December 29: Muzza honoured; Eadie leaves Gold Coast debacle

On this day, Graham Eadie walks out on Gold Coast and Graham Murray gets well-deserved honour.

1946

Dennis Tutty was born. A back-rower who made his first-grade debut with Balmain in 1964, he created controversy at the end of 1968 when he asked to be placed on the club's transfer list. 

The RLPA honours Tutty with an annual award in recognition of the massive debt of gratitude NRL players and athletes in all codes owe him for his response.

Tutty's courageous actions paved the way for free agency after he sat out two full seasons while enduring a costly court battle against the "retain and transfer" system in place from 1959.

He returned to Balmain in 1971 to play for match payments while awaiting the outcome of a High Court appeal by the NSWRL after the Supreme Court found the "retain and transfer" system to be an unreasonable restraint of trade. Tutty played three years at Penrith before finishing his career with the Roosters in 1975.

1966

Martin Offiah was born. Arguably the fastest player who ever scorched the turf in the premiership, the British international winger was a fan favourite in the UK and enjoyed two stints with the Roosters and St George in the late 1980s and early 1990s."Chariots" scored more than 400 tries in club football as well as 28 in 36 Tests.

1995   

Graham Eadie walks out on the Gold Coast after just eight days as coach. The club, which had already been known as the Giants and Seagulls, was going through the short-lived Gladiators incarnation of the franchise, which eventually became the Chargers after nearly going belly-up.

2015   

Leeds Rhinos announce that the man of the match in the World Club Challenge clash against North Queensland on February 21 will be awarded the Graham Murray Medal, in honour of the late coach who led the Cowboys to their first grand final in 2005 and took Leeds to a Challenge Cup title in 1999.

This article contains information from the official records of NRL historian David Middleton.