A Moree living legend is now the legend.

Tommy “Killer” Cain passed away on October 18 and the town of Moree is a poorer place . . . a much poorer place.

He was 82.

Tommy was a former top-grade rugby league player and referee for many years, and still enjoyed a day at the footie watching the Moree Boars at home games and sharing barbs with lifetime friend and neighbour, Sonny Clissold.

Tommy was there on grand-final day this year when Moree outpointed Boggabri Kangaroos, and accurately predicted how the second half would pan out despite Moree going into the break 14-12 behind.

Boggabri extended their lead to 18-12 in the opening minutes of the second half – courtesy of a Robert Doolan try – but Tommy’s assessment was spot-on.

“Those big blokes from Boggabri will knock up in the second-half, you mark my words. They won’t see out another 40 minutes of footie. Moree will win this,” Tommy declared.

And he was right.

The Boars charged away to win the 2024 Group 4 grand-final 40-18, and sitting proudly in his favourite spot, smiling and watching it all go to script, was Thomas Edward Cain.

Tommy was a tough and talented rugby league player in his day and a champion cyclist for 20 years.

He said in a 2018 interview with Moree Online News, he took to refereeing in 1980 because the game was struggling to sign up blokes willing to take on the thankless role.

“They were short of referees so I decided to get my badge – and did it for nearly 35 years,” he said.

Tommy ran up and down rugby league paddocks each weekend for the next 35 seasons. He hung up his badge in 2014 at the age of 71.

“And that was only because of illness,” he grinned.

Tommy saw it all in those 35 years.

He said the time the captain-coach of Brewarrina flattened half-a-dozen drunken spectators had to be seen to be believed.

“It was a semi-final, I think, and Brewarrina was playing Goodooga,” Tommy said.

“There was a car-load of drunks sitting just past the in-goal area and when I awarded a try to the Brewarrina captain, the drunks all yelled out to me that it wasn’t a try.

“Anyway, the bloke that scored the try went over to all six of them and landed six hits – one on each of them – and they fell flat on their backs.

“I reckoned if he was capable of doing that, then it was a try to me,” Tommy laughed.

It was also at Brewarrina when a fight between players escalated to an all-in brawl.

The ruckus was so fierce, Tommy was forced to declare time-out – his own.

He blew the whistle, ambled off the field, lined up at the canteen for a coke and hotdog, and sat with enthralled spectators to watch the spectacle unfold.

When the players finished fighting they came over and told Tommy, ‘hey ref, we’re ready to get on with the game now, if you are’.

Tommy says there were games closer to home that could produce a headache or two as well, especially when family was involved.

He recalled when his son Mathew played for Moree juniors and reserves, there was absolutely no quarter given and no family favours.

But there was plenty of cold-shoulder from wife, Kathy, if Tommy ruled against their son.

Tommy Cain was much more than a good rugby league player and respected referee, however.

He was a principled family man who worked hard his entire life.

Tommy worked on Moree Council for 23 years and did 19 seasons at Ashley Coton Gin.

He also did his share of cotton chipping for the Taunton family and worked for seed-graders, Eric Carter and Max Shorter.

Good friend and close neighbour, Sonny Clissold, knew Tommy for more than 65 years.

“Tommy was a very straight-out man; a very honest man. What you saw is what you got with Tommy – he was lovely man,” Sonny said.

“He worked all his life, and always worked hard, and was a very tough footballer.

“We played together for the Black and Whites, and won the grand-final in 1964 – that’s going back a day or two,” Sonny smiled.

Sonny said Tommy’s refereeing days were memorable.

“I remember one game when he refereed the Boomerangs and Armidale. There was a big fight, so Tommy stopped the game,” Sonny recalled.

“He said, ‘righto, you blokes, if you want to fight, go over behind the toilets and fight. The rest of you play football, and I’ll referee you.”

Tommy’s 20-year cycling career covered the 1960s and 1970s. He competed in at least five Grafton to Inverell Cycle Classics and often travelled interstate.

“He was a good bike rider, not world-class, but a lot better than average,” Sonny said.

The Grafton to Inverell Classic covers 228 kilometres of challenging terrain, including the Gibraltar Ranges, an 18km ascent from the Clarence Valley to the New England Highlands.

“He used to go all over the place, to Victoria and Bundaberg and Rockhampton in Queensland, and rode the Grafton to Inverell quite a few times.

“He was a pretty good track rider, too. I used to take him to Sydney for a 10-mile race. It didn’t matter where we went, everybody knew him and everybody thought the world of him.

“Tommy did a lot of bike riding and his original bike is still hanging up in the shed at his place.

“He was such a down-to-earth person, a Moree icon. Everybody knew him and everybody respected him.

“I’ll miss him . . . I’ll always miss him,” Sonny said.

Moree Boars club president Todd Mitchell said Tommy was the best football doubles seller in the history of the game.

“I reckon share prices in BSG, the company that makes the double tickets, has dropped,” Todd chuckled.

“Killer was a real character, who loved life and treated everyone equal.

“He had a huge influence on rugby league in Moree, as a player and as a referee. He was a great man,” Todd said.

Tommy was the beloved husband of Kathy, a treasured father and grandfather, and uncle, cousin and friend to many.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend Tommy’s funeral service St Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Moree, on Friday, November 1 at 11am, thence for interment at Moree Lawn Cemetery.

Rest in Peace, Tommy.

Words and Images: Bill Poulos