17 August 2011

The end of Tongue

| johnboy
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The Canberra Raiders have announced that club stalwart and Captain Alan Tongue is retiring at the end of the season:

Alan arrived in Canberra from Tamworth at the end of 1998 on a Scholarship with the Raiders after attending Farrer Agricultural High School where he played his junior rugby league.

He made his first grade debut in 2000 against the Brisbane Broncos at ANZ Stadium in Brisbane, a game and went on to win the Raiders rookie of the year award that season.

He’s since gone on to play 217 NRL games with the Raiders and will line up for his 218th match this weekend against the Titans.

Alan picked up the Raiders Player of the year award in 2006 and in 2008 walked away with the Dally M Awards for Lock of the year and Captain of the year.

He was named Captain of the Raiders at the beginning of the 2007 season and has been at the helm for the past five years.

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grunge_hippy said :

pptvb said :

Forget Meninga, Daley, Belcher, Carney…..Tongue is the greatest Raider.

are you on drugs?

Greatest captain to ever do squat. sure, he might be a nice guy, but greatest ever raider??? please.

grunge_hippy said :

pptvb said :

Forget Meninga, Daley, Belcher, Carney…..Tongue is the greatest Raider.

are you on drugs?

Greatest captain to ever do squat. sure, he might be a nice guy, but greatest ever raider??? please.

dungfungus said :

His legacy will be an aching body for the rest of his life.

grunge_hippy said :

pptvb said :

Forget Meninga, Daley, Belcher, Carney…..Tongue is the greatest Raider.

are you on drugs?

Greatest captain to ever do squat. sure, he might be a nice guy, but greatest ever raider??? please.

Good to see a touch of reality shining through, I agree nice bloke but very mistake prone but you could count on 80 minutes out of him. Pity a few of his team mates don’t pull the plug and join him him on the sideline.

grunge_hippy10:21 pm 17 Aug 11

pptvb said :

Forget Meninga, Daley, Belcher, Carney…..Tongue is the greatest Raider.

are you on drugs?

Greatest captain to ever do squat. sure, he might be a nice guy, but greatest ever raider??? please.

Skidd Marx said :

pptvb said :

Forget Meninga, Daley, Belcher, Carney…..Tongue is the greatest Raider.

Let’s not get carried away here.

I’m not saying he’s the greatest player, but a great club man…Raider.
He gave 100% on the field ( look at the nose!)
You never heard Alan Tongue stories like:
– Meninga bashed….., knocked up……
– Daley constantly masturbating in public
– Carney…. well.. 1,2,3,4,….. how many examples
– Stuart killing a bloke DUI (Wisdom St.)
etc

Tongue set a good example, from what I’ve seen & heard. He put plenty of time into school coaching clinics & always had time for fans.

Ah,
I’ll miss the funny posters some of the crowd used to make up for Alan Tongue.
Classics such as:
Come on the Tongue and
The Bulldogs/Roosters have a Big Willy but Raiders know how to use the Tongue.

icantbelieveitsnotbutter3:38 pm 17 Aug 11

I love the guy and to be honest, I would expect a little more from the raiders than the statement above. With that said, and with all due respect, in terms of great Raiders players… he would only just make the top 20 (on a good day)

pptvb said :

Forget Meninga, Daley, Belcher, Carney…..Tongue is the greatest Raider.

Let’s not get carried away here.

You’ll be missed Alan – in an era of over inflated egos your humility and kindness was a beacon that not all rugby league players have tickets on themselves. You let your performance on the field speak for you and you led with courage and integrity. All the best for the future, I hope you and your family stick around in Canberra.

His legacy will be as the most overrated, most injured and really lucky players the Raiders have seen…… well that is untill his replacement Terry ” I am David Campese’s nephew” Campese takes his spot!

In an era of big pay packets and bad behaviour in all codes (well at least according to the media always looking for a sensationalist fix) Alan always stood as a true gent on and off the paddock. You could use every cliché in the book about him, but importantly there will be many fans who will remember his returned respect for those who watch the game. My boys will long remember the time he took to chat with them a few years back at a Captain’s Run.
The Raider’s woeful season is sad way for a bloody legend to go out but I don’t think you will hear him whine. In may ways, he leaves a greater legacy in tough times than other legends such as Mal and Snoz did in the good.

Forget Meninga, Daley, Belcher, Carney…..Tongue is the greatest Raider.

His legacy will be an aching body for the rest of his life.

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