Turvey and the true believers: Blues tap into the spirit of '85

"Turvey didn't have to open his mouth for you to know he was on a mission to be captain of the first NSW team to win Origin. I'll remember to the day I die looking around at all those blokes and not once did I doubt we would win that game." - Peter Wynn in '40 Years of Origin’

“Turvey was the same sort of bloke as Arthur Beetson, just smaller! He was so passionate you did not want to let him down.” - Steve Roach in '40 Years of Origin'

 

These are the profound memories of two men who helped NSW to their first ever Origin series win in 1985… words Michael Maguire hopes will resonate with his modern-day Blues brothers as they embark on a quest to write their own page in history.

In a bid to turn the Blues’ fortunes around after back-to-back series losses and launch his own tenure as head coach in style, Maguire has tapped into the powerful emotions that drove Steve ‘Turvey’ Mortimer and his men to a drought-breaking success in 1985.

Inspired first by Arthur Beetson and then Wally Lewis, the Maroons dominated Origin since its inception – winning the standalone games in 1980 and ’81 before claiming series wins in 1982, ’83 and ’84.

The time had come for the Blues to draw a line in the sand, and in Mortimer and coach Terry Fearnley, they had just the men they needed to restore pride in the blue jersey.

That same jersey that Maguire held aloft with passion as he addressed the annual True Blues dinner last week, imploring the Class of 2024 to listen and learn from the Class of ’85, to feed off the passion and embrace the special bond they shared.

A video was shown of Mortimer and his men celebrating the famous victory at the Sydney Cricket Ground on June 11, 1985 that sealed the momentous series triumph.

From mercurial five-eighth Brett Kenny and halves partner Mortimer, to hard men Steve Roach and Pat Jarvis, to speedsters Michael O’Connor and John Ferguson – the new crop of Blues sat glued to the screen, putting names to faces and sharing in the glory as if it was their own.

“For those current guys to look up in that private room and see us on the screen and how we celebrated and what it meant to us blokes was sensational,” Wynn tells NRL.com.

“Every player in the video was named so the current blokes could relate to it. They were coming up to us and saying, ‘How good was that’ rather than us having to ask them, ‘What did you think of that’.

“They allowed us to do a lap of honour at the SCG that night back in 1985 which was usually reserved for grand final winners.

“The fans jumped the fence and you could see what it meant to them and the whole SCG was ignited.

"I'll remember to the day I die looking around at all those blokes and not once did I doubt we would win that game."

For a man who fields countless phone calls every day from people wanting to buy a footy jersey or boots from his sports store in Parramatta, or old mates just wanting to shoot the breeze, Wynn admitted to being pleasantly surprised when Maguire called him to talk Origin.

Eager to learn more about the Class of ’85 and other successful Blues sides that had followed in their footsteps, the new coach invited a posse of former Origin greats to Sydney’s Harbour View Hotel in April to share a meal and their memories.

“I was flattered and honoured, the call came out of the blue,” Wynn said.

“He wanted to know how it happened [the ’85 win] and what it meant to us. He asked what was special about Turvey and what he brought to the team.

“He wanted to know what the goals were and how we delivered on those promises.

“We were on the same page from day one when we had a medical at the SCG and Terry Fearnley called our first meeting in the members' area and said, ‘You have a chance to do something that no one has ever done before so it could be a very special moment in your lives’.

“Turvey spoke to us as well and there wasn't a bloke in that team who wouldn't have put their body on the line for him and for NSW.

“He was so motivated and put his heart and soul into every training session. I had played for City and NSW in 1979 with Turvey so I knew what sort of man he was.

“I had seen his face on the cover of Rugby League Week in 1976 when he went to Sydney to play so he was a bit of an icon in my eyes.”

That respect for Mortimer is echoed by Roach, who was inducted into the NSW Hall of Fame alongside O’Connor at the True Blues dinner.

Having made his debut as a 22-year-old in the opening game of the 1984 series, Roach was captained by Eels legend Ray Price in his first two Origins before Mortimer took charge in the third match, which the Blues won 22-12 at Lang Park.

“Steve Mortimer should be idolised by every New South Welshman. We were only boys and he taught us what it meant to be an Origin player,” Roach said.

“The bond that he was able to build, he was a genius at it, and I can still see him in that game at the SCG in 1985, he was taking hit-ups like a front-rower, running from dummy half, getting bashed.

“To me an Origin player is someone that would do anything for their teammate and that’s what he did.

“His brother Chris, he was as tough as nails, but the way he spoke about Steve, I nearly had some sand in my eyes, we were all tearing up.

“I hope in 40 years’ time that these guys today can have the same kind of bond that we’ve got now.

“They can never take that away from us – we were the first side ever to win the series for NSW.”

Perhaps the final word should go to Turvey himself, the revered and respected skipper whose place in Origin history was assured on June 11, 1985 when he led the Blues to the promised land.

“The feeling when Brett Kenny crossed to wrap up that second game was pure joy," Mortimer told me when I interviewed him in 2018 for my book '110 Years of Rugby League'.

"I collapsed to the ground and kissed the turf and thanked God for the opportunity to make history for NSW. It was a moment that changed my life.”

A moment Michael Maguire hopes can help change the lives of his young band if Blues brothers as they embark on their own quest for Origin glory.