From Saint to Shark

In From Saint to Shark Cliff Watson tells of the unique introduction he had into the game of rugby league at top club St Helens in the 1960s via a newspaper advertisement. He traces his career at club and international level in England - notching up nearly 400 appearances for Saints and a further 30 for Great Britain. And he describes his time at the Cronulla Sharks Club in Australia during the early years of their existence, culminating in their first ever Grand Final appearance, dubbed the 'dirtiest final ever'. Watson won every honour in the game and was voted a member of both the Saints and Sharks dream teams. He describes many of the big games that he starred in, covers events that occurred off the field and talks of rival players he had run-ins with. He also deals with several previously unanswered questions relating to the 1973 controversial Australian Grand Final. Watson is forthright in how the Ashes were won and lost on his tours down under and is equally forthright in his views of why England continue to lag behind both Australia and New Zealand.It is a book that will be enjoyed by all lovers of that period of the game - often referred to as the 'era of the biff' - when every team had a hard man and Cliff, a skilful and fearless player, was one of the hardest!