One of the great voices of Australian sport has left us, knowing that he would be inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame to sit alongside Ray Warren as one of the great voices of the game of rugby league.
I first heard Thirsty when I listened to the ABC radio commentary of games via the NRL website in the late 2000s, when captain happiness Warren Ryan was his expert commentator (As he was for many decades), then I got to see him live in action when the 2GB Continuous Call Team were calling a Dragons-Tigers game at the opening of the new Allianz Stadium in 2022:
Much like the Origin game on Wednesday night, that game featured Zac Lomax nailing a sideline penalty kick, in that case to win the game.
Of course, he was also the voice of the Western Reds during their short history, the main highlight being their massive upset of runaway premiers Manly in Round 13 of 1996:
And many old Footy Show viewers will remember that Thirsty had a very key involvement in Paul 'Fatty' Vautin's first attempt as a TV commentator, which was the 1988 Grand Final between Canterbury and Balmain, broadcast live on the ABC.
Just prior to the game, Thirsty asked Fatty the question about the finals, and all Fatty could come up with, live on air, was that the Top 3 teams of 1988 were Canterbury, Cronulla, and **** It.
Unsurprisingly, Fatty never called another game for the ABC, and wound up at Channel Nine.
But yes, another great rugby league voice of our childhood is gone, joining his old 2GB sparring partner Bob Fulton, plus the likes of Rex Mossop, Darrell Eastlake and Tommy Raudonikis.
Farewell, Thirsty.
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