Terry Hill the loveable NRL larrikin: The day I copped a spray from the Manly great
The Manly great's death at 52 has rocked the league world.
It was the late 90s and we were waiting for an NRL press conference to start at Brookvale Oval, just days out from a big finals match. I can’t remember the exact season or who Manly were about to play, but I'll never forget what happened just as the cameras were about to roll and microphones were placed under Terry Hill's nose.
"Before we start…is there anyone here from The Manly Daily?" Hill demanded. I was the sports editor on said publication. A few eyes looked my way as I looked for the ground to swallow me up. My mind quickly ran through recent stories I'd written.
Manly had been winning, Hill was playing well and he'd always been happy to take a call and chat – what was his problem? Before I could confirm my presence in the media scrum, he caught my eye.
"I'm not dealing with youse anymore. I won't be answering any questions 'til you're gone. You've got life," he growled. It was clear I had to go. There was no arguing the point, especially when I didn’t know the subject matter.
Hill didn’t start the press conference until I was well out of range, walking back to my car in a daze. I returned to the office rattled and humiliated, still in a state of confusion as to what the hell had just transpired. The news desk soon set me straight.
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They'd be working on a front page story which was dragging up Hill's driving record and it was not likely to end in his favour. No wonder we were off with him. But what happened next was probably the most surprising part.
A couple of days later the phone rang at the desk and I answered "Sport". "G'day, Sport. It's Tezza," Hill replied in that distinctive, lispy, voice of his. I held the phone a metre from my ear and waited for part two of his spray.
"Just wanted to say sorry for the other day. It's nothing personal, champ," he continued. "I'm pissed off with the paper, not you." I immediately thought of that exchange when I heard the sad news Terry had died of a heart attack, aged just 52.
Terry Hill remembered as one of league's great characters
It summed up Hill perfectly – a prickly, take no prisoners customer when he felt aggrieved or challenged, but blessed with the ability to make you feel like an old mate at other times. One media colleague fondly recalls Hill, when he was coaching on the Central Coast, insisting they enjoy a beer in the dressing-room before getting down to business. No interview until the can was cracked.
On the field, Hill was a winner no matter what it took or who he abused along the way in 246 games for Souths, Easts, Manly and Wests Tigers. A centre with a backrower's build, he was a paid-up member of Steve Waugh's mental disintegration cult, chatting incessantly in a bid to put opponents off.
It worked a treat one Sunday afternoon in 1999 when Hill almost single-handedly dragged Manly back from the dead. The Sea Eagles were down 26-8 with 13 min to go when Hill laid on one try and scored another as he terrorised the visitors verbally and physically.
I will never forget how the old ground rocked that day as the comeback clicked through the gears. It ended 26-all, Hill's performance going down as one of the all-time great individual performances in a maroon and white jumper.
Hill remained a large than life character through his Footy Show crosses, Lowes ads and lobster pot dealings but sadly disappeared from the rugby league scene a number of years ago. His untimely death shocked and sadden those who followed the game when characters were encouraged – not persecuted – for showing some personality. Whether it was with ball in hand or working that motormouth of his, there was no ignoring Terry Hill.