April 13: Browny slaps Baz; Enough's enough for Guru
On this day, a chronic knee injury forces Eric Grothe to retire, Larry Corowa makes a comeback after eight years in retirement, while Nathan Brown delivers the infamous sideline slap to Trent Barrett.
1990
One of the game’s greats, Eric Grothe, announces his retirement at the age of 30 after suffering a recurrence of a knee injury. 'The Guru' scored 78 tries in 158 games for Parramatta after debuting in 1979. He played eight games for Australia and nine for NSW.
1991
Former international winger Larry Corowa makes a comeback for the Gold Coast against Parramatta after eight years out of the game. Corowa played 96 games in six seasons with Balmain and represented NSW and Australia in the late 70s. He retuired in 1983 before his short-lived comeback - he played two games - with the Seagulls.
1997
Balmain player Michael Gillett accuses referee Paul McBlane of grabbing his jumper during a match against St George at Kogarah Oval, prompting Tigers coach Wayne Pearce to visit the referees' room for an explanation shortly after full-time.
1998
North Sydney star Greg Florimo breaks Don McKinnon’s record of 277 grade games for the Bears in his team’s 42-8 defeat of Souths at North Sydney Oval.
2001
Melbourne halfback Matt Orford outshines his high-profile opponent Brett Kimmorley in the Storm’s 52-18 win over the Northern Eagles. Orford and Kimmorley had swapped clubs in one of the biggest moves of the off-season.
2003
St George Illawarra coach Nathan Brown sparks a sensation when he slaps captain Trent Barrett on the face in full view of television cameras during a break in play at WIN Stadium. "I gave him a bit of a clip," Brown said later. "That was me showing how poor I was under pressure. I’m no different."
2004
Sydney Roosters coach Ricky Stuart is fined $10,000 by the NRL for abusing a referee and touch judge during his team’s round 5 clash with Brisbane. It is his third fine for similar offences in three seasons.
2015
North Queensland halfback Johnathan Thurston produces his third consecutive man-of-the-match performance as the Cowboys swamp an injury-hit South Sydney 30-12 at ANZ Stadium.
2018
Cronulla suffer a spate of injuries to senior players Andrew Fifita (knee), Paul Gallen (knee), Wade Graham (hamstring) and Luke Lewis (leg) in a 40-20 loss to high-flying St George Illawarra at WIN Stadium.
2021
Cronulla coach John Morris is unceremoniously axed by the club's board, who announce the signing of Sydney Roosters assistant Craig Fitzgibbon as head coach for the next three years. Sharks assistant coach Josh Hannay is appointed interim coach for the balance of the 2021 season.
This article contains information from the official records of NRL historian David Middleton.
