One of the greatest underdog tales in Australian sport has been immortalised by journalist, author and rugby league historian Ian Heads in his latest book - and Canowindra son Trevor Simpson plays a starring role.
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Mr Heads' new book 'The Night the Music Died' tells the story of Western Division's famous win in rugby league's inaugural Amco Cup 40 years ago and Mr Simpson's role in it.
Western Division shocked the rugby league community to win the inaugural Amco Cup against all odds in 1974.
He said he knew the "colourful" story of Amco well and wanted to tackle it in time for it's 40th anniversary.
"Telling the story of the Western Division win in the first Amco Cup, in the winter of 1974, has been at the back of my mind for years," Mr Heads said.
"I was chief rugby league writer at the Daily Telegraph in Sydney then and followed the competition with great interest - and especially so the building 'fairytale' of a possible win for the boys from the bush.
"Late last year, in partnership with a long- time mate, Geoff Armstrong, author, editor, historian - a man who worked on major book projects with the likes of Steve Waugh and Ricky Pointing - I decided that 2014 was the perfect opportunity 40 years on from the great event."
He said the achievement of the "bunch of bushies" in defying the odds to beat the city slickers and take the trophy was one that captured the Australian public's imagination at the time and is still one of the great sporting events in Australian history.
"The story is one of the great 'underdog' tales of all Australian sport - and immensely appealing because of it," Mr Heads said.
"That sort of tale - about unlikely outsiders defying the odds to beat the stars will always be popular with the Australian sporting public.
"Aussies love an underdog ... and the Western Division boys of '74 sure were underdogs!"
Trevor Simpson featured in the Western Division side in three of the four Amco Cup games of '74.
"This book will be a great way to preserve the wonderful memories of that time with the team," Mr Simpson said.
"I really think that Ian has done a wonderful job."
Mr Simpson had begun his relationship with the game of rugby league in the under 8s at Canowindra and was a halfback in his early years - one who, Mr Heads said, grew as a footballer impressively enough to answer a call from Sydney, where he played St George, mainly in third grade, in the seasons 1967-69.
He came back home and played as a centre with Canowindra before a chronic shoulder problem forced him out of football prematurely.
"I hurt my shoulder when I was 25, and it just wasn't much fun after that," he said.
Mr Heads has a lot of respect for him none-the-less.
"Gritty, reliable and athletic, (Trevor) was a special link in the chain," Mr Heads said.
"The subject matter of the story is wonderful, because it is about a very deep- down human hope: of ordinary people achieving something extraordinary."
"The 'Boys of '74' were working class blokes, who loved their footy and played it hard ... then went back to work and to real life the following day."
Local Greg Fearnley also made the side, he now lives in Carcoar; but looks back on the year of '74 fondly.
"It was just a great group of blokes," he said.
"We never got in strife, and we knew in our hearts that we could win the competition."
Ian Heads has covered Australian sport for 45 years as a sportswriter for newspapers and magazines, and since 1988 has been author or co-author of 38 books.
'The Night the Music Died' is in stores from August 1.