THE RL1908 BLOG
News, Reviews & Opinion - Sean Fagan - RL1908.com
| ALL GOLDS MATCH TO REPRISE MESSENGER ROLE |
 The NZRL will invite an Australian to play in the "All Golds" commemorative match in October 2007 in England. Newcastle's Andrew Johns was set to play until his forced retirement. Barring injury, the role will now be taken up by Darren Lockyer.
The invitation is to replicate the place held by Dally Messenger, who played for the New Zealand team on their 1907/08 tour of England and Wales.
Rugby league lore told us that Messenger's form in the three 1907 NSW v NZ professional matches in Sydney convinced Albert Baskerville and the Kiwis to invite the Australian to join their team.
As detailed in Pioneers of Rugby League, the real story is that Messenger's name was in the "All Golds" tour contract six weeks before the Kiwis left New Zealand for Sydney.
The contract required each of the team members, including Messenger, to put in £50 to buy a share in the potential tour profits.
As an Australian in a Kiwi team, Messenger was as a "guest." However, had he not paid his £50 entry fee to be an equal member of the team, the "All Golds" would not have taken him to England.
The full story is in The Master: The Life & Times of Dally Messenger. 
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