75-568: Allan Jeffrey "Alfie" Langer AM (born 30 July 1966) is an Australian former multi-award-winning rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s and worked as an assistant coach for the Australian national team , the Queensland Maroons and the Brisbane Broncos . He was one of the pre-eminent halfbacks of his era, representing Australia on many occasions and holding
150-577: A halfback for Ipswich and in 1987 opposed his older brother Kevin , who was halfback of Wests . That year his selection from left field for the Wayne Bennett -coached Queensland side in the 1987 State of Origin series was questioned by several key figures in the Maroons camp who called for the selection in-form Eastern Suburbs halfback Laurie Spina . It was Raudonikis who stood up for him, backing Langer's selection and he made his Queensland début in
225-475: A "sports legend". On 29 March 2010, Langer was charged with drink driving . At the time of the incident, Langer was ambassador for Lion Nathan brewery. He went to the Normanby Hotel in inner Brisbane , where he was photographed dancing in his underpants in front of patrons. Langer drank 8 to 10 glasses of beer and a couple of vodkas, before driving his car. He had intended to drive all the way to his home on
300-600: A bow on the left shoulder, although they may wear the same insignia as males if so desired. A gold lapel pin for daily wear is issued with each badge of the order at the time of investiture; AK/AD and AC lapel pins feature a citrine central jewel, AO and AM lapel pins have a blue enamelled centre and OAM lapel pins are plain. The different levels of the order are awarded according to the recipients' levels of achievement: Since 1976 any Australian citizen may nominate any person for an Order of Australia award. People who are not Australian citizens may be awarded honorary membership of
375-548: A challenge to take the prime ministership in September 2015. Two months after coming into office, the new republican prime minister announced that the Queen had approved his request to amend the Order's letters patent and cease awards at this level. Existing titles would not be affected. The move was attacked by monarchists and praised by republicans. The amendments to the constitution of
450-566: A feat New South Wales had first achieved two years earlier. The series produced an ugly and enduring Origin image when in Game II the parochial Queensland crowd showered the Lang Park playing arena with beer cans in protest at the sin-binning of their captain Wally Lewis . New South Wales had a new home for Origin football in 1988. The AU$ 68 million, 40,000 capacity all-seat Sydney Football Stadium ,
525-569: A member of the British Empire, members of the colonies and later federated nation of Australia were able to have achievement awarded under the British Imperial Honours system . However, existing criticism of the aristocratic nature of the awards grew following a cash-for-honours corruption scandal in the UK in 1922. Moves to abolish the awards federally and the states were unsuccessful; however
600-458: A minute after play resumed big Maroon prop Sam Backo crashed over to give Queensland a 10-6 lead. When Allan Langer later clinched the game at 16-6 and the series by taking an inside pass from Conescu to score, Lewis by now back from his exile, carried Langer back from the Blues' tryline in jubilation. Game III of 1988 was barely a contest and the feeble Sydney crowd of 16,910 reflected as much. With
675-445: A motor vehicle for eight months. However no criminal conviction was recorded, as the judge accepted Langer's argument that a conviction would hurt his football coaching career. By the following weekend Langer had returned to work as Broncos assistant coach. In 2015 Langer admitted he struggled with a gambling addiction for most of his career. "It is one of those things where you look back and wish you had never done it," he said. Langer
750-610: A rectangular stadium more suited to rugby league than the round Sydney Cricket Ground , had been built in 1987 and opened in time for the 1988 NSWRL season . The SFS was described in its early days as a white elephant and lacking in the character and history of its predecessor, the SCG. Queensland players described playing at the SFS in 1988 as like playing on neutral ground. Coming into the 1988 opener, Queensland had not yet experienced an Origin match without Wally Lewis . Supporters were stunned when he
825-573: A representation of the states (with whom Whitlam's government was constantly in dispute) through the state badges within the Commonwealth Coat of Arms . The original three-level structure of the Order of Australia was modelled closely upon the Order of Canada , though the Order of Australia has been awarded rather more liberally, especially in regard to honorary awards to non-citizens. As of July 2024 only 30 non-Canadians have been appointed to
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#1732876399033900-466: A second consecutive premiership when they won the 1998 NRL grand final . In 1998, Langer was also appointed Australian national team captain. That year he and his mentor, Broncos, Queensland and Australian coach, Wayne Bennett , became the first captain-coach combination to win the NRL Premiership, State of Origin and Test series in the same year. Langer's 1998 season has since been described as one of
975-559: A team which had finished 5th in the regular season had gone on to win the competition. The years 1994–1996 were characterised by successive failures by the Broncos to win the Australian Rugby League Premiership. During the 1994 NSWRL season , Langer played as a halfback for defending premiers Brisbane when they hosted British champions Wigan for the 1994 World Club Challenge and lost. Langer then lost his position in
1050-444: Is a convex golden disc decorated with citrines, with a blue royally crowned inner disc bearing an image of the coat of arms of Australia. The ribbon of the order is royal blue with a central stripe of mimosa blossoms. Awards in the military division are edged with 1.5 mm golden bands. AKs, male ACs and AOs wear their badges on a necklet and male AMs and OAMs wear them on a ribbon on the left chest. Women usually wear their badges on
1125-434: Is a registered charity, whose stated purpose is "[t]o celebrate and promote outstanding Australian citizenship". It also supports the "community and social activities" of members and promotes and encourages the nomination of other Australians to the Order. The Order also runs a foundation that provides scholarships to tertiary students that show potential as future leaders and are involved in community activities. Branches of
1200-553: Is likely to feel a bit second-rate, and the public is likely to agree. We hate to be the first to say it, but there is no doubt that the Order of Australia (OA) will be labelled as the Ocker Award. Satire and mockery also greeted the awards, being dubbed "Gough’s Gongs" and "the Order of the Wombat". The newly elected Liberal Fraser government decided to once again make recommendations for imperial awards, whilst maintaining and expanding
1275-427: Is married to his high school sweetheart Janine. They have three children. In 2009 he became a grandfather. Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II , Queen of Australia , on the advice of then prime minister Gough Whitlam . Before
1350-590: Is similar, without the citrines. For the AM badge, only the crown is enamelled, and the OAM badge is plain. The AK/AD badge is similar to that of the AC badge, but with the difference that it contains at the centre an enamelled disc bearing an image of the coat of arms of Australia . The colours of royal blue and gold are taken from the livery colours of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms , the then national colours . The star for knights and dames
1425-471: Is the sovereign head of the order, and the governor-general is the principal companion and chancellor of the order. The governor-general's official secretary , Paul Singer (appointed August 2018), is secretary of the order. The order is divided into a general and a military division. The five levels of appointment to the order in descending order of seniority are: Honorary awards at all levels may be made to non-citizens. These awards are made additional to
1500-469: The 1987 State of Origin series while still playing for the Jets. Paul Vautin claimed in his autobiography that during a team meeting, Bennett kept going on about where they were going to hide Langer in defence. He was upset that no-one was defending him against Bennett's comments and so stood up and said "He's a Queenslander and won't let us down". Langer's superb performance, including a man-of-the-match award in
1575-428: The 1988 World Cup final over New Zealand. Suffering a broken leg in 1989, Langer missed most of that season. Langer's leg recovered to go on the 1990 Kangaroo tour . following the axing of Lewis from the Broncos and later the retirement of Gene Miles , the diminutive Langer became captain of the Broncos in 1992. Alfie then played in all three matches of the 1992 State of Origin series , scoring one try and kicking
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#17328763990331650-537: The 2009 season . He has also been named as a Queensland Maroons' assistant coach under Mal Meninga for the 2009 State of Origin series . In 2009, Langer could frequently be seen running water out to Broncos players during NRL matches, and even for Australia at the end of season Four Nations tournament. In 2009 as part of the Q150 celebrations, Allan Langer was announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for his role as
1725-478: The Australian Labor Party remained opposed and generally refused to recommend awards whilst in office, with this a part of the party's platform since 1918. This was confirmed in a resolution adopted unanimously by the party conference in 1921. However, the non-Labor parties remained supportive, with the long running Menzies government making significant use of the imperial system. The Order of Australia
1800-599: The Super League for the Warrington Wolves . Langer captained Warrington Wolves and took them to within one match of the Challenge Cup Final in 2000. Also in 2000, Langer was honoured as a Member of the Order of Australia "for service to Rugby League football as a player at national and international levels, and as a supporter of charities, particularly those raising funds for cancer research". Later that year he
1875-474: The 435 people who have received the nation's top Order of Australia honours since they were first awarded in 1975, shows they disproportionately attended a handful of elite Victorian secondary schools. Scotch College alumni received the highest number of awards, with 19 former students receiving Australia's [then] highest honour". On 26 January 1980 the Order of Australia Association was created as an incorporated body with membership open to award recipients. It
1950-530: The Australian test side against Papua New Guinea due to a shoulder injury to Sterling. This made him the first Bronco to earn international representative honours. On 20 July 1988 Langer played for Australia in their record 62-point win over Papua New Guinea , scoring two tries. At the end of the 1988 NSWRL season Langer was named the Broncos' player of the year, then went on to score two tries in Australia's win in
2025-491: The Blues forwards. Langer scampered across the line twice to give Queensland a 12-6 lead at half-time and after the break the procession of Queensland tries continued. Jackson, Belcher and Origin debutant Alan McIndoe all scored (despite television replays showing that McIndoe didn't ground the ball and had actually knocked-on) to give the Maroons an unassailable 26-6 lead before two late tries to Andrew Ettingshausen and Mark McGaw earned New South Wales some respectability on
2100-402: The Broncos to victory in the 1992 World Club Challenge , the first time Australian premiers had won the title on British soil. By this time Allan Langer's fame was such that he starred with his mother in the advertising campaign for Australia's top-selling bread and also had his own doll on toy store shelves. The following season saw Langer again lead the Broncos to a Premiership, the first time
2175-650: The Grand Final (losing the preliminary final to eventual premiers the Sydney Roosters by a scoreline of just 16-12). At the time of his retirement, Langer had made the most appearances as captain for the Brisbane Broncos and became only the third player to have been named man-of-the-match in a State of Origin game more than three times. After playing Langer spent time as a restaurateur in Queensland. In 2003 Langer
2250-521: The Match again. He scored tries in the other two Origin fixtures as well. On the 2nd Ashes Test of the 1988 Great Britain Lions tour which was played at Lang Park , on the electronic scoreboard the message "Bullfrog - shame our favourite No 7 isn't here" was displayed in a reference to Langer being overlooked for selection by Kangaroos team manager Peter Moore in favour of Peter Sterling . Langer made his début for
2325-418: The Order of Australia and the award of 199 Honorary Medals of the Order of Australia. Notable honorary awards include: Since 1975, just over 30 per cent of recipients of an Order of Australia honour have been women. The number of nominations and awards for women is trending up, with the 2023 Australia Day Honours resulting in the highest percentage of awards for women to date (47.1 per cent, 47.9 per cent in
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2400-578: The Order of Australia. This was done by with the addition of two additional award levels: Knight or Dame (AK or AD) above the level of Companion, and the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) below Members. The Civil Division was also renamed the General Division, so that awards could be given to those in the Defence Force for non-military achievement. These changes were made on 24 May 1976. The reaction to
2475-481: The Order of Canada, while 537 non-Australians have been appointed to the Order of Australia, with 46 to the Companion level. Public reaction to the new awards was mixed. Only the state Labor governments of Tasmania and South Australia agreed to submit recommendations for the new awards, with the remaining governments affirming their committent to the existing imperial honours system. Newspaper editorials similarly praised
2550-439: The Order were gazetted on 22 December 2015. Yvonne Kenny AM represented the Order at the 2023 Coronation . King Charles III , when he was Prince of Wales , was appointed a Knight of the Order of Australia (AK) on 14 March 1981. As he is not an Australian citizen, even though he was the heir to the Australian throne at the time, this would have required the award to be honorary. To overcome this issue, his appointment
2625-581: The Order would be determined by the Council of the Order of Australia. Awards of the Order of Australia are sometimes made to people who are not citizens of Australia to honour extraordinary achievements. These achievements, or the people themselves, are not necessarily associated with Australia, although they often are. On 1 July 2024, the Australian Honours website listed appointments for 46 Honorary Companions, 118 Honorary Officers, 174 Honorary Members of
2700-441: The Queen to reinstate the level of knight or dame and the Queen co-signed letters patent to bring this into effect. The change was publicly announced on 25 March, and gazetted on 17 April 2014. Up to four knights or dames could be appointed each year, by the Queen of Australia on the advice of the prime minister after consultation with the chairman of the Order of Australia Council. Five awards of knight and dame were then made, to
2775-459: The Queensland State of Origin team in 1996 and was named by Rugby League Week as that season's player of the year. Langer again captained the Broncos to victory in the 1997 World Club Championship and the Super League premiership . In the first game of the 1998 State of Origin series Langer was named man-of-the-match. Also that year, for the second time, Langer captained the Broncos to
2850-577: The Sunshine Coast, but a police patrol pulled him over in the Brisbane suburb of Everton Park . The police found Langer to be 3 times over the legal blood alcohol limit. Langer pleaded guilty to the offence in Brisbane Magistrates Court . Lion Nathan cancelled Langer's brewery ambassadorship, and he was suspended from his coaching position with the Broncos. The court banned Langer from driving
2925-508: The association are in all the states and territories of Australia as well as the UK and the USA. Total inductees as of July 2024 . The order of wearing Australian and other approved honours is determined by the government. The award is parodied in the play Amigos , where the central character is determined to be awarded the AC, and uses persuasion, bribery and blackmail in his (ultimately successful) attempts to get himself nominated for
3000-498: The award to Prince Philip in a ReachTEL poll. The Australian Labor Party continued to oppose knighthoods and damehoods. Leader of the opposition Bill Shorten stated in March 2014 that the party would again discontinue the level if it were to win the next Australian federal election. The knighthood decision was a significant factor that caused Liberal party members to question Abbott's leadership, with Malcolm Turnbull succeeding in
3075-615: The award. During the 1996 season of the popular television programme Home and Away , the character Pippa Ross was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for her years of service as a foster carer. 1988 State of Origin series The 1988 State of Origin series was the seventh annual three-game series between the New South Wales and Queensland representative rugby league football teams to be contested entirely under ' state of origin ' selection rules. Queensland enjoyed their first ever 3–0 series whitewash, mirroring
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3150-411: The awards as an example of Australia's greater independence, whilst also noting that the awards would likely appear second-rate. The Australian stated that There is no longer a British Empire; everyone knows that. But somehow the phrase "imperial honours" still carries a ring of regal authenticity that somehow transcends nationalism. For the time being a recipient ... of the Order of Australia
3225-519: The changes to the awards were similarly split along party lines. Following the 1983 federal election , Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke recommitted to the end of recommendations for imperial awards. No knighthoods were awarded during his first term in office and he advised the abolition of the knight/dame level after being re-elected in 1986. During the time the division was active from 1976 to 1983, twelve knights and two dames were created. On 19 March 2014, monarchist prime minister Tony Abbott advised
3300-533: The decider, silenced the critics and saw him signed on with the newly established Brisbane Broncos team who would enter the New South Wales Rugby League premiership in 1988 . Coached by Bennett and captained under Wally Lewis at the Broncos, Langer developed further skill with the ball and learnt much from his mentors, and his two tries in Game I of the 1988 State of Origin series saw him named Man of
3375-513: The establishment of the order, Australians could receive British honours , which continued to be issued in parallel until 1992. Appointments to the order are made by the governor-general , "with the approval of The Sovereign", according to recommendations made by the Council for the Order of Australia . Members of the government are not involved in the recommendation of appointments, other than for military and honorary awards. The King of Australia
3450-458: The exception of awards recommended by the soon to be independent government of the Territory of Papua and New Guinea ); however this did not affect the constitutional right of state governments to recommend imperial awards. According to the governor general's then-secretary Sir David Smith , Whitlam was furious when he first saw Devlin's design for the insignia of the order, due to the inclusion of
3525-409: The game at home on television for free rather than pay the high ticket price. With Queensland missing their captain and the world's best footballer Wally Lewis, New South Wales had expected to dominate in the encounter but were flat from the outset. In the first-ever Origin game held at the newly built Sydney Football Stadium and in front of a less than capacity crowd (the seats at the in-goal ends of
3600-476: The general division). Advocacy groups such as Honour a Woman and the Workplace Gender Equality Agency have called for greater effort to be made to reach equal representation of men and women in the order. In December 2010, The Age reported a study of the educational backgrounds of all people who had received Knight/Dame and Companion level awards at that time. It reported: "An analysis of
3675-657: The governments of each respective state and territory, and three ex officio members (the chief of the Defence Force , the vice-president of the Federal Executive Council and a public servant responsible for honours policy). The Council chair as of August 2024 is Shelley Reys. The Council makes recommendations to the governor-general. Awards are announced on Australia Day and on the King's Birthday public holiday in June, on
3750-572: The governor-general to remove an individual from the order, who may cancel an award. Announcements of all awards, cancellations and resignations appear in the Commonwealth Gazette . Nomination forms are confidential and not covered by the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) . The reasoning behind a nomination being successful or unsuccessful—and even the attendees of the meetings where such nominations are discussed—remains confidential. As
3825-556: The greatest individual seasons in Australian rugby league history. After a lacklustre start to the 1999 season , Langer announced his immediate retirement from rugby league mid-year, leaving many, including teammates, bewildered as to why. His departure prompted the Queensland Premier and even the Australian Prime Minister to eulogise his contribution to the sport. However, Alfie soon came out of retirement to play in
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#17328763990333900-730: The list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) which was commissioned by the NRL and ARL to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia. Langer was also inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2008. In June 2008, he was chosen in the Queensland Rugby League's Team of the Century as a halfback . A few months later the Brisbane Broncos appointed Allan Langer, along with Shane Webcke as full-time assistant coaches to work alongside new head coach Ivan Henjak from
3975-731: The match-winning field goal in Game II. He also won the Wally Lewis Medal for being the best player in the Match. He helped Australia retain The Ashes during the 1992 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand and also won the Rothmans Medal for best and fairest player in the Winfield Cup competition that season. For Langer to play as he did, after a week of hearing how St George must stop him, confirms he deserves to be talked about with Peter Sterling and Wally Lewis as one of
4050-417: The occasion of a special announcement by the governor-general (usually honorary awards), and on the appointment of a new governor-general. The governor-general presents the order's insignia to new appointees. Appointments to the order may be made posthumously as long as a person was nominated for an award whilst they were still alive. Awardees may subsequently resign from the order, and the Council may advise
4125-649: The order at all levels. Nomination forms are submitted to the Director, Honours Secretariat, a position within the Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia , at Government House, Canberra , which are then forwarded to the Council for the Order of Australia . The council consists of 19 members: seven selected by the prime minister (described as "community representatives"), eight appointed by
4200-453: The outgoing governor-general , Quentin Bryce ; her successor, Peter Cosgrove ; a recent chief of the Defence Force , Angus Houston ; a recent governor of New South Wales , Marie Bashir ; and Prince Philip . This last award was widely met with ridicule and dismay by many in the Australian media. The award was also heavily criticised in the community, with 72% disapproving and 12% in favour of
4275-401: The physical rigours of State of Origin football. Some Sydney journalists, such as Phil Gould , questioned the state of Queensland's football talent, given that they had needed to "bring back 35-year-olds to win." However, on the night Langer set up two tries and scored one himself, leading Queensland to victory only a year after they had suffered their worst ever State of Origin defeat. Langer
4350-672: The prime minister alone, rather than by the Council of the Order of Australia, as is the case with all lower levels of the order. In accordance with the statutes of 2014, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , was created a Knight of the Order by letters patent signed by the Queen on 7 January 2015, on Abbott's advice. Prince Philip's knighthood was announced as part of the Australia Day Honours on 26 January 2015 and his appointment attracted criticism of what Abbott described as his "captain's call". Abbott responded by announcing that future recommendations for appointments as Knights and Dames of
4425-524: The quotas. The order's insignia was designed by Stuart Devlin . The badge of the Order of Australia is a convex disc (gold for AKs, ADs and ACs, gilt for AOs, AMs and OAMs) representing a single flower of mimosa . At the centre is a ring, representing the sea, with the word Australia below two branches of mimosa. The whole disc is topped by the Crown of St Edward . The AC badge is decorated with citrines , blue enamelled ring, and enamelled crown. The AO badge
4500-481: The record for most State of Origin appearances, until being surpassed by his club, state and country team-mate Darren Lockyer . Langer played most of his career as captain of the Brisbane Broncos , with whom he won the 1992 Clive Churchill Medal and Rothmans Medal , as well as four premierships and the club's player of the year award a record five times. The Allan Langer Medal, which is the Ipswich Jets ' player of
4575-438: The scoreboard. Arguably the best of the Blues on the night was their longest serving outside back, dual-international Michael O'Connor who looked dangerous whenever he touched the ball, while Ettingshausen got through a mountain of work trying to get NSW out from being pinned deep in their own half. New South Wales played with passion, looked the better side in game II and were leading 6-4 with 18 minutes to go. Then Wally Lewis
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#17328763990334650-404: The series already decided, both teams opened up in a game of entertaining, free-flowing football. Queensland were unstoppable and Sam Backo grabbed a try double as the Maroons raced in seven tries to whip the Blues 38–22. Queensland had swept New South Wales 3–0 in their maiden whitewash. Following Queensland's first ever 3-0 Origin series whitewash, a record 9 Maroons were chosen for
4725-491: The stadium were virtually empty), the Maroons seized upon what Vautin termed the "neutral atmosphere". New five-eighth Jackson played well and fullback Gary Belcher provided support with general play kicking while pint-sized Allan Langer provided the attacking thrust. Jackson was a natural tackler and together with Paul Vautin led with words of inspiration. For the Blues, both Peter Sterling and Cliff Lyons tried hard but unlike Langer and Jackson had very little support from
4800-464: The test squad to Ricky Stuart after an opening loss to Great Britain in the Ashes series of the 1994 Kangaroo tour . In 1995, Langer, along with many other high-profile players, lost their representative positions because they had signed contracts to play for the newly formed Super League . However Langer won the Broncos' player of the year award every year from 1993 to 1996. He was also made captain of
4875-509: The three best players of the past decade. The Sydney Morning Herald , 27 September 1992 Along with Steve Renouf , Langer was the year's top try scorer for the Broncos. He also steered his team to their maiden Premiership, winning the Clive Churchill Medal for best and fairest player on the field in the grand final . Later in the year Langer also played in Australia's 1992 Rugby League World Cup Final victory, and captained
4950-886: The year award was named in his honour. Alfie's Bar at the Broncos Leagues Club is also named after him. His musical endeavours include, writing “six more songs” and making a special guest appearance in Tina the musical. The youngest of Queensland Rail worker Harry and mother Rita Langer's four sons, Allan Langer was born in Ipswich, Queensland on 30 July 1966. He attended Ipswich State High School . He grew up playing football at Ipswich's Northern Suburbs Tigers alongside his brothers and future Brisbane Broncos (as well as Queensland Maroons and Australian Kangaroos ) teammates Kevin and Kerrod Walters . This combination of players would become known famously as "The Ipswich Connection". Langer
5025-538: Was also awarded the Australian Sports Medal . As coach of the Maroons for the 2001 State of Origin series , Wayne Bennett made a surprise selection of Langer – then still playing in England – for the Queensland side in the third and deciding match. His comeback was arranged by Bennett under a shroud of secrecy. There were doubts as to whether Langer, in the twilight of his playing career, would be able to withstand
5100-447: Was created by an amendment to the constitution of the Order of Australia by special letters patent signed by the Queen, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser . In March 2014 the knight and dame levels, which had been abolished in 1986 by Prime Minister Bob Hawke , were reintroduced to the Order of Australia by Tony Abbott . At the same time, Abbott announced that future appointments at this level would be recommended by
5175-498: Was established on 14 February 1975 by letters patent of Queen Elizabeth II , acting as Queen of Australia , and on the advice of the newly elected Labor prime minister , Gough Whitlam . The original order had three levels: Companion (AC), Officer (AO) and Member (AM) as well as two divisions: Civil Division and Military Division. Whitlam had previously announced in 1972 (on his third day in office) that his government would no longer nominate persons for British Imperial honours (with
5250-467: Was one of the first four former players inducted into the Broncos official Hall of Fame. That year he considered another comeback with the Caloundra Sharks, who his older brother Kevin was coaching. During the 2007 season at the Broncos' 20-year anniversary celebration, the club announced a list of the 20 best players to play for them to date which included Langer. In February 2008, Langer was named in
5325-726: Was ready to fill Lewis' role. Captaining the Maroons for the first time was Manly-Warringah 's 1987 Premiership winning captain Paul Vautin . After 42,048 fans had attended the only Origin game in Sydney at the SCG in 1987, the Sydney fans voted with their feet at the new SFS when only 26,441 attended Game 1. The low crowd number was largely due to the NSWRL charging $ 34 per seat as pointed out by Channel 9 match commentator Darrell Eastlake . His fellow Ch.9 commentator, Supercoach Jack Gibson replied to his comments that with an hours wait fans could watch
5400-479: Was ruled out of game I with a shoulder injury. He had captained the Maroons on 20 occasions (out of 21 appearances) and won eight man-of-the-match awards, establishing himself as an Origin great. The selectors' answer to his absence was Peter Jackson the Canberra Raiders ' resident comic who prided himself on wisecracks and high jinks. However Jackson had honed his organisational and kicking skills at Canberra and
5475-519: Was selected as an Australian rugby league schoolboy representative in 1982. At 15 Langer's first job out of school was a truckie's offsider, delivering whitegoods. He then worked for the council making roads, but continued playing football. Coached at the Ipswich Jets by Australian former international halfback Tommy Raudonikis , Langer was playing first grade when he was only 17 in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership by 1986. He played as
5550-419: Was sentenced to 5 minutes in the sin-bin by referee Mick Stone for dissent after a scuffle between Phil Daley and Greg Conescu developed into an all-in brawl. The parochial Queensland crowd was outraged and with their hero Lewis in the sheds the ground was showered with beer cans amid chants of "send Stone off". After order was restored the complexion of the game changed. The Blues were visibly rattled and
5625-574: Was subsequently lured back to the Broncos for one final season in 2002 . In doing so he became the NRL's oldest player that year at 36 years and 60 days. He was named man-of-the-match in the third and deciding game of that year's State of Origin series and became the oldest player to play in State of Origin football. However, despite his good form, Brisbane were unable to win the Premiership, falling four points short of
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