Rugby League Heroes

Discuss all things Wigan Warriors. Comments and opinions on all aspects of the club's performance are welcome.
Post Reply
josie andrews
Posts: 35573
Joined: Sun Jun 10, 2007 10:17 pm
Location: Wigan
Contact:

Rugby League Heroes

Post by josie andrews »

Colin Tyrer played almost 250 games for Wigan from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, having already made his mark at Leigh. He is perhaps best remembered for an incident at Wembley in 1970 when a late, high tackle from Castleford’s Keith Hepworth broke his jaw, and without him, Wigan went on to lose. He also played for Barrow and Hull Kingston Rovers before becoming assistant coach at Widnes.

If you could relive one day from your career, which would it be?

Probably the 1970 Challenge Cup semi-final when Wigan beat Hull Kingston Rovers at Headingley. It was a great feeling, knowing we’d got to Wembley, because a lot of great players never make it. Ray Ashby told me if I signed for Wigan, I’d play at Wembley, and he was right.

You played for Astley & Tyldesley Collieries. Were you a miner?

No, I was only 17 when I signed for Leigh. I played open-age for Astley & Tyldesley. A few ex-pros played there and they were really good. I learned a lot from them. Dicky Massey was one ex-pro and it was great to play alongside him.

When did you realise you could pursue it professionally?

I didn’t really think about it like that. I played at school and really enjoyed it. I actually played alongside the famous singer Georgie Fame at school. His name was Clive Powell then. He was captain of the team, but we knew he was a talented singer too, and he went on to have a couple of number ones. I also played with Frankie Parr, who was a great scrum-half for Wigan. He played in the 1965 Wembley final. As for me, I’d played a lot of stand-off when I was younger, and I always kicked goals. I played for the Great Britain Under-19s in Carcassonne. I had a trial at Wigan and played a couple of ‘A’ Team games, but they weren’t interested, and Leigh came in for me.

You made your Leythers debut against Swinton on 18 August 1962. Were you nervous? And what were the highlights of your time there?

I wasn’t nervous. I never was. I just enjoyed the occasion. I was very happy at Leigh. We won the Lancashire Cup Final with Bev Risman at fullback. I was on the wing. Bev was a big signing from rugby union. The best game was beating Wigan [18-9] at Hilton Park, and I scored all our points. I think that’s when Wigan decided they wanted me.

Why did you leave Leigh?

Alex Murphy came to Leigh. He was just coach at first because of his contract situation with St Helens. Eventually he got permission to play, and he was our player-coach. Anyway, one day we conceded a try just before half-time. Murph was fuming, screaming his head off. “Who missed him?” he shouted in the dressing room. Well I was fullback, so I was one of the players who had missed him, and I owned up. He went mad. I thought he was going to have a heart attack. I took my boots off, threw them across the dressing-room at him and said that’s my last game here. I signed for Wigan on the Wednesday. He thought it was a set up, but I hadn’t spoken to Wigan before that.

You signed for Wigan as Ray Ashby’s replacement. How did he take that?

Ray was brilliant. He’d played for Liverpool City and when Wigan took him in, he was made up to be there. He played at Wembley with them and was man of the match. He was so grateful for those opportunities and when I signed, he couldn’t have been nicer to me.

You scored a try and three goals on your Wigan debut at Rochdale on 3 March 1967.

I don’t remember the game, but I did settle in nicely at Wigan. Eric Ashton was the player-coach, and he was great with me.
I played in a couple of ‘A’ Team games with Eric and all I can say is I wish I’d played with him at his peak. I broke the try-scoring record for a fullback two seasons in a row, and I received most of the try-scoring passes from him. I scored after two minutes in one game, and he said, “You’ll get six tonight.” I scored four, so he wasn’t far off. Billy Boston was still playing, and he was magnificent too. But they were coming to the end of the careers, and I just wish I’d signed there as a 17-year-old.

You were playing when limited tackles was introduced in 1966. How did it affect you?

You had to keep your wits about you, but you soon learned to adapt. The game became more interesting because one team couldn’t just keep the ball for ages. It could be boring, so I think limited tackles is the best thing to have happened to the game. Eric told me once about the great prop Brian McTigue. He scored a try in the first minute of a match, rubbed his hands and said, “That’s it now!” because once a team took the lead, they could just keep the ball and win the game. McTigue used to hold up the ball, which he called the pill, and tell the players, “This is the boss. The pill is the boss.” He knew the importance of keeping hold of it.

Wigan won the 1968-69 BBC 2 Floodlit Trophy with a 7-4 win over Saints.

That was at Saints, I think. The Floodlit competition was exciting, and it gave us a rare chance to be on TV. Night games were great as well.

What do you remember of the build-up to the infamous Challenge Cup Final of 1970?

We were still over the moon to be at Wembley. At the press conference the day before, the media warned me to be careful about Castleford targeting me because they had played Salford the year before and had tried to do the same in that game.

What are your recollections of the Keith Hepworth incident and the rest of your day?

It was well into the game. It happened after 18 minutes. I brought the ball up and Hepworth hit me high and late after I’d passed it. I was disappointed with the referee. He was from Yorkshire and so were Castleford. Maybe not sending Hepworth off was down to it being the big Wembley final, but it was still a terrible decision. My jaw was broken and I was concussed. I came back to the hotel in agony. I went to Wigan hospital, where they stitched my teeth and jaw together. My food had to be mashed up for two months. My front tooth was missing and that turned out to be a good thing because they would have had to remove it to get a straw into my mouth.

Did Hepworth apologise?

No, never. I cracked him a couple of times and even got sent off once by Billy Thompson. I couldn’t believe it! “You can’t send me off for that. It’s not like I broke his jaw!” Billy was apologetic about it and said it was down to the touch judge.

Alan Hardisty told me the Wigan forwards had also targeted the Castleford fullback.

I don’t think that happened. It was certainly never a tactic.

Did the incident affect your confidence?

No, I came back the same player.

What do you remember of the 1971 Championship Final defeat to Saints, who scored two late tries to win?

I don’t remember that at all.

You were sometimes criticised for taking a long time to line up a kick at goal.

I just did what I always did! Eric Clay once said to me, “Come on! Hurry up!” He even threatened to penalise me, but I knew he couldn’t do that. Imagine a ref hurrying up a footballer taking a penalty!

Why did you leave Wigan?

I’d done six years and wasn’t going to get a testimonial, so the only other way to make money was to move.

I went to Barrow. John Cunningham was at Barrow, and we won the second division when I was there. I knew they wouldn’t be at first-division standard, so I said I was retiring. And I did. Then Colin Hutton rang a few months later to ask me to play for Hull KR, and I made my debut on Boxing Day. John Cunningham had also gone there. Colin was a lovely fella and he treated me brilliantly. I retired as a player in 1978, and two years later they won the Challenge Cup at Wembley. It was a shame to miss that, but I was 36 by then.

You played with Roger Millward at Rovers. Was he better than Murphy?

Roger Millward was a brilliant player. There wasn’t much of him, but by god he could play. But no one was better than Murphy.

Tell us about your coaching career.

I went to Widnes as assistant to Doug Laughton. We beat Hull KR at Wembley in 1981. That was when Andy Gregory needed some dental treatment in the morning, and he went on to have a blinder. Then we had the replay in 1982 after Mick Adams had scored the try off the crossbar to win the semi-final against Leeds. Doug then finished, and I took over for six matches with Harry Dawson at the end of the 1982-83 season, and we won them all. I stayed on as assistant when Doug came back and the team we had in the late 1980s with Martin Offiah, Alan Tait, Jonathan Davies and Phil McKenzie is one of the greatest teams I’ve ever seen. Doug went to Leeds and wanted me to go with him, but I didn’t fancy the travelling.

My sons Sean and Christian were starting to come through in the professional game – Sean with Wigan and Christian at Widnes. I decided to leave Widnes then because I didn’t think it appropriate to be coaching there when he was playing.

My grandsons now play the game. Three are at Wigan – Keiron and Josh who are Sean’s sons, and Joseph who is Christian’s son – and I’d love to know if Wigan have had three generations play for them before. John, David and Darryl Kay did it at Leigh, but I don’t know about Wigan. It would be great to see them go on to have professional careers.

Next week’s Rugby League Heroes will feature Colin’s sons, Sean and Christian.

https://www.totalrl.com/rugby-league-he ... lin-tyrer/
Anyone can support a team when it is winning, that takes no courage.
But to stand behind a team, to defend a team when it is down and really needs you,
that takes a lot of courage. #18thMan
Stanfax
Posts: 115
Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2020 8:42 pm

Re: Rugby League Heroes

Post by Stanfax »

May be apocryphal, but before you had to nominate that you were going to kick at goal from a penalty, is it true that the opposition turned their back on Tyrer in disgust because he took so long, and he picked up the ball and scored a try instead?
And am I right in thinking that he eventually caught up with Hepworth and dealt out his retribution when Hepworth was at Leeds?
Charriots Offiah
Posts: 4127
Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2020 1:14 pm

Re: Rugby League Heroes

Post by Charriots Offiah »

Stanfax wrote: Thu Aug 18, 2022 11:58 pm May be apocryphal, but before you had to nominate that you were going to kick at goal from a penalty, is it true that the opposition turned their back on Tyrer in disgust because he took so long, and he picked up the ball and scored a try instead?
And am I right in thinking that he eventually caught up with Hepworth and dealt out his retribution when Hepworth was at Leeds?
It is true, I watched that match. I think you had to indicate if you were going to kick for goal but the referee didn’t get that far, the opposition assumed that Colin would kick for goal. If memory serves me right, Hepworth very rarely played against Wigan after the CCF incident.
The Yonner
Posts: 104
Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2011 10:02 pm

Re: Rugby League Heroes

Post by The Yonner »

A very interesting interview.

Historians tend to emphasise his goalkicking, but he really was a potent attacking force.

I remember in the 1970-1 season Wigan had two super fast wingers Keri Jones and Stuart Wright, but he had the edge on both of them - over 30 yards anyway.

Not surprising he sidestepped the question about the Championship final - he was unfairly blamed for playing when clearly injured, but that was a considered gamble by the coach.

The only time he disappointed was really the challenge cup tie at Bradford in 1973 when he missed a crucial kick from right in front. He was out of favour after that and retired for short time before coming back.

His goalkicking style was hilarious. The opposition fans booing him, and Wigan fans grumbling as well. I wonder what rugby union crowds would have made of him!
morley pie eater
Posts: 3219
Joined: Tue May 02, 2006 2:01 pm

Re: Rugby League Heroes

Post by morley pie eater »

And the cry went up from Wigan fans. . . ."Take your time, Colin!"
. . . . . . ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Euclid
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Jun 14, 2022 4:02 pm

Re: Rugby League Heroes

Post by Euclid »

Watched Colin Tyrer as a kid, he was part of the new wave of players replacing the Ashton/Boston/McTigue generation. He was a really good attacking full back, very much in the modern mould. He won Wigan many a game with his excellent goal kicking.

The time he took over kicks wound up a lot of people, including Wigan fans.

I felt he was never properly appreciated by Wigan fans (actually there’s often been one or two players some of the fans take a dislike to, there seems to be one of those at the moment).

I feel he was unlucky in the time he was playing, I think he would have been better suited to the modern era.

Overall an excellent servant to the Wigan club. I’d like to thank him for his efforts and wish him well.
moto748
Posts: 4583
Joined: Fri Dec 26, 2014 5:30 pm

Re: Rugby League Heroes

Post by moto748 »

Colin Tyrer wrote: Thu Aug 18, 2022 6:05 pm

My jaw was broken and I was concussed. I came back to the hotel in agony. I went to Wigan hospital, where they stitched my teeth and jaw together. My food had to be mashed up for two months. My front tooth was missing and that turned out to be a good thing because they would have had to remove it to get a straw into my mouth.
When we romanticise about "the good old days"...

We wouldn't want to go back to that kind of brutality. Horrific injury.
moto748
Posts: 4583
Joined: Fri Dec 26, 2014 5:30 pm

Re: Rugby League Heroes

Post by moto748 »

On three generations at Wigan, aren't the Marshalls one? I know his Dad played for Wigan, didn't his grandad too, or am I thinking of someone else?
josie andrews
Posts: 35573
Joined: Sun Jun 10, 2007 10:17 pm
Location: Wigan
Contact:

Re: Rugby League Heroes

Post by josie andrews »

Rugby League Heroes: Sean & Christian Tyrer

What’s it like to be the son of a legend? Last week, Colin Tyrer told us about his great career with Leigh, Wigan, Barrow and Hull KR. This week, his sons Sean and Christian recall their time in the professional game.

If you could relive one day from your careers, which would it be?

ST: The Lancashire Cup semi-final when I played for Wigan as an 18-year-old, and we beat Widnes. We had several players missing, and we weren’t expected to win. It was a try apiece, but I kicked five goals to Andy Currier’s three. It was a Wednesday night, and it was likened in the press to the Wigan v Manly game from a year earlier because of the crowd. My dad was assistant coach at Widnes and Christian was a big Widnes fan, as I had been. We had a bit of banter before, and no one gave anything away tactics-wise, but I couldn’t wait to get one over on dad! I think he was quite proud afterwards.

CT: My choice would be Widnes against Wigan in the quarter-final of the Regal Trophy in 1995. It was a great game. We weren’t in the top league at the time, and it was a Wigan team full of stars. We were quietly confident because we’d played well that year. We had a good pack, we had the Hulme brothers, and we had the wily old fox in Shane Cooper. I had a drop-goal that hit the post, which would have won us the game, but it went to extra-time, and they beat us. It was live on Grandstand, and they replayed the game a week later because whatever they were supposed to be showing had been called off.

How much of an influence was your dad on your playing careers?

CT: Massive. He was never a pushy parent. He never forced us to get involved. He was quite modern in his thinking. He didn’t go through our games and tell us what he thought. He’d ask us what we thought and would offer a few points of advice.

ST: I’ve coached at Leigh Miners and parents rant and rave at their kids, but dad wasn’t like that. If I had a good game, he said, “You did well there.” That was it. If I’d played badly, he’d say we need to work on this or that. I do that with my kids.

How did you come to sign for Wigan, Sean?

ST: I knew Wigan were interested when I was at Leigh Miners. We got to the BARLA Under-18’s National Cup Final against Egremont at Central Park. I had a cracker. I scored a hat-trick and six goals. Wigan made me an offer on the Monday. I just wanted to grab the pen, but dad said, “He’s not signing for that.” I couldn’t believe it. We walked away and he said, “Don’t worry, they want you, and they’ll be back for you.” Sure enough, that’s what happened.

CT: I went with Sean and dad when he signed for Wigan, and I even remember what he was wearing. I watched him at Leigh Miners when he played with Denis Betts and Ian Gildart. Nearly every player in that time signed pro. I’ve never told him this, but I used to really look up to Sean. When I watched his games, all I wanted to do was get on the field and play, but I was too young.

What was it like playing and training with all those legends?

ST: I’d only played four ‘A’ team games and I was shocked to hear I was going to make my debut. Wigan were playing Leigh in the ‘A’ team one Friday. I got a call to say I wasn’t playing and to go training with the first team on Saturday morning. My debut was against Bradford on the Sunday, and I remember Dean Bell throwing up before the game. Even he was suffering with nerves! I got a chance 20 yards out and knew I could make it, but I tipped it on to Dean and he scored.

All the players were great. I was at a heritage do the other week and it was great to see them all. I knew Andy Gregory and Joe Lydon from being with my dad at Widnes. Shaun Edwards came up to me recently to say hello. I hadn’t seen him for years. I didn’t think he’d remember me, but he told me he did because I helped him win the Lancashire Cup in 1988.

CT: It was similar for me going into a Widnes team full of stars. Tony Myler was a legend, my hero. He was dogged with injuries, but he could play. It was unreal to have not just him but the Hulme brothers as well. They were so competitive on the field and in training. They were proud Widnes lads. Emosi Koloto was so underrated, but he was a giant. He’d send me to the halfway line in training. He’d stand on the dead-ball line and could hit me with a one-handed underarm 50-metre pass, which would hit me with some force. I played one game with Martin Offiah, but it was in the ‘A’ team. Nobody can tell me he isn’t the best winger the game has ever seen.

Why did you leave Wigan, Sean?

ST: I got offered another contract, but I decided to leave as I’d have more chances elsewhere. Warrington, Salford, Oldham, Rochdale and Leigh all came in for me, and I was impressed with Oldham. I’d grown up with Tommy Martyn from the age of three. We played rugby in the street, and we were at Leigh Miners together. We didn’t even have to talk; we just gave each other a look and then something would happen like a chip over the top or a dummy. I remember Barrie McDermott coming on as a sub at half-time one day. We had two injuries so were down to just 13 players. I said, “Barrie just settle down. Don’t do anything stupid.” Anyway, we kicked off and on the first tackle, he ran in, took someone’s head off and got sent off!

Why did you leave the Roughyeds in 1993 just as they won promotion?

ST: I got offered another contract, but considering they’d got promoted, the money was poor. Peter Tunks was the coach, and he went through so many players. We called him Noel Edmonds because of Swap Shop. He was always swapping players. If someone didn’t turn up to training, we’d ask each other if he was injured or if he’d been swapped.

Kurt Sorensen phoned my dad because he’d just taken the coaching job at Whitehaven. It was good money, too good to turn down. He had a driver who would take us up, but he quit after a month and muggins here had to do it! We played Wigan in the Regal Trophy and lost 22-8, but we pushed them all the way and they scored a couple of late tries. We had some good players like Clayton Friend, David Seeds and Reg Dunn.

Why was Whitehaven the end of your career?

ST: The club phoned to say they couldn’t afford to pay me any more because they weren’t going to make the top eight play-offs, and that I shouldn’t bother to come down anymore. I said they should make me a free agent, but they seemed hesitant. They called again to say they had terminated my contract because I’d refused to play. That was rubbish. I got the RFL onto it. It should have taken a couple of months to sort, but it took seven years. Seven years! I couldn’t play for anyone else, even in the amateur game. I’d only signed a 12-month contract, but Whitehaven still held my registration. I was 24 or 25 when it started. By the time it was sorted, I was 31. I went training with Rochdale when I could play again, but I realised I’d lost too much time. It wasn’t worth getting injured and it messing up my work. I took Whitehaven and the RFL to court, and both settled out of court with me.

You made your Widnes debut in 1993 against Saints, Christian, and scored your first try against the New Zealand tourists. What do you remember?

CT: I was on the bench against Saints. It was a tight game, a typical local derby. I came on as a scrum-half. I picked the ball up from a scrum and wanted to run it. I broke the first tackle and managed to get an offload in. It went wide to Darren Wright, and he scored. I was buzzing. That was my first touch, having been a fan for years. We could have beaten New Zealand. Rodney Howe played for us that day. Dave Ruane made a half break, and I supported him on the inside and went under the posts.

How did you feel when Widnes were excluded from Super League?

CT: I can’t remember much about my career, but I know I was in the physio’s room when we found out. It was sad. Jim Mills announced over the tannoy that he’d just come off the phone from Maurice Lindsay and that Widnes were definitely in. And then it didn’t happen.

You joined Bath shortly after they had played the cross-code matches against Wigan in 1996. What did the players think of those matches? What was their attitude to Rugby League?

CT: They loved Rugby League, but everyone in League talks union down – “kick and clap” and all that. When I went down there, I expected some snobbery, but it was the complete opposite. They played very intense tick and pass which was very Rugby League orientated. They watched League and tried to take stuff into training. They knew going into the cross-code games they would each win their own game, but they wanted to be expansive in the union game. They could have been very technical without Wigan touching the ball but, to their credit, they threw the ball about, so they knew Wigan would get chances too. There was no ill-feeling towards Rugby League, and they had a very positive attitude towards it.

Why did you sign for Keighley in 1998?

CT: Salford and I reached an agreement, but it felt through. Warrington wanted me but only on a trial basis at first, which didn’t interest me. Lee Hansen was at Keighley and told me Lee Crooks wanted to speak to me. They weren’t in Super League, but I was very impressed by them. I signed a decent deal. Lee was building what seemed like a good side. It didn’t work out for Lee in the end, but I did enjoy my time there. They’re doing well again now and all credit to them.

What do you remember about your dad’s career?

ST: I couldn’t pick any games out, but I remember going to Barrow to watch him. Rugby League was our life and I wanted to go to training and games all the time. I ended up being a ball boy at Hull KR when he played with Roger Millward and Clive Sullivan.

CT: I have vague memories of being taken to Hull KR when he was finishing off, but I was too young to remember any specifics. I knew he played rugby, but he didn’t talk about it much. Then he went into coaching. We were watching Sky one day, and it had him on a list of all-time scorers at Wigan. It was a shock to see him there because I hadn’t realised he’d had a career like that.

https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fw ... n-tyrer%2F
Anyone can support a team when it is winning, that takes no courage.
But to stand behind a team, to defend a team when it is down and really needs you,
that takes a lot of courage. #18thMan
Post Reply