Big Artie

The autobiography of Australia's greatest rugby league footballer of the 1970s.

Arthur Beetson was the biggest and best player - and personality - of a football era that most rugby league fans over the age of 35 remember fondly, vividly, with great passion. The son of a member of the Stolen Generation, Arthur was a great forward, who won Tests and Grand Finals, but who was often sent off in crucial games, was once dropped while Australian captain and was even linked to the mysterious death of a team mate in a pub brawl.

A popular image was of Beetson with meat pie in hand and his coaches sometimes questioned his work ethic. But as the game became a major television sport he evolved into the face of league. Arthur was the first Aborigine to captain his country in a major sport. Artie remained Australian skipper until 1977, and in 1980, in a famous farewell, inspired Queensland to victory in the inaugural State of Origin match.

His legendary clash with Eels colleague Mick Cronin, which emphatically refuted suggestions that clubmates might go easy on each other, is still arguably the most significant of all Origin incidents.

Today he is an Australian selector, a father figure at Easts, and a larrikin raconteur with a million yarns. He has witnessed close up all the big stories in rugby league - and many of the funniest - for 37 seasons (and been the pivotal figure in many of them), from an Ashes victory back in 1966 through to the Roosters wins of today.

He has come into close contact with many of the game's most important figures, including Jack Gibson, Wayne Bennett, Wally Lewis, Mal Meninga, Peter Sterling, Bob Fulton, Ricky Stuart, Alfie Langer, Brad Fittler - the list, like the honour roll of Big Artie's achievements, goes on and on.