So Benji Marshall is leaving the NRL, leaving Rugby League completely. One more top player lost to the game. Just like Sonny Bill (The prodigal son), Karmichael Hunt, Israel Folau and so many others, Benji will try his hand at a different sport, Rugby Union in his case. This trend of “Code Switching” has been beat up as a major problem for the NRL. Other sports have more money to throw around to attract players, and Rugby League risks losing its stars to those stray dollar bills. What people don’t realise, though, is just what a crucial part code switching played in the formation of Rugby League in Australia, especially the case of the greatest code switcher of them all, Mr Dally Messenger. These days Dally Messenger is best known as the legend behind the eponymous ‘Dally M’ awards. In his own time, however, he was a legend amongst mortals; the Donald Bradman of Rugby League; he was “The Master”. But before he became perhaps the finest Rugby League player of all time, he was an Australian international and NSW star in Rugby Union.

Herbert Henry Messenger was born in Balmain, Sydney on the 12th of April 1883. His famous nickname came from an incident in his childhood where a 2 year old young Messenger had eaten a few too many green apples down at his father’s boat shed. He was sitting feeling bloated when in walked local politician William Bede Dalley, the then Attorney-General of NSW, a man who sported himself a not-insignificant beer belly. Noticing the chubby gutted politician, little Herb asked the statesman if he, too, had perhaps eaten a couple too many green apples. He was known as Dally ever after (no word on whatever happened to the ‘e’).

At just 172cm tall and weighing around 79kgs, Dally was not a dominating physical figure even in that era, but he was a great defender, a powerful runner, and perhaps the greatest goal kicker ever known.  As a rugby player, he spread his time between the centres, wings and first five eights positions. He broke into the Western Suburbs first team in 1906, where his ball skills, kicking game and clever tricks made him a fan favourite. In 1907 he became a full time centre, and was soon an automatic picks for both New South Wales and the Wallabies. He was poised to become one of the great Rugby players of all time, but something would happen later that year that would change the face of Australian sport...