FORTY years ago today one of Australia’s greatest underdog stories was completed and for Dubbo’s Terry Fahey it still only seems like yesterday.
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Fahey was a member of the famed Western Division side which won the 1974 Amco Cup against all the odds and the story has now been immortalised in the Ian Heads-written book, The Night the Music Died.
Western Division were given very little chance of winning a competition which included Australia’s biggest clubs as well as a side from Auckland. The team from country NSW also defeated a touring Great Britain side the same year. With the book recently being released and today marking the anniversary of the 6-2 Amco Cup final win over Penrith, Fahey admitted the memories have all come rushing back.
“What I can remember of it,” he laughed.
“But it’s gone really quickly and doesn’t seem like that long ago.”
The Western Division side defeated Auckland, Canterbury and Manly on their way to the final and while Fahey admitted his side rode their luck at times, they did the hard work to be crowned champions.
“We beat all the better sides in the competition, Canterbury and Manly. Penrith might not have been at their level but they were a good side too. Manly brought out their best side when we played at Wade Park,” he said.
Fahey and every member of the team were sent a copy of the book and the former winger said it
was one any sporting fan would enjoy.
The book’s producer and publisher, Geoff Armstrong, admitted the incredible story was one that needed to be told.
“For me it just reminds me of a better time in rugby league, the bush people brought that to the game,” he said.
“The game is still as tough as ever but it hasn’t got that sense of community and romance.
“You almost believe in miracles after reading this book.”
The story tells how the Western Division side met each other for the first time barely two days before the first game. Armstrong admitted it was inspiring to discover how the team came together to defeat their much more fancied rivals.
“They played Auckland first on a wet track and that suited their simple style a bit more and then the win over Great Britain brought them together and by the time they played Canterbury they were a really good group,” he said.
Armstrong praised author Ian Heads, a renowned sports writer who also spent time as The Daily Telegraph’s senior rugby league writer, for his efforts in researching each and every player in the team and he described the players in the title-winning squad as “heroes”.
“It’s a masterpiece of research and because of him speaking to every player and others it really is a great human interest story,” he said.
“All the players were so different but brought together by a love of football.”
Armstrong and Fahey both believe the story will stand the test of time and Fahey said the Amco Cup was a better time for rugby league in country NSW and the only disappointing thing was the fact a story like this will never be seen again.
“It’s something I’ll never forget and it was really good to be in it and I know all the supporters will go mad over the book too,” Fahey said.
“It will never happen again because there will never be any competitions like that again, it was a really good thing.”
The Night the Music Died is available now and author Ian Heads, Geoff Armstrong and some of the players will be at Big W in Dubbo on September 4 for a book signing.
