Laurie along with Ian Schubert, both from the rural New South Wales (NSW) township of Wauchope, came to the Roosters in NSWRFL season 1975, although Laurie did not make his first grade debut till the following season. During the 1976 NSWRFL season, he played in the forwards, helping Eastern Suburbs to victory in their unofficial 1976 World Club Challenge match against British champions St. Helens in Sydney.
However, his move to the South Sydney Rabbitohs proved a master stroke, with Laurie making the five-eighth position his own in the red and green. Laurie played his best football at Souths, carving up the opposition and setting up spectacular tries for players such as dynamic winger Terry Fahey.