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y separately published work icon Campese : The Last of the Dream Sellers single work   biography  
Issue Details: First known date: 2021... 2021 Campese : The Last of the Dream Sellers
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Once hailed as the ‘Bradman of Rugby’, David Campese thrilled spectators both in Australia and overseas with his footloose, crazy-brave style of free running. This book tells the story of his rise from humble beginnings to the very top of a global sport.

'As a rugby player, David Campese seemed to operate on pure instinct, one that left many a defender clutching for him in vain, stranded in the slipstream of his audacity. He followed no straight path, observed no convention, and in so doing brought a whole swag of new supporters to the game. Hailed as the ‘Bradman of Rugby’ by former Wallaby coach Alan Jones, and the ‘Pele’ of Rugby by others, Campese was a match-winner. True, he could lose the odd game as well, but this was part of his unique allure: Campese took crowds to the edge of their seats … and their patience.

'The refrain ‘I saw Campese play’ now speaks to much more than wistful reminiscences about a player widely regarded as the most entertaining ever to play the game of Rugby Union. It has come to represent a state of chronic disbelief that the Wallaby ascendancy of Campese’s era — the style, panache, and winning ways of the Australian team in the 1980s and 1990s — has now been squandered by Rugby’s continuing struggle to adapting to the coming of professionalism.

'Campese occupies a unique intersection in the sport’s history: one of its last amateurs, and one of its first professionals. The rigid, robotic game of today appears incapable of accommodating a player of his dash and daring, or of replicating his teams’ successes.' (Publication summary)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Melbourne, Victoria,: Scribe , 2021 .
      image of person or book cover 3176077116577381876.jpg
      Image courtesy of publisher's website.
      Extent: 240p.
      Note/s:
      • Published 2 November 2021

      ISBN: 9781922310576

Works about this Work

Campese’s Goosestep : The Paul Keating of Australian Rugby Barnaby Smith , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , January–February no. 439 2022; (p. 59)

— Review of Campese : The Last of the Dream Sellers James Curran , 2021 single work biography
Campese’s Goosestep : The Paul Keating of Australian Rugby Barnaby Smith , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , January–February no. 439 2022; (p. 59)

— Review of Campese : The Last of the Dream Sellers James Curran , 2021 single work biography
Last amended 9 Jul 2021 11:34:56
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