The dogtags are only small, nestled among century-old caps and jerseys, but they tell a rugby league story of their own.
Bill Fahey served in France in 1918 after establishing the Western Suburbs club in Brisbane in 1915.
“He played, went away, saw lots of his mates killed, won the Military Medal twice, then came home and ran the Brisbane Junior league for 30 years after that,” Rugby League Museum historian Terry Williams told AAP.
“That’s the thing with the objects – it’s the stories behind them that add resonance and depth.”
The many stories of league are now on display for the first time in a dedicated museum, officially launched on the birthday of the game in 1895 and showcasing 117 years of history.
“The game’s photos and treasures have mainly adorned largely unseen office hallways or been packed in gloomy storerooms. Today, everything changes,” league writer Ian Heads told media in Sydney.
“There’s so many stories and so many items – this is probably not even 10 per cent of the league’s archival collection,” Williams said of the display of balls, boots, magazines, photos, trophies and video.
All the game’s trophies from 1908 to the present day are displayed together for the first time.
Leather boots worn by Harry Griffin in 1945 and Norm Provan in 1965 sit alongside Paul Gallen’s boots from this year.
The 1914 best player silver belt awarded to star South Sydney player Howard Hallett gleams like a medieval relic, as does the Courtney Goodwill Trophy: 1.76 metres of kitsch, it depicts league greats of the time – including Dally Messenger – towered over by a winged woman standing on a silver globe of the world.
There are interactive displays featuring player stats, a wall of fame featuring Australia’s 100 greatest players, and commercials from every year of State of Origin.
Bill Harris, the oldest surviving premiership player at 96, was a winger for the Canterbury Bulldogs in 1943 as well as a police detective and an international acrobat, himself representing over 70 years of league history.
“This is a collection that will bring people together,” he said.
“We can’t all play for Australia,” said Williams.
“(But) I hope people will be entertained, educated and thrilled – inspired, even.”
The Rugby League Museum is located at Rugby League Central at Moore Park and is open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11am – 2pm from September 6. Admission is free.
