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Tales from the wise old badger
This weekend will find the attention of the Universal Church focused on the first edition of the battle of clerical orders between the two premier Catholic boy schools in Sydney. This is where the similarities stop. Both institutions were founded on completely different theological principles and both have different doctrines in the manner they work in society. It comes down to this. In the 1970’s one was exclusively for the wealthy, educated Catholics of Sydney’s lower north shore. The other one is the for the bush lads, PNG boys and a small smattering of city youngsters. Throughout the years stellar athletes like the legendary Jim MCann from Joeys and the incredible Jim Lenehan from View being just two instances of some of the standout athletes over the past century these two rugby nurseries have produced.
But what happens when one school superstar “defects” to other side?
It has happened.
In 1980 St. Ignatius celebrated their centenary. It was a glorious year for the wolves of Lane Cove. That year View dominated the rugby, basketball and senior athletics. (Any others please let me know) The outstanding star of both rugby, basketball and the track was the lightning quick and very talented Denis Facer. An outstanding finisher on the wing he single-handed won the 1980 rugby title with his blinding acceleration and swerve. Best example of his talent was in the game against Joeys. Denis was marked by the Brian Sullivan, a great athlete in his own right who never got the recognition he deserved. In this game he twice beat Sullivan on the outside and made him look sluggish. (Sullivan was runner up to Facer in 100m later that year). The swamp that day was packed with spectators taking in every vantage spot. Plus, it was wet, perfect conditions for the mud monsters. Facer was incredible and View deservedly won the game and then the title. Later in the 1980 Athletics Facer won the Open 100m, 200m and anchored the 4 x 100m team to wins to help View secure the athletics title. He was unbelievably talented but a fairly humble bloke.
At the end of 1980, Denis told his father he wanted to repeat year 12 but wanted to board as well. He needed to knuckle down in his studies. The school was overjoyed that their superstar athlete was going round again. The sticking point was that the family was not happy to pay the boarding levy which was quite steep at the time. They were happy to pay day boy fees but not the boarding. They figured that since Denis had a played an enormous part in the centennial success the school would cut the family some slack. A stalemate began. It was during this time Denis’ eyes turned to the west and in the distance, he could see an answer. Joeys.
Denis and family spoke with the Joeys headmaster Br. Geoffrey Joy about a possible enrolment. Joeys had heard about the sticking point on boarding fees and told the Facer parents Denis could stay at Joeys for the same price as a day boy from View. The sweetener for the Facer family was that Joeys was not asking extra for boarding. So, in late January 1981 Denis arrived at Hunters Hill and unpacked his bags in his new boarding room in year 12. To say fellow classmates were gob smacked would be an understatement. Here was the Riverview golden boy in 1980 now outfitted in cerise and blue. His worth was immediate with Joeys winning their first ever basketball title. Mind you Joeys were also lucky to have a 200cm student start in year 10 as well. You could feel the sense of hope he bought with him for the rugby season.
The rugby match for 1981 was massive. Joeys were celebrating their own centenary and this was this professed as the biggest match of the year. Approximately 8,000 people attended. Riverview were confident in ruining the Marist party. View still had the nucleus of the 1980 team but now missing their speed talisman. Joeys had a blend of new and experienced players but this year they had speed to burn. On the left wing was Gerry O’Hearn who a year later was an Australian Schoolboy. A player who had a mixture of raw pace and great strength. He didn’t run past players; he ran through them. And lining up on the other right wing was Denis. In the earlier trial games, it was obvious that these two would be the major strike weapons in the Joeys arsenal. The possible issue with the Joeys v View game was the Riverview Old Boys. They saw Facer’s defection to Joeys as the greatest act of treason in View history. They came in their multitudes all intent of launching verbal abuse and whatever they could find (mostly empty beer cans) at him when he played on the eastern side. The day was bathed in glorious sunshine but the atmosphere was thick with dark anticipation. Spectators present held their collective breath waiting for the inevitable clash of these Catholic giants.
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Gerry scoring a try v Newington
As luck would have it in the first half Denis played on the western side of the ground next to the grandstand were he got plenty of support from the Joeys boys but plenty of boo’s from the View boys who saw beside Joeys (visiting students didn’t have seating on the eastern side). On occasion Denis was caught up in the melee of the ruck and the View players made sure he felt their displeasure with boots and punches going in. The eastern touchline was heaving with the View old boys, all “warmed up” after their session at the Hotel Hunters Hill. They brought into the ground plenty of liquid courage to assist them during the match. Back then there was no Police, no bag checks and even Jack’s bar was open during the game. In 1981 Joeys employed security guards for the first time. They spent most of their day dealing with the trouble on the eastern frontier. The old boy View crowd there was somewhat tame first half because they all were waiting for the second half when Facer was on their side. Within reach. Within ear shot. Within range…
After halftime oranges (who remembers these?) the team lined up for the second half. What was noticeable was that O’Hearn and Facer had swapped wings. Facer was now left wing. The View old boys were incensed and their rage was loud and constant. When Facer found himself on that side of the field in cover defence or support, cans rained down at him. Security started to remove intoxicated fans. View old boys’ broke beer bottles and drove the glass in the cricket pitch. Some very ugly, filthy chants started up. New language was learned by the younger students. “Mummy, what does wanker mean?” One of the year 7 ball boys from Joeys refused to stay over there after he was grabbed by an intoxicated View old boy. The game though kept going, stopping once to remove empty cans from the field when Denis had to join a team huddle. The game ended up with Joeys winning but the day will not be remembered for the result. Joeys would go on to beat those pesky squid squeezers in the 94th minute with a field goal and then steamroll Shore to win the championship.
Best wishes to both teams this weekend.
PS. I got the above information from the man himself. Plus, I was there.
O’Hearn to Facer in 1981 v Scots
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