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NormA Tail of Many Talents - "Beaver" Menzies
October 2nd 2008 00:11
Steve Matai. Sika Manu. Michael Crocker. Steve Menzies??
In the spirit of Herald journalists (particularly Glenn Jackson and Andrew Webster) portraying Melbourne/Manly players as bad guys turned good, it was only a matter of time before someone penned the definitive insight into Steve Menzies. SportingMind has done just that, catching up with the retiring star earlier this week.
Tail of Many Talents
The "beaver" is a small, rodent-like animal, with a broad tail and large front teeth - suitable for gnawing through wood in order to create a suitable living environment. Beavers are native to the U.S. and Canada, or at least so they once were, until one such animal made its way from the murky dams of society into the collective hearts of Australia. That one rodent is, of course, Steve "Beaver" Menzies.
But life didn't always go so swimmingly for the Beaver. No, in fact, far from it. The young Beaver was raised in a dangerous part of town, Sydney's Northern Beaches. A young Beaver was was asked to walk to school each day as a youngster, each day being an uncertainty. Would he make it to school or wouldn't he? Of course, it wasn't uncommon for Beaver to come across a discarded "Coke" can, lying arrogantly on the sidewalk - a symbol of the youth crime that was so prevalent in the area. Beaver often spoke of this tough upbringing, recounting the time he was forced to pick up 50 papers at lunchtime, in a post-cane discplinary era. "Gee, times were tough", he said, with a pained expression. "I just had to grit my teeth and get through it. Looking back it probably hardened me up a bit, made me realise that you can't take everything for granted."
Beaver himself had to contend with the rise of "gangs", much in the same way that Sika Manu and Steve Matai once did in their respective neighbourhoods. Tentatively, Beaver joined the fearsome North Shore gang "New Kids on the Block", named in tribute to the emerging boy-band featuring Donny Wahlberg. The crew would terrorise the neighbourhood for months by playing touch footy on the streets after dark, frightening the local community into submission.
Beaver attributes his nice-guy image to his weekly attendance at church, something that his parents enforced from a very young age. "Dad was really into the works of L. Ron Hubbard, so i'd have to say that my committment to the Church of Scientology really kept me grounded during my early years, and throughout my entire career", Menzies said.
A mini-biography of a rugby league player wouldn't be complete without a reference to the drink "Kava", to which Beaver assigns much of his success. "Dad made me drink the stuff initially to exorcise my inner alien (a common practice in the Church of Scientology). The drink also has great benefits to rugby league players specifically, in that along with potraying a neat stereotype to a reporter searching for an easy anecdote, it also makes you run faster and make better tackles."
Beaver knows he is one of the lucky ones. Growing up in a challenging environment, one could forgive the Beaver for turning to a life of crime. A crafty little rodent who bit off more than he could chew. A buck-toothed maverick who fought the odds to become one of the greatest back-rowers in modern times. Beaver will be hoping to bid the Manly faithful farewell with a glorious swansong, one which is most befitting.
Any final words? "Mate, whatever happens, i've had a good run", he said.
Typical Beaver, more solid than red oak. And he oughta know.
-SportingMind
In the spirit of Herald journalists (particularly Glenn Jackson and Andrew Webster) portraying Melbourne/Manly players as bad guys turned good, it was only a matter of time before someone penned the definitive insight into Steve Menzies. SportingMind has done just that, catching up with the retiring star earlier this week.
Tail of Many Talents
The "beaver" is a small, rodent-like animal, with a broad tail and large front teeth - suitable for gnawing through wood in order to create a suitable living environment. Beavers are native to the U.S. and Canada, or at least so they once were, until one such animal made its way from the murky dams of society into the collective hearts of Australia. That one rodent is, of course, Steve "Beaver" Menzies.
But life didn't always go so swimmingly for the Beaver. No, in fact, far from it. The young Beaver was raised in a dangerous part of town, Sydney's Northern Beaches. A young Beaver was was asked to walk to school each day as a youngster, each day being an uncertainty. Would he make it to school or wouldn't he? Of course, it wasn't uncommon for Beaver to come across a discarded "Coke" can, lying arrogantly on the sidewalk - a symbol of the youth crime that was so prevalent in the area. Beaver often spoke of this tough upbringing, recounting the time he was forced to pick up 50 papers at lunchtime, in a post-cane discplinary era. "Gee, times were tough", he said, with a pained expression. "I just had to grit my teeth and get through it. Looking back it probably hardened me up a bit, made me realise that you can't take everything for granted."
Beaver himself had to contend with the rise of "gangs", much in the same way that Sika Manu and Steve Matai once did in their respective neighbourhoods. Tentatively, Beaver joined the fearsome North Shore gang "New Kids on the Block", named in tribute to the emerging boy-band featuring Donny Wahlberg. The crew would terrorise the neighbourhood for months by playing touch footy on the streets after dark, frightening the local community into submission.
His childhood idols: New Kids on the Block
Beaver attributes his nice-guy image to his weekly attendance at church, something that his parents enforced from a very young age. "Dad was really into the works of L. Ron Hubbard, so i'd have to say that my committment to the Church of Scientology really kept me grounded during my early years, and throughout my entire career", Menzies said.
A mini-biography of a rugby league player wouldn't be complete without a reference to the drink "Kava", to which Beaver assigns much of his success. "Dad made me drink the stuff initially to exorcise my inner alien (a common practice in the Church of Scientology). The drink also has great benefits to rugby league players specifically, in that along with potraying a neat stereotype to a reporter searching for an easy anecdote, it also makes you run faster and make better tackles."
Beaver knows he is one of the lucky ones. Growing up in a challenging environment, one could forgive the Beaver for turning to a life of crime. A crafty little rodent who bit off more than he could chew. A buck-toothed maverick who fought the odds to become one of the greatest back-rowers in modern times. Beaver will be hoping to bid the Manly faithful farewell with a glorious swansong, one which is most befitting.
Any final words? "Mate, whatever happens, i've had a good run", he said.
Typical Beaver, more solid than red oak. And he oughta know.
-SportingMind
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