1970 - 1979
Following a torrid showing of results in the 1960s, the Club's fortunes reversed in the 1970s with the additions of Arthur Beetson, Ron Coote and of course, the return of super coach Jack Gibson.
In the finest decade since the 1940s, Eastern Suburbs claimed two Premierships, an inaugural World Club Challenge as well as multiple AMCO Cups in what was a memorable period in history.
1970 - Don Furner and the Three Year Plan
| Played: | 22 |
| Won: | 13 |
| Lost: | 9 |
| Drawn: | 0 |
| Final Position: | Fifth |
Despite the first-grade side missing out on a finals position, season 1970 under new Head Coach Don Furner had plenty of silver linings, with Secretary Jim Hunt dubbing it 'our greatest season of achievement since 1945'.
The season included such achievements as:
- Easts' first Club Championship since 1945
- The third-grade side becoming the first since 1949 to win a Premiership, under Terry Matthews
- Reserve Grade qualifying for the Grand Final
- Nine players playing representative football including John Brass, Jim Morgan and Allan McKean playing Tests against Great Britain
- Mark Harris winning Channel 9's 'Rookie of the Year' and winning selection in the World Cup
- Kevin Junee winning his second Rothman's Medal as Player of the Year
- The first-grade side playing its 1000th match, beating Parramatta 30-16 at the SCG in Round 7
Furner had made a strong recruitment drive that included the likes of Jim Morgan, Jim Porter, John Ballesty, Mark Harris, Ian Baker and Laurie Freier and alongside the likes of Junee, McKean, John Peard, Johnny Mayes, Bill Mullins and Ron Saddler, Easts had a strong squad all round.
Recruited from Queanbeyan where he had a remarkable thirteen-season coaching record of twelve Grand Final appearances in his ventures through NSW and QLD, Furner instilled an entertaining brand of football into his side.
A performance against Canterbury garnered the headline 'FOUR TACKLE BLISS' in Rugby League week, however, the ebb and flow of a new coach saw the side needing to win one of their last two matches.
On an icy day against Balmain in the final round, Rugby League Week's Philip Jenkins wrote:
"A cold wind in August blew Eastern Suburbs out of the 1970 semi-finals. Horror conditions at league's horror ground, Leichhardt Oval, proved too much for Don Furner's gamecocks to handle. The icy blasts, which whipped up from Iron Cove across the oval destroyed any pattern in Easts play."
The year ended with the Club breaking new ground as they flew to Port Moresby to play the representative New Guinea team, recording a 34-17 win.
Debutants: Ian Baker, Alan Cardy, John Dykes, Kevin Goldspink, Jim Porter, Jim Morgan, Mark Harris, Chris Armstrong, John Ballesty, Laurie Freier, Graham Gardiner, Mick Plant
1971 - Artie Arrives
| Played: | 22 |
| Won: | 9 |
| Lost: | 12 |
| Drawn: | 1 |
| Final Position: | Ninth |
Few could predict the impact that the arriving Arthur Beetson would have in Red, White and Blue, although his presence in the squad couldn't help the Roosters to a finals finish.
Injuries and form saw their results waver throughout, which began with losing three of four pre-season games and three of four first Premiership matches, culminating in a ninth-place finish with nine victories from 22 matches.
Big Artie's arrival was the positive story of 1971, and after the dynamic front rower was offered an unsatisfactory offer from Balmain, Don Furner was quick to pounce - famously stating "I want Beetson!".
The Head Coach would get his wish, and the influential forward would make his debut in Round 2, but injuries would stifle his season - and with fellow key men in Jim Morgan and Kevin Junee having stints on the sidelines, results faltered.
Failing to adjust to the new six-tackle rules, a major recruitment drive would have an immediate effect the following season.
Debutants: Michael Cleary, Arthur Beetson, Harry Cameron, Kel Brown, Don Colquhoun, Bob Kelly, Sid Williams, Warren Chatfield, Ken Jones
1972 - Five Points From Glory
| Played: | 25 |
| Won: | 18 |
| Lost: | 6 |
| Drawn: | 1 |
| Final Position: | Runners Up |
Following the High Court's ruling on the NSWRL's long-standing transfer system, free agency came to play in the competition, and Easts got to work.
Ron Coote, star signing from South Sydney and the son of 1930s Premiership winner Jack Coote headlined a line up of arrivals, which included Phil Hawthorne, Greg Bandiera, John Armstrong, Charlie Renilson, Dick Thornett, Mick Alchin and Graham Olling.
Don Furner had learned from the underachievement of the year prior, and according to Arthur Beetson "Grew in the job, and tightened things up.", with early signs showing during a successful Wills Cup pre-season campaign.
Those signs proved to be fruitful as eighteen wins and just six losses propelled the Roosters to their first decider since 1960, and just their third in 28 years, going down as one of the almost-great years.
Captain Coote led the Tricolours to one of their finest attacking seasons, topping 514 points after 22 regular season rounds including 102 tries and a 50-12 win over Parramatta - just the third time since 1935 they had topped a half-century.
While a disastrous 32-8 loss to the Sea Eagles in the opening round of the finals sent an ominous feeling throughout, Easts qualified to take on their northmost rivals after pipping St George in the final.
But in the last 20 weeks of the competition, notwithstanding an upset to Newtown, Easts would not lose to any team besides Manly, their eventual Grand Final opponents - and despite a tough encounter at the SCG, the season ended in a 19-14 defeat laced in controversy.
Furner's time at Easts had ended, returning to Queanbeyan, however, the Coach's departure was met with a warm farewell from secretary Jim Hunt:
"Don came to us with a three-year plan to win the Premiership for Easts and this year went within an ace of attaining the ambition. During the three years, Don was a fine ambassador for Eastern Suburbs; he had a particularly close liaison with the players and was held in high regard by all connected within rugby league."
Former Captain from the 1950s Tony Paskins took over as caretaker, with Bob Seabrook succeeding Hunt as secretary for a new season filled with plenty of promise.
Debutants: Mick Alchin, John Armstrong, Ron Coote, Peter Flanders, Dick Thornett, Greg Bandiera, Phil Hawthorne, Graham Olling, Charlie Renilson
1973 - Falling Short
| Played: | 22 |
| Won: | 12 |
| Lost: | 10 |
| Drawn: | 0 |
| Final Position: | Sixth |
Coote once again admirably led Easts, playing 20 games and was especially strong late in the side's campaign, however, under Tony Paskins, the side lacked longevity through the 80 minutes, often faltering at the final hurdle.
Last-minute losses to Souths and a final round 41-10 drubbing at the hands of Parramatta meant the Roosters failed to qualify for the new five-team finals series by a single point.
Fan favourite and local junior Kevin Junee departed the Club following nine impressive seasons, while the return of Johnny Mayes was a positive for the season ahead.
Along with Arthur Beetson committing for a further five years, things were bright for the Tricolours in the coming seasons - but few judges could predict how dominant they would be.
Debutants: Kerry Collien, Ian Mackay, Pat Kelly, Terry Stevens, Russell Worth, Kevin Stevens, Ray Strudwick
1974 - The Droughtbreakers
| Played: | 25 |
| Won: | 22 |
| Lost: | 3 |
| Drawn: | 0 |
| Final Position: | Premiers |
Major signings in the returning Johnny Mayes and John Peard were key on the field, but the biggest return came in the form of Jack Gibson, who took the mantle as Head Coach for a second stint - with immediate results.
A significant departure was Kevin Junee, but Premiership-winning hooker Elwyn Walters joined the Club from Souths and rugby union international Russell Fairfax came across from Randwick.
Gibson's influence and new-wave style of coaching not only saw him bring in an array of assistant coaches and a statistician, but also saw the surprise appointment of Arthur Beetson as Captain.
The year began in strong fashion even before the season had started, with an early 43-nil thrashing of Souths in the Wills Cup Final saw the Club capture the first-ever pre-season title - and that momentum flowed into the season proper.
1974 Grand Final Highlights
Crushing victories over Penrith (31-6), Cronulla (44-13) and Balmain (43-6) in the opening three weeks set the tone for the season as the Red, White and Blue displayed plenty of attacking flair backed up by their defensive fortitude.
From Round 14 onwards, the Roosters took top spot on the table and never wavered, claiming the Minor Premiership in a canter as they ran in a nine-match winning streak to finish the regular season.
A narrow 17-19 loss to eventual Grand Final opponents Canterbury in the first round of finals was eradicated with a thumping 25-2 triumph over Western Suburbs in the preliminary final, before Artie's Roosters faced the Bulldogs in the decider at the SCG.
In contrast to their previous meeting, the Roosters proved too strong for their opponents, which saw Beetson crash over for the first try as they took a 7-4 lead at half-time.
Barnstorming centre Mark Harris and fleet-footed winger Bill Mullins went over for four-pointers while keeping their opponents scoreless in the second half to claim a memorable 19-4 victory.
Man of the match Beetson was famously chaired by his teammates following the full-time siren, with the Roosters in full cheer as they erased 29 years of pain with the Club's tenth title.
Debutants: Russell Fairfax, Mick Souter, Elwyn Walters, Greg McCarthy, Arthur Mountier, Doug Lucas, Eric Ferguson, Bruce Pickett
1975 - Artie's Champions Go Back-To-Back
| Played: | 25 |
| Won: | 22 |
| Lost: | 3 |
| Drawn: | 0 |
| Final Position: | Premiers |
Renowned as one of the greatest ever sides in premiership history, Jack Gibson's Roosters began the season in indifferent form but quickly turned their fortunes around in spectacular fashion.
Between April and August, the reigning Premiers embarked on an incredible 19-game winning streak, a record that is yet to be bested, before earning another trophy in the form of the AMCO Cup, beating Parramatta 17-7 at Leichhardt.
A 5-8 loss to the Dragons in the first week of the finals was merely a distraction for the Tricolours, defeating Manly 28-13 in the Preliminary Final to reach their second consecutive Grand Final.
The Roosters exerted their dominance in the final, saving the best until last with a crushing 38-nil victory over the highly fancied St George side; setting a record for the greatest Grand Final winning margin - a record which stood until 2008.
1975 Grand Final Highlights
The Roosters of 1975 also hold the record for most wins in a season for the Club with 22 and remain to this day as one of the greatest sides in history.
Debutants: Trevor Barnes, Bob Farrugia, Bill Markou, Ian Schubert, Col 'Mick' Field, Dennis Tutty, Grant Hedger, Des O'Reilly, Garry Hardaker, Mark Cohen, Kel Sherry, Ray Cupic, Denis Hughes, Greg Townsend, Reg Clough, John Rheinberger
1976 - World Champions
| Played: | 23 |
| Won: | 13 |
| Lost: | 9 |
| Drawn: | 1 |
| Final Position: | Fifth |
Coming off their 11th Premiership, the Roosters continued to innovate both on and off the field.
City Ford famously was emblazoned on the front of the Club's jersey for 1976, becoming the first in Australian sport to do so - thanks to managing director of City Ford, Nick Politis.
After visiting the US during the off-season following their Premiership triumph, Easts implemented 'Nautilus' machines as part of their training regime, looking to get the upper hand on their opponents back in Australia.
Critics, however, were apprehensive of the new technology following a slow start to the season, and while momentum gathered as winter approached, indifferent form from a number of players saw a new-look side take the field most weeks.
The highlight of 1976 no doubt was the inaugural World Club Challenge - where in front of over 26,856 punters on a Tuesday afternoon, Easts demolished English champions St Helens 25-2 to claim yet another trophy.
Later in the season, Easts took to New Zealand to take on an Auckland side in the second leg of an international challenge, winning 26-22, but after limping into the finals in fourth spot, a first-week loss to Canterbury ended their hopes of a three-peat.
Rookies Robert Laurie and Kevin Hastings lit up during the season, with the former holding the vacated five-eighth position from John Peard, while the latter announced himself as one of the Club's most valued players in years to come.
Two weeks following the loss, Gibson stepped down as Head Coach in a disappointing end to his time as the Roosters' mentor, however, the Club were quick to move to a big name as his replacement.
Debutants: Royce Ayliffe, Peter Fitzgerald, Terry Keen, Michael Mosman, MIchael Windeatt, Stuart Kelly, Robert Laurie, Gary Metcalfe, Mark Snuggs, John Mackay, Greg White, Mal Connor, Kevin Hastings
1977 - Bozo Becomes a Rooster
| Played: | 25 |
| Won: | 16 |
| Lost: | 8 |
| Drawn: | 1 |
| Final Position: | Third |
After guiding Manly to the Premiership the year before, Bob Fulton - the leading player in the game of Rugby League - was lured to Eastern Suburbs following a meeting with media mogul Kerry Packer in an off-season trip to Hawaii.
With the loss of Jack Gibson, Arthur Beetson took the reigns as Captain-Coach, and despite John Brass moving on to Tweed Heads, the Roosters were instilled as favourites for the 1977 Premiership.
In a bold bid to gain an advantage during the finals, the Club moved all home games to the Sydney Cricket Ground, and earned their first trophy on home soil against Norths in the Wills Cup Pre-Season Final, with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth in attendance and presenting players with their medals.
While the season had a clunky start, the Roosters eventually got in a rhythm, achieving the distinction of keeping five opponents scoreless, a record only bested by the Club's Premiership-winning side of 2013.
Despite the absence of Ron Coote for a large chunk of the season - only playing nine games due to reoccurring injury - the Tricolours reached the second last week of the competition, but with Beetson suspended on the sidelines, their season ended in a 13-5 loss to Parramatta in the preliminary final.
Debutants: Bob Fulton, Bob Jones, Peter Reed, Bob Taber, David Grant, Arthur Kitinas, Terry Murphy
1978 - Farewell, Ron and Artie
| Played: | 22 |
| Won: | 13 |
| Lost: | 9 |
| Drawn: | 0 |
| Final Position: | Sixth |
The year began with a competition-wide makeover as all twelve NSWRFL clubs adopted new logos, which saw the Roosters adopt their famous 'Eastern Suburbs' design.
Eventual player of the year Bob O'Reilly's addition to the side was a welcome one, but overall it was a disappointing season on the field, with the side failing to reach the finals for the first time in five seasons.
It was a write-off season for Arthur Beetson, who succumbed to injury in the pre-season - featured in just three matches - and following a fall-out with Secretary Ron Jones mid-year, he departed for Parramatta at season's end.
Teammate and figure Ron Coote announced his retirement after a glittering fifteen-year career at season's end, with injuries limiting him to less than 20 appearances over the last two seasons.
Despite all the distractions and change in the wind, Easts claimed the AMCO Cup in 1978, with Kevin Hastings claiming man of the match honours in a year that also included the President Cup side claiming the title and a return to the Sports Ground.
Debutants: Gavin Miller, Bob O'Reilly, Alan Power, Joe Reaiche, Kevin Plummer, John Tobin, Bill Healey, Paul Jelfs
1979 - Changing of the Guard
| Played: | 22 |
| Won: | 9 |
| Lost: | 12 |
| Drawn: | 1 |
| Final Position: | Eighth |
With Arthur Beetson and Ron Coote's departure and following a strong showing as skipper in the 1978 World Cup, Bob Fulton stepped up as the Club's Captain for 1979.
Fulton's influence also had a big say in the Club's recruitment, bringing in the likes of John Harvey, Kerry Boustead, Ken Wright and Greg Owens, with the promise of a strong year following a disappointing season.
The Roosters made history in their third pre-season match, taking on Parramatta at the SCG under lights for the very first time, with Wright pivotal in the pre-season Cup, kicking six penalty goals in the 12-9 win against Balmain.
But the quick start finished there with suspensions, injuries and poor form resulting in a lacklustre season, and after reoccurring shoulder problems, Fulton was forced to retire after just eight appearances for the year.
It was a sad ending to a decade that had produced so much, with Easts in eighth position and with the worst attacking record.
Yet despite the disappointment, there lay plenty of bright prospects for the 1980s.
Debutants: Kerry Boustead, John Harvey, Greg Owens, Ken Wright, Bob Sheens, Kyle Connor, Shaun Hore, Steve Gigg, Marty Gurr, Greg Feltis, Paul Karipis, Tony Brightwell, Bernie Gurr, Steve McFarlane, John Higgins, Spiro Strattos, Gary Warnecke, Kel Judd
Sydney Roosters respect and honour the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands we meet, gather and play on.
