By STEVE MASCORD
DEAN Schifilliti is best remembered as one of Illawarra’s ‘Spaghetti Twins’ – the rather politically incorrect name given to the hooker and fellow Italian-descended forward Neil Piccinelli.
‘Skiff’ still describes himself the way continental immigrants and their kids did in the eighties – as “ethnic” – but his 12-year career had more to offer than syllables, with stints back home in North Queensland, Adelaide and finally Parramatta.
He remembers a time when ‘extras’ at training meant jogging to the pub with $10 in your sock. Today, after a stint in the media as a radio co-commentator, he is a partner in Formset Constructions in Townsville. The company sponsors the Cowboys but he prefers to watch from the hill.
Rugby League Week: How did the Steelers find you?
Dean Schifilliti: “I was playing in Ingham, mainly under 18s. Rod Henniker, who played for North Sydney and the Steelers, was coaching up there and Rod Reddy was in Townsville at the time. I also played some Foley Shield, the Steelers were interested, and I transferred my studies down to Wollongong Uni. I was studying engineering at the time.”
RLW: I seem to remember you guys always had a good time at the Steelers back then. Graham Murray was big on everyone bonding and drinking after training wasn’t just permitted, it was compulsory.
DS: “Yeah, they were good times. Fifty to sixty percent of the players were from out of town. I was just a country bumpkin. Muzz was at Penrith at first and then he came in as an assistant to Ron Hilditch and then he took over. I remember that for extras at training, we each put 10 dollars in our pockets, ran to the Harp Hotel, had a beer or two, and ran back. We were training at Wollongong Showground so if you know the town, that’s not much of a run!”
RLW: The highlight must have been 1992 and making the preliminary final…
DS: “That was a great year. We had a really, really young side – although not as young as the teams today. There were a couple of old heads, guys like Chris Walsh who played for NSW and then some great local talent like Rod Wishart, Brett Rodwell, John Simon and John Cross. It’s a shame really that we didn’t go further.”
RLW: A lot of people from that era believe you would have given Brisbane a better game in the grand final than St George did….
DS: “Well, we had beaten them two or three times that year already so I agree with that. They had so many internationals though – to be honest it was an honour to play against them. It was awe-inspiring.”
RLW: The Steelers side stayed together for less money for a number of years but then it seemed to dissolve quite quickly.
DS: “Yes, I think there were a few people other than the players who were responsible for the side breaking up. Things got political. The side didn’t need to break up like that. But we were all around 22 or younger. We didn’t even know the players who played for Sydney clubs. Then it became apparent that we could see the rest of the country playing football. And the Steelers were never flushed with funds.”
RLW: You signed in 1993 for North Queensland’s debut season – two years in advance. Dale Fritz and Brett Goldspink signed for Perth. The Steelers could have kept you for 1994 but they released you. How did that play out?
DS: “That could have been handled better. Brett Goldspink wasn’t really an established player. Fritzy was a gun but nor a marquee player and neither was I. I don’t have anything bad to say about Bob Millward or the board. They did a good job. My time there was sensational. There were just some other things…. it’s always hard when new sides are coming in because they really shake up the market.”
RLW: You went to South Sydney for the year and won the 1994 pre-season final against Brisbane. But then you did your knee, didn’t you.
DS: “Yes, in round four. Fritzy hurt himself in his first trial for the Wests or something too. But I would say my time at Souths and Parramatta were my favourites. At Parra there were strappers who’d strapped Price and Cronin. They were old clubs with great traditions and socially it was great. I did my first cruciate in about round four and that was it for the year. I’d already signed for the Cowboys so I went up there.”
RLW: And you played in the Cowboys’ very first game, against the Bulldogs…
DS: “I lasted, I think, 11 minutes; did the cruciate again. It was great to be involved in setting up a new club. Unlike today, the players actually did the setting up! We all worked on the ground and stuff like that. Sadly, the first day it pissed down. The surface didn’t take too well and that might have played a role in my injury. I don’t know if I can blame myself and my team-mates for the state of the ground! I was in doubt for the match all week and made a late decision to play. Good decision, eh? That was the end of the season for me. I came back in ’95 but the club signed other hookers like Jason Death and I found myself playing in the second row. The club used fill-in coaches while Tim Sheens was waiting to come up. An 82kg little ethnic kid playing second row in the (premiership) – it wasn’t a lot of fun.”
RLW: And so you moved to Adelaide…
DS: “Rod Reddy and Tony Smith were down there and we were pretty much outcasts who weren’t wanted by the rest of the (competition). I played half, five-eighth, centre, hooker over the two years and I really enjoyed it. I was already at Parramatta when they closed the Rams. It was very disappointing. I thought that was a good thing for the game to do but obviously the dollars and cents didn’t add up. It was great to be at a premiership force like Parramatta. That was sen-bloody-sational.”
RLW: You made a number of preliminary and train-on squads for Queensland. Was there one point where you really thought you’d play Origin?
DS: “The best chance I had of playing for Queensland was to get a time machine, go back and do something bad to the father of Steve and Kerrod Walters. I mean, Steve was a sensational player and Kerrod wasn’t far behind him. Unfortunately Queensland had seven of the best nine hookers in the competition in era. Fritzy was in the same boat. He would have played for Queensland in most other eras.”
RLW: The ‘Spaghetti Twins” epithet would be considered culturally insensitive today. Did it ever bother you?
DS: “Not at all. I mean, ‘Pincho’ was raised in Hellensburgh and couldn’t speak a word of Italian but when someone like HG and Roy comes up with a nickname for you, it’s pretty cool. It seems like a bit of a wrap. Actually, I don’t know if it was David ‘Rioli’ (Riolo) who came up with it. It’s like that nickname ‘Mr Cricket’. If you say you don’t like it, you never hear the end of it. So you might as well run with it!”
SIDEBAR
A SURVIVOR of a bygone era when football was more fun, Dean Schifilliti has his own theory on why player misbehaviour is a bigger problem today.
“To start with, what was required at training in our day was not what it is today,” he says. “I talk to some current players and geez, they train hard and their time was fully taken up.
“And we weren’t scrutinised as much. But I certainly don’t recall any of the sorts of incidents that I read about today happening back then.
“We had fun – but it was pretty similar to the fun we have in my work environment now. Boys will be boys but it wasn’t that untoward.
“I think the reason is that we had some older guys in the team who had been brought up in working families and had worked themselves and were more respectful. They passed that on to younger guys.
“All the way through to, maybe, 22 you were playing under 23s and you didn’t go straight into first grade like they do now without having known anything else outside of football.
“These kids have never worked and they don’t know how to handle it and maybe the older guys in clubs now haven’t worked either. That makes a big difference.”
