A recollection in words and images of rugby league's most incredible personalities from both on and off the field

The untold stories from the players of the games glory days

Interviews with past players about their life and career.

This book deals with the sporting life of fifteen Australian Rugby League players who almost reached the pinnacle of their sporting career. Sadly, for many reasons, they were to fall at the final hurdle. The book also gives fascinating insights into the players’ lives off the field—one player gaining the second-highest military honour during World War I and another dying while en route to England to represent his country. One player was to lose his life in the most bizarre and mysterious circumstances while another remains somewhat of a mystery even to this day. Whilst essentially a book about Rugby League players, it is also a book about the extraordinary lives of sportsmen.

Uncommon Heroes transports you back to a time when rugby league was a bruising tribal contest of local rivalries, muddy grounds were packed with fans and the corporate juggernaut of today’s game was all but a distant dream.Much more than a weekend game and points table, rugby league was an all-inclusive family - a grassroots phenomenon loyally followed for generations. Players ran onto sodden fields and survived on their wits, natural brawn and the kind of mateship that transcended club allegiances, state lines and national borders.Often men of little means, their names have faded like the newspaper clippings of their exploits. Through knockabout anecdotes and warm-hearted stories, Uncommon Heroes brings to life the legacies of players like Eric Weissel, Tom Kirk, Ronnie Coote, Lionel Williamson and the Warialda brothers Les and Noel Cleal, who would play in the fierce local contests, the Foley Shield and the Maher Cup, and end up in the big cities, or playing for their state and for Australia.Their names were once emblazoned across the sports pages. They became uncommon heroes. Dreams came true.John Ellicott is the author of Waterhouse & Smith: The power of two racing dynasties, and A Year on the Punt: about country racing. He has over two decades of experience as a journalist for some of Australia’s major newspapers.