One of the attendees at Gunnedah Rugby Park for last Saturday’s Central North Rugby Union (CNRU) preliminary final was former high-profile rugby league player Kevin Junee.

Junee played for the Eastern Suburbs Roosters (now the Sydney Roosters) from 1964 to 1973, and then played for Manly in 1974 and 1975 before returning briefly to the Roosters in 1976.

A member of the Easts team which lost to Manly in the 1972 grand final, Junee represented NSW during his career and also made the Kangaroo tour of 1967-68 although he never played a Test for Australia.

Now 82 years of age, Junee has recovered from a number of strokes but retains a sharp mind and is happy to chat with anyone.

Junee coached the Quirindi Lions rugby union team along with Col McKenzie several years ago, before taking on mentoring role which he now has.

Having coached rugby union in Sydney, Junee and his wife looked at moving to Willow Tree or Murrurundi before an agent said there was a place available in Quirindi.

“We fell in love with the place,” he recalled.

Junee also remembered driving around and seeing the rugby union ground, while there was a sign saying the next game was on August 18.

With his son Darren having played rugby union for Australia, Junee said, “I learned in the early days of my son playing: if you wanted to tour the world, you’d ask where the nearest rugby club is…It’s what happened at Quirindi.”

Junee’s first grade career with the Roosters began when the St George Dragons had won the past eight premierships, and were destined to also win the next three.

As for whether there were any highlights or standout moments in his rugby league career, Junee said he hadn’t thought about it too much over the years although he would never forget his first grade debut.

Junee’s debut was against South Sydney at the Sydney Sports Ground, with the now 82-year-old recalling there was a photo on the back page of the Telegraph of him being lifted into a vertical position.

Junee also said he remembered having tunnel vision because he was knocked around the head a lot, while sports medicine had become more advanced since then along with awareness of head knocks.

“When I (first) played we trained two nights a week. When I retired in 1976 we were training five nights a week,” he said.

Junee remembered St George being strong, while Easts didn’t win even a single game in 1966.

“That record’s going to stand forever,” he said.

Junee’s career coincided with that of several players who have become rugby league ‘Immortals’: Reg Gasnier, John Raper, Graeme Langlands, Norm Provan and Ron Coote.

Junee recounted a time when one particular player scored tries for St George against Easts at Kogarah Oval.

“Behind the tryline I asked ‘who’s that bloke who’s scored the tries?'” he said.

“They said ‘don’t you know?’ That’s Reg Gasnier.

“I never studied the opposition.

“I didn’t want to worry about them.

“I wanted them to worry about me.”

On another occasion when Easts opposed St George, Junee remembered playing at five-eighth against Brian ‘Poppa’ Clay.

“I stood him up on two occasions and ran around him…it was the last time I ran all day,” Junee said, noting he was nullified after Raper moved out of the scrum while Clay moved out a bit wider.

Junee said he was knocked out on two occasions at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), and couldn’t remember either of the matches.

Junee described the 1972 grand final as “a really worthwhile experience”, even if the Roosters were on the wrong end of some controversial decisions including a try to Manly’s Ray Branighan who slowed down before crossing the tryline due to thinking there was a forward pass.

Having been chosen for NSW several times in the 1960s as well as being picked for a Kangaroo tour, Junee said it was an honour to gain representative honours.

Away from football, Junee worked with tools and machinery before changing direction and working at a sports store which later closed down.

Junee then helped establish a sports store called Kevin Junee’s Run For Your Life, based in Bondi Junction.

Junee said what was “really awakening” was hearing people say he brought enjoyment to their life.

“I just went out and played footy,” he said.