This book deals with the sporting life of fifteen Australian Rugby League players who almost reached the pinnacle of their sporting career. Sadly, for many reasons, they were to fall at the final hurdle. The book also gives fascinating insights into the players' lives off the field—one player gaining the second-highest military honour during World War I and another dying while en route to England to represent his country. One player was to lose his life in the most bizarre and mysterious circumstances while another remains somewhat of a mystery even to this day. Whilst essentially a book about Rugby League players, it is also a book about the extraordinary lives of sportsmen.