Steve Darmody: Australia Expects Much of This Man

Sean Fagan of RL1908.com

Steve Darmody

Steve Darmody was a surprise late inclusion for the 1911 Kangaroos after the great Dally Messenger withdrew from the tour. The decision would dramatically alter the path that Darmody's life was to take.

Darmody was a rising teenage star at the Rabbitohs who was used as a utility player in the forwards, and often in the three-quarters too.

There are unconfirmed reports that Darmody made his top grade debut during the 1908 season at the age of 16.

By the time the 1911 Kangaroos sailed for England, Darmody had played 20 games for Souths, scoring six tries and 22 goals, in the 1910 and 1911 seasons.

He did not play in the 1910 Final that South Sydney drew with Newtown, but was a key player in 1911 as the Rabbitohs again set the premiership pace.

There is little doubt that the Souths club saw the teenage Darmody's inclusion in the tour party as a great opportunity for him to gain valuable football experience which would ultimately benefit the Rabbitohs.

As events turned out, Darmody's selection resulted in him never playing for the Rabbitohs or in Australia again.

Raymond Fletcher, "Hull - 100 Greats" takes up the story:

The 1911/12 Kangaroo Tour brochure described Darmody as: 'A brilliant forward who can take his place in the backs. One of whom Australia expects much.'

Australia's great expectations were not to be fulfilled, at least not with his country as the promising nineteen-year-old joined Hull after the tour and soon became a big favourite with The Boulevard crowd.

At 5ft 9in and 12st 61b, Darmody was a fine all-round athlete, as well as a top-class hurdler. Although a skilful player, he was reported as being 'something of a wild man' on the 1911 Kangaroo Tour and was one of four players sent off in a violent match at Widnes.

Hull made full use of Darmody's utility in his first season, playing him on the wing for the first few matches and at centre for one game before he settled down at second row or loose forward. Within three months he was playing in his first Cup final, a 17-3 Yorkshire Cup defeat by Batley at Headingley.

The following season he shared in Hull's greatest triumph to date when they beat Wakefield Trinity 6-0 in the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final at Halifax's Thrum Hall.

Darmody was one of three Australian internationals, along with Bert Gilbert and Jimmy Devereux, who brought a touch of glamour to Hull's 1914 Challenge Cup-winning side. They were idolised by the fans, and all three backed up their star status with top-class performances on the field.

A report of Hull's Cup Final defeat of Wakefield Trinity sums up Darmody's contribution: 'The Australian found his valuable assistance was needed in the role of a hard-working forward. Right well he played, too. It was the sort of game in which he revelled. Steve would be an ideal three-quarter for Wakefield. And wouldn't they welcome him. He would add that stiffening so much needed in dash and attack. But Darmody is one of the players Hull look to for further Cup successes in the next three years.'

Darmody had another good season in 1914/15, playing in his second Yorkshire Cup final, bringing his total of games for Hull to 89 (including 16 tries and 15 goals). Unfortunately, at that point his career come to an abrupt end - just as he was at his peak the First World War began.

Although far away from home, Darmody volunteered for the Motor Transport Section in the British army. He was shipped to France and while serving in Flanders was wounded. Darmody caught the lower part of his leg in the fly-wheel of a motor vehicle that he was servicing, severing his foot completely. He was trapped for two and a half hours.

Darmody though did not relent - he joined the Royal Flying Corps, continuing his brave war effort with an artificial leg. "Tracker", as he was known, is quoted as saying he was determined to "tickle the Fritzes".

Hull later staged a benefit match for him between East Riding and West Riding at The Boulevard, which raised £220. It is a measure of the esteem that Darmody had attained in England that the West Riding side included four now English Hall of Fame members - Harold Wagstaff, Jonty Parkin, Billy Batten and Australia's Albert Rosenfeld.

Like Eastern Suburbs' Rosenfeld, Steve Darmody left Sydney on a Kangaroo Tour and did not return to Australia to live. He eventually settled in Scotland for the remainder of his life.

Darmody only played nine games for Australia (no Tests) on that Kangaroo Tour, but its effect on his life were profound. If Messenger had not stood down after being selected, Darmody would have remained in Sydney developing into a vital player for the Rabbitohs over the next decade.

Although, it appears from his willingness to volunteer for war duties, that Darmody may well have enlisted in Sydney anyway - and that boat journey to Europe had a completely different ending for many young men from Australia and New Zealand.