Glen Humphries

Biff Glen Humphries

For close to a hundred years, the biff has been part and parcel of rugby league. And it was condoned for most of that time. As rough play like stiff arms, high tackles, spear tackles, facials and stomping were weeded out of the game, the punch remained. As recently as the 1980s league bosses would say there was nothing fans liked to see more than two forwards trading blows.

But the biff has all but disappeared in recent years, when the league finally realised there is nothing in the rule book that allows players to punch on. In Biff, Glen Humphries looks at some of the most infamous brawls in rugby league, from the Earl Park Riot and a match abandoned after it became a brawl to the most violent grand final and, finally, the punch that changed everything.

As well as offering a ringside view of the brawl, Biff also looks into the reasons behind the fights and what happened to the players afterwards. Some of them escaped suspension and some were rubbed out of the game, while others missed the chance to play in a grand final or found their careers cut short after being on the receiving end of a nasty punch.