You may get some puzzled looks in 2023 if you talk about hooking in the scrum but in 1976 if you asked Wests Panthers’ hooker Gary Prickett his eyes would have lit up with anticipation for the dark arts he would be engaging in on Saturday afternoon at Lang Park.
The Panthers hooker won a premiership in 1976 and played for Queensland in 1981 and made the Wests Panthers and Sunshine Coast teams of the Century. I took great joy in packing down with a fellow ginger teacher.
Gary Prickett Q&A
You came through the grades at Wests Mitchelton with John Ribot and Norm Carr. That’s not a bad cohort of mates?
I started at Wests Mitchy when I was eight and came through the grades to play A Grade for Wests Panthers. I went to Mitchelton High so was always in the area.
I remember I was invited to check out the Dolphins once and I went and had a look but went home to West Brisbane. No need to leave.
John Ribot and Norm Carr were great mates and great footballers. It was an honour to go through with them.
You are renowned for your low tackling, where did that come from?
If you were going to play hooker you had three jobs... win the ball in the scrums, pass it to the right person and tackle in the middle.
I just saw defence as something you can get right every week.
John Lang would have been a great hooking rival; how did you go against Lang?
Well we can talk about the 1976 grand final? Lang was a great hooker and great man. He was very good at the simple things and he got them right every week every year.
The 1976 grand final and the Wests Panthers are the premiers, the captain from 1975 Kel Brown has been replaced by a young Gary Prickett and you’re playing in a grand final and not done with that you score a try and win man of the match in the win over the Tigers.
Yeah Brown was the captain and hooker in 1975 and then in 1976 I was the hooker. The try I have run about three metres if I was generous.
I played it forward and dived over at the Milton Road end. After some great lead up work by Geoff Richardson. He could throw a beautiful pass.
To keep a Tigers team try-less with the Morris boys and Lindenberg in was pretty special defence.
In 1979 you were The Courier-Mail player of the year and Rugby League Week player of the year. Was 1979 your best year?
I think it was my most consistent but funnily enough I played for Brisbane in 1977 and Queensland in 1981 and not in 1979.
Two games for Queensland before Origin. How did you find interstate football?
I loved playing for Queensland, I still have my Queensland jumper. I played for Queensland with Norm Carr but against John Ribot who was in the Blues team.
You got to play in two of Arthur Beetson’s three games for Queensland, how did you find him?
Yeah people sort of forget those two games he captain coached for Queensland while he was at the Dolphins. It was an honour to play with Arthur, I spent a lot of time just watching him. We lost those two games but then Origin was here.
You taught primary school and high school during your career, how did teaching work with playing?
I loved teaching, I did it for 36 years all up and down the coast, it’s a pretty good job. I didn’t enjoy duty on hot days. I couldn’t be in the sun with my red hair. Mr Prickett would be under a tree.
John Lang on Gary Prickett
I asked Easts Tigers and Australian Rugby League hooking royalty John Lang what he remembered about Gary Prickett.
“Gary didn’t have a weakness in his game but I think defence was his strength. He had an excellent tackling technique and he did plenty of it. A great hooker in Brisbane in the 1970s.”
