Former Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldog and Rugby League great, James Graham has paid his former stomping ground a visit to say thank you to the Club for a moving gesture.
Whilst travelling in the UK to attend the Rugby League World Cup Finals, Bulldogs CEO Aaron Warburton, Chairman of the Board John Khoury, and General Manager of Stakeholder Engagement Diane Langmack stopped to make two very special visits to the junior clubs of James Graham and Luke Thompson.
The visits, which were initiated by the Club, came as a complete surprise to Graham who said:
“I just want to say thank you to this football club that went out their way to go and visit Thatto Heath Crusaders during their visit to the World Cup.
“It is fantastic to see that a club all the way over here in Sydney, Australia, make an effort to go and say thank you to a local amateur outfit based in the north of England.
“They [the Bulldogs] went all the way to pay their respect and recognition. And although they are an amateur team playing in the north of England and producing players in the north of England, it means something to them that they helped produce a player that represented this football club.”
Warburton said it was an honour to pay tribute to two of the junior clubs who each played a significant role in the development of the two proud Bulldog players.
“Visiting the grassroots of two of our most recent and current British players was a very humbling experience upon hearing from Club volunteers who remember Luke and James coming through as 6-year-old boys,” he said.
“Like us, Rugby League is in the DNA of the Northern English folk, and the clubs share many of the same opportunities and threats as we do. For us, the visits were about the Bulldogs saying thank you to the two clubs – both at the heart of the birthplace of rugby league – for developing two of our Club’s family members.”
St Helen’s is proudly located at the heart of where Rugby League first began back in 1985 when clubs in the North of England broke away from the RFU. The clubs then controversially wanted to compensate their working-class players for time away from work for rugby tours and injuries. In the decade that followed, Rugby League made the changes that would set the sport apart from rugby union and earn the game’s popularity amongst spectators and players alike.
Thompson, who arrived at Belmore midway through the 2020 season was fresh off a stellar career at St. Helen’s having made 57 appearances for the red and whites and has since proved to be one of the best props produced from the area.
First hailing from the Pilkington Recs in his junior years, Thompson made his international debut for England in 2018 and was representing the RLWC English team during the Bulldogs’ recent visit to his former club.
With Thompson now entering his third season on contract with the Bulldogs, he has already made a significant contribution during his service with 38 appearances and three tries for the Club.
Graham, who proved to be one of the finest forwards to play for Canterbury, ran out on 135 occasions for the club from 2012-17, making two grand final appearances and spending three seasons at the captaincy post.
At the time of his retirement, he had capped 181 games in the Telstra Premiership, 234 in the UK, and made more than 50 appearances for England and Great Britain in the international arena, proving himself as one of the sports’ true iron men over nearly two decades at the top level.
Coinciding with this year’s RLWC tour as it arrived in St Helen’s, Graham received his Golden Cap to confirm his membership to an exclusive group of Rugby League players who have made more than 50 test appearances and celebrating his stellar career as a rampaging forward birthed out of the Thatto Heath Crusaders.
In an emotional tribute to his former club, Graham generously and immediately donated the cap. A video of the heart-felt moment quickly circulated and went viral.
Touched by the moving tribute, the Bulldogs team were then inspired to visit both Thompson and Graham’s clubs to pay their respects and acknowledge the volunteers and staff who each played a role in the development of the two proud Bulldogs.
“I wanted to give back to my community where it all began,” said Graham.
“I think it’s important to acknowledge the contributions, not just to individuals like me that play professionally in the Super League, the NRL, or for the country, but for the contribution to the communities, that the volunteers make - and they are volunteers – who come from a place of love, they love the game. And I just wanted them to know that they are appreciated.
“They're appreciated for what they do for the individual. They're appreciated for what they do for their communities, and they're appreciated for what they do for society in general.”
Reflecting on the visit to Thatto Heath in recent weeks, Bulldogs’ Chairman John Khoury shared a similar sentiment and appreciation for volunteers of the game around the globe:
“There are so many similarities about the game in the north of England and here, particularly in Canterbury Bankstown. The game thrives off the back of our junior league volunteers, everyone does it off their own love for their community and the game,” he said.
“They turn up. They open the gates. They close the gates, and everything that happens in between is what our wonderful volunteers do. And for James to realise that, and for us to have been able to say thanks to those on the ground, it was something pretty special.”
The Club gifted some training jerseys and signed jerseys to each Club, swapped stories of the two Bulldogs’ greats, and proudly witnessed the Thatto Heath Crusader volunteers read aloud some inspiring words from Graham:
"This is for all the volunteers at community clubs but especially Thatto Heath Crusaders. Your countless hours of work and care is appreciated by us all. Not to just see these kids play in Superleague the NRL or play for England, but to help better peoples lives and create greater communities for us all. I look back fondly with nothing but a smile on my face about my time playing here. I will always cherish the lifelong friendships and amazing memories made here. Thank you for all you have done for me. Keep on inspiring and providing an environment for the next generation to become the best version of themselves. Love always, Jammer"
The Thatto Heath Crusaders have since confirmed that the signed jersey gifted to the Club by the Bulldogs has been sent for framing along with Graham’s Golden Cap and will be housed at their clubhouse with an inscription to read: ‘Presented by Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Chairman John Khoury, CEO Aaron Warburton and General Manager Stakeholder Engagement Diane Langmack on the occasion of their visit 20th November 2022.’
The visit is a stark reminder of the family values that the Club prides itself on. Once a Bulldog, Always a Bulldog.
