ON THE day the son of a rugby league legend called to lament the end of loyalty in rugby league, questioning whether anyone honoured the past, an NRL coach and one of his players were locked in a spirited bidding duel for a sculpture of one of the members of the Team of the Century.

Raymond Ernest Stehr, a prop who played first grade for Eastern Suburbs at age 16 in an era when there were neither reserves nor replacements, died on June 2, 1983, making it 25 years on Monday since he passed away.

His son, Raymond jnr, called the Herald to inquire why the "prince of props" was not in the NSW Team of the Century, asking, "is loyalty dead in rugby league?"

Had Stehr jnr been at Western Suburbs's Black and White Ball, held later that evening to induct six players into the Magpies' Hall of Fame, he would have found his answer. Loyalty lives, but it depends on who's doing the remembering.

Among items at the auction held in conjunction with the ball was a bronze head of coach Jack Gibson. It was one of 12 commissioned by sports-loving businessman John Singleton on the occasion of the master coach's 70th birthday. Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens made an introductory offer of $500 but one of his own players, lock Liam Fulton, came in with $600.

"He kept forcing me up," said Sheens, who was ultimately successful at $900. "He said it was a good cause. He wanted to do something for his club. He's an old Western Suburbs boy."

Sheens also has a number of small autograph books in which he collects the signatures of special players. The ball, held in the club's centenary season, proved rich pickings for his collection.

Sheens secured the autographs of Keith Holman, Arthur Summons and Noel Kelly who were all inaugural inductees into the Hall of Fame, along with absentees Tom Raudonikis, Peter Dimond and Jim Abercrombie.

Raudonikis had a prior commitment in Queensland; Dimond recently had a hip replacement; and Abercrombie is deceased.

A tough prop-hooker, Abercrombie played for Wests in 1908-09, toured with the first Kangaroos and, therefore, was the club's first international.

Asked about his autograph collection, Sheens said: "I dig out one of those little old books and take it to functions to get the autographs of the special ones. It's something I've been doing more of in later years, compared to the early years of my coaching career."

Stehr died just as Sheens was ending his playing days and Sheens often rues declining an offer from Gibson to join the front row of the Parramatta scrum which won three premierships.

He also coached Glenn Lazarus in Canberra when the prop won the first of his four premierships with three clubs, Brisbane and Melbourne being the other two.

Ray Stehr jnr said: "I find it ironic that Glenn Lazarus could be selected for the NSW Team of the Century having played in three teams, none of which were in NSW. My father - and best mate - won five premierships with one club. He played for NSW 11 years in succession from 1981, beginning at age 18.

"He played 11 Tests for Australia and went on two Kangaroo tours. In 1952, he missed out on the Australian coaching job to a Queenslander and coached New Zealand to beat Australia.

"The following year, he called the first ever televised rugby league match on Channel Nine. In 1957, he coached NSW to a 4-0 series victory over Queensland and in 1958 was honoured by the NSWRL for playing over 100 representative games and over 200 matches for Easts. He was president of Easts in 1955 to '58."

Stehr played in an era when props won scrums and fights, a time too distant for most of the judges of Teams of the Century, educated in tackle counts, off-loads and total metres gained.

Sheens, too, was a victim of being judged by men of a different era. A one-club Penrith man, he was skilful with the ball and worked hard in defence, but was measured by some of his peers in terms of his attitude to the rough stuff. While he can't be expected to decide between Stehr and Lazarus, Sheens can give an answer on remembering the past.

"You look at the jumpers the players sign today," he said, comparing their signatures with the copperplate writing of the past. "In 30 years' time, you won't know who they are. Half the time, the signature is a scrawl.

"I've got autographs from 30-40 years ago on old programs and you don't have to read the team list to work out the signature.

"They are not all frilly and ornate. Just simple, legible signatures. The all-time great players today, you'd battle to know who they are. I'm always at my players to sign signatures you can read."

Stehr jnr said his father had a flowing scroll signature.

"It was a signature you could read," he said. "Just like his history. Let your readers make up their minds about his selection, or in this case, omission, from the NSW Team of the Century."