By Casey O'Connor
A shock news broadcast has become far too familiar for Sports fans especially Cricket fans in the past few months. Just as we have been working to reconcile the shock death of Shane Warne and to a lesser extent Rod Marsh, we woke on Saturday morning to the almost unbelievable news that Cricket had lost one of its greatest larrikins and most remarkable talents, Andrew “Roy” Symonds.
Roy was without doubt one of the greatest all round talents I have had the privilege to watch. Taken from us at 46 after a car accident – it seems such a waste and quite unbelievable. Surely Symonds, who would have preferred the title of his book ‘Roy on the Rise’ to be ‘Roy The Wild Colonial Boy’ was indestructible.
In that very book the prologue opens with Roy saying ‘I would never consider myself to be a revolutionary. A bit rebellious perhaps but revolutionary no way.”
Of course, he was referring to T20 cricket and the rise of the IPL but “A Bit Rebellious” was even for Roy and understatement.
This was the guy who turned up to sign his first contract in a Ute, with a couple of dogs in tow and wearing an Akubra and not much changed over the ensuing years.
Roy was never far from the action on the cricket field and we all loved him for not only his talent but the way he played the game.
He was wrong in saying he was not a “revolutionary” because he certainly revolutionised the white ball game, put his indelible stamp on Test Cricket and yes of course the T20 game.
Visiting Charters Towers several years ago with the Wanderers team and his great mate Jimmy Maher who he played cricket with and against from age 10 it was clear to see Symonds was North Queensland’s cricketing hero.
In the Towers we were introduced by local cricketers to, “the field where Roy played; the pitch where he hit the biggest six they have ever seen (and that was he was a kid); the nets where Roy trained, the school Roy attended and on and on – you get the picture.” They didn’t let on his favourite NQ fishing haunts though.
Not for Roy the Corporate world post cricket and even through his career. His passions were his family, fishing, crabbing, his dogs, hunting and NQ.
Of course, the fishing as is well documented got him in to all sorts of hot water.
It is amazing to now reflect how different things are from 2008 when the Monkeygate episode erupted after Harbhajan Singh’s disparaging remarks directed at Symonds. Symonds found no support from Cricket Australia, the ICC or the Indian Cricket Board during the whole ugly affair. The effect on Symonds has been well documented and is a period in Australian cricket where the administrators of the day should hold their heads in shame. Only yesterday I read where one, Jones has finally admitted they let Roy down. Too little too late.
Tributes continue to flow for this remarkable cricketer, but I was taken by Ricky Ponting’s words. Punter said, “If Roy shook your hand, you had his word, that’s the sort of bloke he was and that’s why I always wanted him on my team. An extraordinary player and even better human being.”
There can be no greater accolade.
RIP Roy – you were special.
Casey
Post Script – To the Captain upstairs – Now you have among your team up there some of the greatest ever; – Bradman the Batsman and captain; Warnie the greatest ever Spinner; Rod Marsh one the greatest ever Glovemen; Benaud one of our best and now Roy the ultimate all-rounder; Dean Jones another world class batsman; Phil Hughes an emerging talent and too many others – enough already. No more.
Casey’s Round 11 NRL Tips
Broncos; Tigers; Eels; Dragons; Storm; Panthers; Rabbitohs; Sharks
