Ken Irvine - and the Immortal Short List

[tookey]

I watched him many times, at both Norths and Manly. Every time he got the ball the crowd would rise in anticipation. He'd use his blistering acceleration to beat players and a swerve, not a sidestep. I think at one stage he raced a horse over 100 metres and led for most of it . . got beaten by a head. The only RL player who could match Irvine in pace was Mike Cleary who was a much bigger man and it took him a while to get to top speed. Cleary represented Australia at the Commonwealth Games.
Ken didn't like tackling. He was there to score tries and bring fans through the gate. He could also kick goals, and kicked one from the sideline to win a match for Australia against Great Britain. In those days with a leather ball this was a major feat.
He was small but stocky. Unfortunately he'd be bashed out of the sport these days by 110-kilo 'wingers'.

He was the only reason people used to go to bear park back in those days

 

[Fluffy]

No. Ken was very close to my family in the past when Alive. I never met him nor my great grandfather but these things were talking points over the years at family events etc over the years

What was his time and what was the wind that day?

Need to get that on facebook to make it official.

 

[KNUCKLES]

What was his time and what was the wind that day?

Need to get that on facebook to make it official.

Mate not to sure. Was well before my time. Like I said it was info passed down the line. I don't even know why my grandfather is regarded the father of modern coaching. All I know is that its true

 

[Terry Zarsoff]

Mum knew little Kenny when they were both growing up in Holt Ave, Cremorne. He was about five years younger than her.

 

[globaleagle]

The shortlist
Brian Bevan: Bandaged from head to toe and playing almost all his career away from Australian eyes, the Bondi born winger achieved try-scoring feats (796) for Warrington and Blackpool (1945-64) unequalled by anyone in the game.

Dave Brown: Like Messenger, he was far ahead of his contemporaries and some of his records stand today. The Eastern Suburbs centre ((1930-36; 1939-41) who also played for Warrington (1936-39), still holds the record for most points in a game (45) and most number of tries in a season (38 in 1945).

Frank Burge: “Chunky” played 17 seasons, mainly for the now-defunct Glebe club, averaging almost a try per game, a strike rate for a forward that exceeds the best of the modern players, Manly’s Steve Menzies. He also represented Australia 1914 and 1919-22.

Ron Coote: A classic cover defending lock forward for Souths and Easts who played in eight grand finals, winning six. He represented Australia 1967-70 and 1974-75.


Duncan Hall: At a time international football was the pinnacle of achievement and Great Britain dominated Australia for 30 years, this cornerstone of the Queensland and Australian packs won back the Ashes in 1950 and again in 1954.

Ken Irvine: A perennial try scorer for NSW (31 tries) and Australia (103), while representing North Sydney (1958-70) at a time the club was rarely in contention for the semi-finals, he was a phenomenal scoring machine. In 432 games, he scored 385 tries and 101 goals.

Darren Lockyer: He has won the Golden Boot award in two positions, as a fullback and a five-eighth, meaning he has been the best in the world in two positions. A one-club player (Broncos), he has played 472 first class games, captaining his club, state and country to trophies, scoring 1,597 points.

Mal Meninga: “Big Mal” made four Ashes-winning Kangaroo tours, a feat unique in the code and captained Australia in two of them. He was a pillar of Canberra and Queensland, winning premierships and State of Origin titles for both. He played 517 first class games, scoring 3255 points.


Dally Messenger: It can be argued there would be no rugby league in Australia if this player with freakish ability had not transferred from rugby union. In a day where newspapers didn’t put people or pictures on the front page, Dally was a constant star on page one.

Norm Provan: “Sticks” is the sentimental favourite for selection. This towering second rower, along with Wests’ Arthur Summons, is one half (or two thirds if size is considered) of the premiership trophy. He played in ten of the Dragons 11 successive premierships, being captain-coach in four.


https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/10...s-stand-the-test-of-time-20180620-p4zmon.html

 

[Bill Hamilton]

Thanks everyone for sharing your memories of Ken, as I wrote earlier he is already an immortal.

 

[globaleagle]

I wonder how they will vote.

I first thought that they would maybe name two 'recents' but pick a couple of old timers. That way Lockyer and Meninga fans wouldn't feel slighted, but the nrl could get the older nominations out of the way.

Then I thought maybe 1 young and 1 old.

Hopefully they pick two deserving players without taking such things into consideration.

 

[Bill Hamilton]

On having a good think about how the panel will vote, my 2 bobs on Messenger and Meninga, if it was me, Irvine and Bevan. I wouldn't be surprised though if "Sticks" Provan gets a nod.

 

[EagleFlys]

I'm tipping Provan and Meniga. The public backlash to Provan being overlooked for Johns was memorable. Mal to keep the 2 heads happy.

 

[BOZO]

Irvine, Kenneth John (Ken) (1940–1990)
by Andrew Moore

This article was published in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 17, (MUP), 2007

Kenneth John (Ken) Irvine (1940-1990), Rugby League footballer, was born on 5 March 1940 at Cremorne, Sydney, son of Sydney-born parents John Bernard Irvine, butcher, and his wife Doris May, née McCabe. Ken grew up at Cammeray, was educated at Marist Brothers’ Boys’ School, Mosman, and worked briefly as a beer plumber. Initially attracted to baseball, he was talent-spotted at a local Rugby League schools’ carnival by a North Sydney official. He played his maiden first-grade game for the club in 1958. The following season `Mongo’, nicknamed apparently because of his slightly Asiatic appearance, scored twenty-three tries. He was a member of the 1959 Kangaroo tour to England and France, quickly overcoming the negative connotation attached to the sobriquet `Better Brakes’ that he had attracted (implying a proclivity to slow down before tackles).

Of nuggety build (5 ft 8 ins or 173 cm; 11 st. 8 lb. or 73.5 kg) Irvine was blessed with scorching speed, flawless positional sense and safe hands. Together with Brian Bevan, the expatriate Australian who played for Warrington in the British competition, Irvine was the code’s most outstanding winger after World War II, of comparable status to Harold Horder in an earlier era. In fifteen years in the game, twelve with North Sydney, Irvine scored some 300 tries in about 340 games, including 33 in 31 Test matches. He retired from football after winning the premiership with the Manly-Warringah club in 1972 and 1973. At Dubbo in 1963 he had run 100 yards (91 m) in 9.3 seconds, setting a world professional sprint record. A celebrated attempt to outrun a racehorse was predictably unsuccessful—though popular memory of the contest against Gili over 60 yards (55 m) at Kembla Grange racecourse in August 1963 often suggests otherwise. He also enjoyed all forms of watersports.

Irvine had married Mavis Marguirite (Valerie) Simmonds, a typist, on 25 November 1961 at St Mary’s Catholic Church, North Sydney. Outside professional sprinting and football, he worked as a sales representative for sporting goods companies and as a sports journalist. His rugged good looks led to some modelling and made him a `natural’ for the game’s increasing commercialism. Despite his contractual battles with the club, North Sydney fans likened him, as the journalist Mike Gibson quipped, to `Captain Marvel, Superman, Brick Bradford and Batman and Robin all rolled into one’. An unassuming, likeable and knockabout Australian, Irvine was an enthusiastic punter and part-time larrikin.

In 1982 Irvine moved to the Gold Coast, where he worked as a sales representative with a poker-machine manufacturer and as a journalist. Part of a robust community of retired Sydney footballers, he played touch football with a local hotel team, briefly acted as sprint trainer for a Gold Coast league team and led Kangaroo supporters’ tours to England. In 1983 he was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia. Survived by his wife and their daughter and son, he died on 22 December 1990 at Brisbane and was cremated. The scoreboard at North Sydney Oval, named in his honour in 1991, is a fitting testimonial to his try-scoring prowess.

Interesting story , amazing athlete and a tragic end to die so young at 50 years of age .

 

[BOZO]

On having a good think about how the panel will vote, my 2 bobs on Messenger and Meninga, if it was me, Irvine and Bevan. I wouldn't be surprised though if "Sticks" Provan gets a nod.

As a Manly supporter I am proud to know that our best ever player and the worlds greatest ever player The incomparable Immortal was one of the first players to be honoured . It must have been a no brainer .
We all have our Super Heroes and Zachary Robert Fulton was mine . The Incomparable Immortal is the Pinnacle of Greatness.

 

[Terry Zarsoff]

Do you have that post saved in a Word document and then cut and paste it into Immortal-related threads whenever they pop up?

 

[BOZO]

He was the only reason people used to go to bear park back in those days

Bears park . All the opposition teams went there for a teddy bears picnic
They should turn the bears park into a grave yard and bury all their wooden spoons there
The mediocre Bears . Two premierships way back in 1921 and 1922 when there were about 3 teams in the amature comp and a shameful history of 7 wooden spoons . Ken had to come to Manly to taste the premiership winning champagne label.
I am glad he did . A quality player like Ken deserved a premiership winning lap of honour and he did it with our great club the Manly Sea eagles

 

[Wombat64]

As a Manly supporter I am proud to know that our best ever player and the worlds greatest ever player The incomparable Immortal was one of the first players to be honoured . It must have been a no brainer .
We all have our Super Heroes and Zachary Robert Fulton was mine . The Incomparable Immortal is the Pinnacle of Greatness.

View attachment 8737

Have you ever met him?

 

[Bill Hamilton]

Have you ever met him?

Bozo was a club great, but my old man always said there were two Bozo Fulton's, the one the public saw and the one behind closed doors and he only liked one of them. I will leave it at that.

 

[BOZO]

Have you ever met him?

Fcken Oath . It was like meeting the Queen . Queen Elizabeth that is .
The Incomparable Immortal was approachable, Gracious and humble as I told him how Great he was
It was an honour that I will never forget
Do you have any heroes ?

 

[BOZO]

Bozo was a club great, but my old man always said there were two Bozo Fulton's, the one the public saw and the one behind closed doors and he only liked one of them. I will leave it at that.

Our Godfather Ken Arthurson admired Fulton as a player and as a person . I guess no one can please them all

 

[eagle66]

 

[eagle66]

 

[NYEagle]

The shortlist
Brian Bevan: Bandaged from head to toe and playing almost all his career away from Australian eyes, the Bondi born winger achieved try-scoring feats (796) for Warrington and Blackpool (1945-64) unequalled by anyone in the game.

Dave Brown: Like Messenger, he was far ahead of his contemporaries and some of his records stand today. The Eastern Suburbs centre ((1930-36; 1939-41) who also played for Warrington (1936-39), still holds the record for most points in a game (45) and most number of tries in a season (38 in 1945).

Frank Burge: “Chunky” played 17 seasons, mainly for the now-defunct Glebe club, averaging almost a try per game, a strike rate for a forward that exceeds the best of the modern players, Manly’s Steve Menzies. He also represented Australia 1914 and 1919-22.

Ron Coote: A classic cover defending lock forward for Souths and Easts who played in eight grand finals, winning six. He represented Australia 1967-70 and 1974-75.


Duncan Hall: At a time international football was the pinnacle of achievement and Great Britain dominated Australia for 30 years, this cornerstone of the Queensland and Australian packs won back the Ashes in 1950 and again in 1954.

Ken Irvine: A perennial try scorer for NSW (31 tries) and Australia (103), while representing North Sydney (1958-70) at a time the club was rarely in contention for the semi-finals, he was a phenomenal scoring machine. In 432 games, he scored 385 tries and 101 goals.

Darren Lockyer: He has won the Golden Boot award in two positions, as a fullback and a five-eighth, meaning he has been the best in the world in two positions. A one-club player (Broncos), he has played 472 first class games, captaining his club, state and country to trophies, scoring 1,597 points.

Mal Meninga: “Big Mal” made four Ashes-winning Kangaroo tours, a feat unique in the code and captained Australia in two of them. He was a pillar of Canberra and Queensland, winning premierships and State of Origin titles for both. He played 517 first class games, scoring 3255 points.


Dally Messenger: It can be argued there would be no rugby league in Australia if this player with freakish ability had not transferred from rugby union. In a day where newspapers didn’t put people or pictures on the front page, Dally was a constant star on page one.

Norm Provan: “Sticks” is the sentimental favourite for selection. This towering second rower, along with Wests’ Arthur Summons, is one half (or two thirds if size is considered) of the premiership trophy. He played in ten of the Dragons 11 successive premierships, being captain-coach in four.


https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/10...s-stand-the-test-of-time-20180620-p4zmon.html

Brian Bevan: 796 tries in 20 seasons????
NYEagle