Sironen and Kenny flew in to Moree and were driven to Goondiwindi and straight out to Redmond Park where they watched an end-of-season zone match between an under 11s Goondiwindi side and a combined regional side.

Kenny was more than impressed.

“I went out and saw these under 11 kids throwing the ball around and scoring tries.

“I’m not sure about you but I’m bored watching NRL,” he told the audience on Saturday night.

“They could learn a thing or two from these kids.”

It was a view backed by Gene Miles who said football had become “very one dimensional”.

It’s a world away from the football played by teams in the Kenny-Miles era.

It was a brand of football exemplified by the Brett Kenny-Wally Lewis rivalry which thrilled a generation of league followers.

“Who was the better 5/8th,” he was asked.

“Well that all depends on what side of the border you come from,” he began, but later admitting, “I have no problems saying Wally Lewis is the best 5/8th.

“I’m just happy to be mentioned in the same breath,” he said.

Not that he was adverse to giving his Australian team mate or, in fact any team mate or opponent, a friendly gibe.

“I had to move to the centres when I played for Australia because Wally was too slow and I had to make Gene Miles and Mal (Meninga) look good.

Late he said: “I’ve got a sore back from having to bend over and take all those horrible passes from Sterlo (Peter Sterling).

“Was Ray Price one of the best players you saw?” he was asked.

“Yea Ray Price was one of the best. Yes, he was, but the little number six made him look good too.”

But it was all tongue-in-cheek.

He spoke glowingly about the stars of yesteryear, the men who he said “made his look good” and who looked after him.

“I was spoilt early on in my career.

“I played with some of the greatest footballers this country has seen.”

He paid tribute to another Parramatta legend, Mick Cronin.

“He wasn’t a bad footballer. Could kick a few goals ad he made sure I didn’t get knocked around.

“Playing outside Mick Cronin was the biggest thing (when Kenny’s career kicked off with the Eels in 1980).

He believes that is one of major differences between young players today’s and those that grew up in his era.

“I was lucky. There were a lot of older players around. That’s part of the problem today. There’s not enough older players to help them out. I had Steve Edge, Cronin, Ray Price and Bob O’Reilly.”

He also believes players get paid too much and have too much time on their hands..

“And apart from that they are put up on a pedestal. At the end of the day they are just 18 and 19 year-olds who think they know everything and don’t have older guys to help them out,” he said. It was a view backed by Gene Miles who said when he first entered the Australian side, “there were blokes who would tell you to pull your head in”. “I think that’s missing today,” he said.

Brett Kenny also paid tribute to former Parramatta and NSW “super coach”, the late Jack Gibson.

“He was more than a coach. He was as concerned about what you did off the field as on. He believed if you were happy off the field you do your job better one field. He was a big believer that people should be working outside football so they didn’t have time on their hands.

“I always tell people that Jack Gibson not only made you a better player, he made you a better person,” he said.

Gene Miles was as glowing of Queensland and Bronco’s “super coach” Wayne Bennett who said was never scared about making the tough “decisions”.

His move to Sydney is an example he said.

He spoke of Queensland’s halcyon days. When Wally was King and Alfie Langer was the heir apparent. When Dale Shearer dazzled and Greg Dowling ploughed headfirst into the NSW pack and when “Big Mal’s” (Meninga) boots churned up NSW backs and spat them out behind like a combine harvester.

Ironically Miles made particular reference to the 1986 series in which Queensland lost. It was the only losing series, of seven, that he played in.

Queensland lost 22-16, 24-20 and 18-16.

“We didn’t lose a game by more than a converted try and we lost 3-nil. That’s how tough State-of-Origin was,” he said.

One who could relate to the story was Miles 1986 Queensland team mate and former Boars’ coach Dave Brown who was also in the crowd.

And while the stories came out on stage, many hundreds more were being told at tables throughout the community centre, as old mates shared their own war stories of yesteryear. There were even a few on-field yarns.

“Come and get picture of us,” former Boars Terry Hyland of Roma said.

“These are top blokes and they were great footballers and I was proud to play with them,” he said of Rocka Bell and Des Johnson.

“We played the 1973 grand final and was robbed.

“That’s alright for you I got injured and couldn’t play,” Rocka said. It was similar tale to old mates Ken Milgate, Prune Prior and Terry Kajewski who played together in the early 1990s.

“Remember that final. We was robbed…

The stories of the good times and the bad, went long into the night.