Long before NRL star Gorden Tallis was striking fear into opponents on the footy field, his mother Judith was doing the same thing in the boxing ring against the boys.
Tallis has revealed his incredible sporting origins in Kayo Sports and Fox League’s new documentary Gorden Tallis: The Raging Bull.
That included revealing the never-before-told story of the resilience of the woman he said helped lay the foundations for his Hall of Fame career.
Tallis explained that his mother Judith grew up on the outskirts of Townsville, where life was far from easy.
‘Mum grew up pretty tough just on the outskirts of Townsville,’ he said.
‘She used to ride her horse to school, she used to go to Stuart School.
Gorden Tallis has revealed how tough his mother was growing up in the new documentary on his life
Judith Tallis grew up with brothers and stepped into the boxing ring to fight boys growing up
‘Her Dad was Alexander Gordon McDonald, a little Scottish guy.
‘Mum grew up very sporty, with her brothers. I’ve never told this story before, but my Pop, he was a pretty hard old bugger.
‘Because my uncles used to box. He didn’t like one of the guys and they couldn’t make the weight to fight this guy.
‘So he shaved my Mum’s hair and put her in the ring.’
According to Tallis, Judith never looked back on the experience with regret.
‘She was pretty proud she won the fight,’ he said.
His older brother, Wally Tallis, said the story has always been an example of just how fearless their mother was from an incredibly young age.
‘She was a young girl at nine years of age who shaved her head and fought in the ring and boxed men,’ he said.
Her father Alexander (pictured left) was not happy with a young boxer’s inability to make weight, so shaved his daughter’s head and put her in the ring instead
Wally Tallis, older brother of Gorden, said their mother had always been the rock of the family
The documentary paints Judith as the driving force behind the Tallis family, with Wally saying her strength never wavered despite the challenges she faced throughout her life.
‘Mum’s always had adversity and always put us first,’ he said.
Former Brisbane Broncos coach Wayne Bennett, who coached Tallis through the most successful years of his career, also spoke warmly about the influence Judith had on those around her.
‘Judith, I always thought she was the rock,’ he said.
‘I always enjoyed her company, she was a strong woman.’
Judith herself said she and her husband never measured success by money, but by the opportunities they could give their children.
‘We didn’t have any heirs and graces and we didn’t have any gold hanging off us, but we enjoyed our life and enjoyed our children and gave them the best we could,’ she said.
Tallis won three premierships with the Brisbane Broncos, claimed the 1998 Clive Churchill Medal and captained Queensland, Australia and Brisbane before retiring in 2004.
