birth of Rugby League in Australia.

A week after the NSWRL was formed, Hoyle, Trumper and Giltinan hastily organised 3 matches between the New Zealand team en-route to England, known as the All Golds, and the best of the players in NSW who had decided to jump codes. The NSW team lost all three games in close contests, which were played in the space of a week. These three matches though served as a great promotion for the new game.

Hoyle made two hurried trips to Newcastle just weeks before the scheduled start of the inaugural 1908 season, upon learning that a Mr Chambers of Newcastle was interested in having a team compete in the Rugby League. Giltinan urged Hoyle to get Newcastle in the competition so as to avoid having byes, as they only had 7 teams ready for kick off at the time (Balmain, Easts, Glebe, Newtown, Norths, Souths and Wests). Hoyle persuaded the Newcastle men to join the competition by revealing there would be a team of players representing Australia to be sent to tour England by seasons end. Newcastle quickly joined the Rugby League soon after.

Hoyle then chaired a meeting where the committee and players had to decide whether to play Rugby Union rules, or whether to adopt the Northern Union rules. A vigorous debate was had culminating in Hoyle having to cast the deciding vote, which he made in favour of the Northern Union rules.

And Rugby League was born.

At the end of the 1908 season, the NSWRL had a debt of £500. A Kangaroo tour to England was proposed to make enough money to make a profit after the debt had been cleared. The tour was bankrolled by Giltinan and Arthur Rofe (who provided £2000). Shortly after the tour begun, it was cruelled by abysmal weather and workers strikes in Northern England. This affected gate takings and meant by tours end, Giltinan had run at a loss, the NSWRL debt remained outstanding and the Northern Union in England had to pay for return tickets for many of the Australian players. Giltinan managed to repay Rofe £1545, but was eventually taken to court by Rofe who sought to recoup the remaining £455. A protracted case dragged on throughout 1914, which eventually ruled Giltinan had to repay the monies. The decision eventually led to Giltinan declaring bankruptcy.

On March 5 1909, Hoyle was initially re-elected as NSWRL President before angrily resigning just ten days later over allegations of mismanagement and vote -rigging. On the same day, Trumper was sacked along with Giltinan, who was en-route to Australia after the Kangaroo tour amid allegations made by club board members surrounding a secret bank account that was set up by Trumper, Giltinan and Hoyle. The Bulletin newspaper explained that sums of money were banked into a trust account to help pay marquee players and to generate further interest in the game “by secret but not dishonourable means.” Hoyle, Giltinan and Trumper were really only guilty of poor bookkeeping.

Hoyle returned to politics in 1910, joining the Labor party to pick up a surprising win for the seat of Surry Hills over the very popular Sir James Graham. He won the seat for a second term in 1913, becoming the Member for Railways and Mines. It wasn’t long before he climbed the ranks to become a senior minister and assistant treasurer. He was involved in a lot of key policies, the most prominent at the time was the prevention of smoking in train carriages occupied by children.

Hoyle had also seemingly been forgiven by the NSWRL and returned to become president of South Sydney in 1913.

The breakout of war led to many heated discussions in parliament about conscription. Hoyle’s leader and Prime Minister Billy Hughes was adamant that conscription should be enforced, a stance that Hoyle sided with, as did the NSWRL Secretary and Labor politician at the time Edward Larkin, but he was defeated in two referendums.

In 1916, Hoyle’s youngest son Clifford joined the Australian Imperial Forces. On his first day of battle he lost a finger in battle. A few months later Cliff was sent back home after he was found guilty of absenteeism, when he left camp for ten days.

In 1917 Henry Hoyle resigned from the Labor party, returning to Vaucluse and reviving his auctioneering business, which he ran up until his death on July 20, 1926.

His funeral was attended by a large gathering of politicians and former colleagues. One notable omission though was Giltinan.

Horrie Miller was the only attendee to represent Rugby League.

Hoyle died as a life member of the NSWRL, a trustee of Taronga Park Zoo, a pioneer in the Unions, the Labor party and Rugby League.

****This article appeared in the Men Of League magazine****

The First Maori League Tourists (2012)

Albert ‘Opai’ Asher was undoubtedly a supremely gifted athlete whose ability on the field was only surpassed by his dedication to further enhancing Rugby League in its infant years so that it could be more widely enjoyed, appreciated and accepted for future generations.

This passion wasn’t limited just to his local area either. Asher was one of those few legends of the game who put the benefit of the game and its future well before any personal on-field glory he could hope to achieve.

Albert’s ability as a player was so great, that at just 13, he was reported to have made his first grade Rugby Union debut for Tauranga against Auckland. At just 17 years old, Asher relocated to Auckland and in 1898; he made his first grade debut for Auckland as possibly the most experienced 18 year old athlete at the time.

In 1903, he was selected on the All-Blacks team that toured Australia. In 9 of the 10 games he played, Asher scored 17 tries, including the first try in the first test in Sydney, which New Zealand won 22-3.

In 1904 Asher’s career was stopped when he fell from a ladder while working as a fire fighter in Auckland. The extent of the injuries he sustained, mostly to his knee were debilitating enough to keep him from playing any sport until late in 1907.

The Injury kept from a certain place on the 1905-06 All-Blacks tour of England as well as the 1907-08 All Golds tour of England and Australia, but it wasn’t enough to keep him from playing, despite doctor’s fears that he would never play again.

In 1908 Asher became most well-known for the controversy-laden Maori Rugby League tour to Australia.

For many years it was rumoured that the Maori side arrived at Sydney expecting to play Rugby Union, but an impromptu team meeting as they disembarked their ship saw them change their minds and opt to play the new Rugby League instead.

This was later found to be false, as it was reported in local New Zealand newspapers in March that Asher had personally compiled a team that would travel to Australia, after receiving an invitation from the New South Wales Professional League.

This was supported by a report in the Sydney Morning Herald on March 14 which stated:

“It was stated that the New Zealanders would play five or six matches in Sydney and that there would be a Maori team as well…”

The Maori team set sail for Sydney aboard the Moana on May 25, 1908, with a squad of 26 players as well as 4 Maori chiefs. They were accompanied by Tom O’Farrell (a prominent Sydney referee at the time) who was elected as team secretary, with Albert Asher the leader of the touring party.

The Maori side were going to thrill, excite and amaze the crowds, not just with their on-field performances and the return of Asher, but also with war dances, Maori music, art and dances. Through this, the Maori players were confident that the tour would be a success, on the field and financially.

Sydney man, Robert McKethney Jack allegedly had been in correspondence with Asher regarding the organisation of games, venues and other events on the tour as early as October 1907. He sought 5% of the Maori gate takings from each match as payment for his services.

Asher though explained that while negotiations with Jack had been undertaken, no agreement had been settled upon when the terms of payment to Jack for his services couldn’t be agreed upon. Asher then decided to take up the organisation of the tour with the New South Wales Rugby League.

The Maori team arrived in Sydney on May 29, 1908, greeted at the Sydney docks by James Giltinan and Henry Hoyle. From there they were taken to St. James’ Hall for their official welcoming ceremony.

Having played little to no Rugby League at all, the NSWRL appointed George Boss, another Sydney referee, to help teach the Maori players about the new game.

The Maori tour started off in high spirits and great sportsmanship, athleticism and crowds. It was this great fanfare and attraction that would go on to be a great concern for the tourists. The first game on June 8 against New South Wales at the Agricultural Ground drew an estimated crowd of 30,000. The masses flocked so quickly that NSWRL president Henry Hoyle authorised the opening of another gate into the stadium. He however forgot to notify the Maori team management about the extra gate being open, thus they were unaware of the extra gate takings made on the day.

Hoyle stated that a gentlemen with whom he had the utmost confidence in, was looking after the takings on the newly opened gate. The Maori team though never saw any of the takings from it. They later went to inspect the counter on the extra gate to try and ascertain how much recompense they were entitled to, only to find that the counter had been removed.

The Maori team officials made it clear that they felt they had been cheated out of monies that they rightfully deserved, which angered Hoyle and NSWRL Secretary James Giltinan.

That first massive crowd also brought in another man intent on making money out of the tourists. The gate takings were so large for a first game, that Mr Jack felt compelled to try and claim monies which the Maori side believed he wasn’t entitled to.

After the second game drew a crowd of 20,000, the Maori squad believed that they could continue attracting large crowds if they could improve their on-field performances. This coincided with Asher announcing post-match that George Boss had been appointed as the team’s business manager, while still acting as coach. Boss accepted the position and immediately resigned as a member of the NSWRL Referees association.

During the third tour game, played against Sydney Metropolis, it was reported that Giltinan left the grandstand where he was spectating the game to argue with the referee about alleged foul play by the Maori players. It would not be the last of the hostile relationship between the two parties on the tour.

Newcastle was the Maori sides fourth opponent. Prior to the match, Asher told the NSWRL that he had chosen Aubrey Welch to be the referee. Giltinan overturned Asher’s decision, informing him that he must choose a referee from a panel of four officials whom he had personally chosen, which did not include Welch. Asher though refused to back down from his decision. Welch travelled from Sydney to Newcastle with the Maori team and with no time left to organise a replacement referee, Giltinan agreed to let Welch officiate, however he forced the Maori team to pay his wage for the game.

As the Maori players travelled north of the border, Mr Jack took their team management to the equity court to try and gain monies he felt he was owed from gate receipts. On the day of the Maori game against Toowoomba, Jack had successfully got an injunction against 18 Maori players, preventing them from receiving any money from the New South Wales Rugby League. The NSWRL assumed that this meant that the tourists were not to receive any monies from them for the entire tour until the case had been settled, contacted the Queensland Rugby Association and informed them of the matter.

Asher was made aware of this issue before departing Newcastle, so he decided to leave 10 players and the three entertainers in Sydney to save on travel costs. After the first game against Queensland, Giltinan was informed that there was no Maori people providing any pre-match entertainment or performing in any concerts after games. So he rounded up the remaining 13 Maori players and entertainers in Sydney and sent them to Brisbane. He then forwarded the bill for the travel to the Maori team management (who were now not receiving any monies due to the equity case against them).

The second game against Queensland drew the ire of locals when they learnt that the referee was none other than George Boss, the newly appointed Maori business manager. The tourists won the game 13-5.

By the start of the third game against Queensland, just eight days later, the Maori players had become very angry with the Queensland Rugby Association for not giving them their share of the gate receipts. This was the first time the off-field dramas started to show on-field. Prior to halftime, Asher had become frustrated with referee O’Connor’s handling of the game that he ordered his team off the field. They were eventually convinced to return to the field. Former New Zealand and Australian Rugby Union forward scored a try in the dying minutes for Queensland to give them a 6-5 victory.

The third game against Queensland was played at Warwick and was the scene of more intrigue when the tourists started the game with just 11 players (and finished with just 10 men on the field).

The game against Queensland at Toowoomba became a violent and wild affair. Asher was so angered by the refereeing, crowd and the opponent’s tactics (and most likely the issue with Jack) that during the second half he ordered his team off the field after the disgruntled crowd spilled onto the ground in an attempt to attack the tourists.

The Maori tour headed back to Sydney as it drew to its close in mid-July. They beat a Newcastle team in Maitland before putting in a splendid display against the Australian team (which was essentially New South Wales with the additions of William Hardcastle and Ernest Anlezark) but went down 20-10.

The Maori then played against Metropolis once more and trailed 13-0 at half time, but they put in possibly their best performance of the tour in the second half, scoring 34 unanswered points. These last two sterling performances saw the NSWRL hastily organise a second match against Australia before the final game against New South Wales. Negotiations were also underway to play a final game in Melbourne.

On the morning of the second game against Australia, Asher informed the NSWRL that they would not play because the League was withholding money due to players whom there was no legal injunction against. Asher had sought legal advice which confirmed that the NSWRL had broken its agreement with the Maori team management.

George Boss stated to the media the next day:

“The Maoris this morning decided unanimously to abandon the tour under the auspices of the League and an expression of interest led to the motion that a new team be formed to be styled the New Zealand Native Team, which will include several of the New Zealand natives residing in Sydney. It is thought that one or two matches could be arranged here and in New Zealand. At the present time it cannot be said whom we will play but we don’t anticipate any trouble in securing a ground or a team to play against us.”

The Maori team management put forward a proposal to play a 15-a-side game; however Hoyle, Giltinan and the Rugby Union opposed the idea, threating life suspensions to any players who took part in the fixtures against the New Zealand Native Team.

An almost shambolic match between the New Zealand Natives and the Sydney Metropolis game was organised, however the Metropolis team contained a number of Maori players loaned to them by the tourists, one player wasn’t even wearing shoes. Even the programs had different players named for Metropolis than those than took the field. The Maori side were resounding winners.

It was shortly after this game that Giltinan set sail with the first Kangaroos squad to tour England and Horrie Miller was appointed NSWRL Secretary. Miller immediately paid the fares home for the Maori team, much to the delight of the visitors.

In 1909, the Maori team returned to Australia and Asher returned to the courts to put an end to the legal wrangle with Robert Jack. Prior to their fourth game against Australia, Jack claimed that he was still owed £213 and issued a court order against Asher until the monies were paid.

The local constabulary arrested Asher. When the NSWRL heard of the ordeal they immediately settled the Maori team's debt with Jack (as well as an additional £121 owed to a Mr Marshall) so that Asher could be released in time to get to the game that afternoon.

Ironically, Giltinan, Hoyle and Victor Trumper (who was pivotal in the creation of the NSWRL) were all sacked after the massive financial disaster that befell the Kangaroo’s touring side to England in 1908-09, as well as allegations that Giltinan and Trumper had secret bank accounts containing monies belonging to the NSWRL (which was later found to be false). The Kangaroo’s return home was financed by the Northern Union.

Upon their return home after the 1908 tour, the Maori team wrote a letter to Horrie Miller, then acting Secretary of the NSWRL:

“We wish to convey to you our thanks and appreciation for your kindness to our chiefs and boys during their recent visit to Australia. We are specifically pleased at your assisting them home before the completion of their time, and bringing them away from possible trouble. They speak highly of the treatment received from you and your league; in fact, from the people of Australia. We are sorry to learn from our chiefs and boys that some of their party did not observe our good counsels.”

Maori 1908 tour to Australia

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Score
8/06/1908	NSW	Sydney	Lost	9-18
15/06/1908	NSW	Sydney	Lost	16-30
17/06/1908	Metropolis	Sydney	Won	23-20
20/06/1908	Newcastle	Newcastle	Won	15-2
27/06/1908	Queensland	Brisbane	Won	19-16
1/07/1908	Queensland	Brisbane	Won	13-5
4/07/1908	Queensland	Brisbane	Lost	5-6
6/07/1908	Queensland	Warwick	Lost	9-11
8/07/1908	Queensland	Toowoomba	Lost	14-23
11/07/1908	Newcastle	Newcastle	Won	30-16
18/07/1908	Australia	Sydney	Lost	10-20
22/07/1908	Metropolis	Sydney	Won	34-13

*Games against Australia and NSW to be played after the last tour game listed above were cancelled. A third game to be played at Melbourne was being organised but was cancelled due to the strike by the Maori team. An exhibition game against Metropolis played at the Sports Ground was won 32-17 by the Maori. This match was played under Union rules in the first half and League rules in the second half. It was also the last game of the tour (not listed above as it was an exhibition game).

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Sources: Sydney Morning Herald, Courier Mail, 100 Years Maori Rugby League 1908-2008 by John Coffey and Bernie Wood