Team: Players Excelled in Other Sports

[40 nil]

That you to everyone for the wonderful suggestions, even though a few don't qualify according to my criteria. I will edit my original post to include them in a seventeen man squad

I hate to say it, but Paul Gallen has also done professional boxing (and more than just a couple of exhibition bouts). So there is a lock.

Hasn't had many pro fights, but easily beat former heavyweight champ Hoppa (past his prime), so deserves a spot

Is this just limited to Australian players? Because Matthew Ridge was a NZ ranked tennis player in his junior days.

Not restricted to Australian players, but I think junior accomplishments shouldn't be included as many League players have been good at other sports in their youth, e.g. Steve Reilly was the Australian junior or sub junior javelin record holder

Jack Elsegood became a motor racing driver after his retirement from league.

One of my favourite players of that era

I don't think Les Johns ever represented NSW in cricket.

You are correct - he's not listed in the List of New South Wales representative cricketers - Wikipedia

John Monie Surfing

I heard he was a very good surfer - did he compete at professional level? Maybe doesn't quite fit my criteria, but included in my team as a dummy half is needed

Johnny Bliss

Great player and also long term SE sprint coach - now one of my wingers

Dennis Tutty.

Excellent suggestion - played for Australia & won a national rowing title

Hayne - NFL

Rex was a dual International

I excluded similar football codes, i.e. those using an oval ball

Daniel Vidot ... now a professional wrestler with the WWE.

An achievement to be in WWE, but IMO, it is more entertainment than competitive sport

Max Whitehead .

Great suggestion - no idea how he played though

Kevin Tamiti

Didn't play for an Australian club, but played for NZ & Widnes, so qualifies

Steve Mortimer - shuffleboard

Not a major sport

Alan Walker,

Bob Bartlett,

Not familiar with either of these centres - will choose Walker as he represented Australia in Union & NSW in cricket

Brent Todd

Thank you - on checking, saw that he represented NZ in water polo

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

Not NRL player but All Black Jeff Wilson played cricket for NZ as well in the 90s. That’s two top sporting codes in a country and a fair effort.

He was a gun basketballer as well and if he kept at it probably would have played international there

As a sidenote, Brendon McCullum kept Dan Carter on the bench of the NZ Secondary Schools rugby side

 

[Chip and Chase]

Did Jeff Fenech ever make it on the field for First Grade ?

 

[Aussie Battler]

Did Jeff Fenech ever make it on the field for First Grade ?

My recollection is no. Half a game in reserve grade.

 

[40 nil]

Just remembered Mark Broadhurst, Manly prop & NZ boxing champion - could possibly replace Hughes on my bench

 

[jbb/james]

Manfred moore possibly, the newtown player from the usa.
Shane whearett
I remember commentators crapping on about broco djura being a good wicky, nsw standard.

 

[Waz13]

He was a gun basketballer as well and if he kept at it probably would have played international there

As a sidenote, Brendon McCullum kept Dan Carter on the bench of the NZ Secondary Schools rugby side

Yep was aware of the basketball. He actually married a girl I knew from the town I grew up in. She played netball for NZ.

Didn’t know about McCollum. He must have been good at Union. Making NZ secondary schools is no easy feat in itself. Those teams are highly competitive.

 

[Woodsie]

@40 nil ... Max Whitehead only played 33 1st grade games ... 13 for Norths during the war and 20 for Manly in '47 and '48 ...no rep games .. played at prop I believe with 4 career tries to his name ...

So while his record does not indicate he was a great player .. the fact that he was the first captain of the Mighty SeaEagles firmly places him in the position of legendary immortal ...

 

[40 nil]

So while his record does not indicate he was a great player .. the fact that he was the first captain of the Mighty SeaEagles firmly places him in the position of legendary immortal ...

Thank you @Woodsie - I agree with your assessment

With reference to the 1947 side, my mother grew up with Mackie Campbell (Beaver's grandfather) in the same street in Harbord. Also, Manly's first ever hooker, Pat Hines, owned a metalwork business next to my family's business in Condamine St, Manly Vale in the sixties. He was a lovely guy and at the time employed Manly first graders, Mick McLean & John McDonnell.

 

[HoldenV8]

For those interested.....

Darren Clark, 1990 Commonwealth Games gold medalist in the 400m, played in reserve grade for Balmain in 1991 and scored 11 tries. He was dubbed the "fastest white man alive" while at the Tigers, but he never played a first grade game. In fact, his only "first grade" was playing in Balmain's World Seven's team in 1991. After failing to make their top side in the 13 man game, he returned to athletics in time to be selected in the Australian team for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, though he was forced to withdraw before the Olympics after suffering an Achilles tendon injury.

Ken Irvine I believe was also a very good baseball player in his youth. Kinda like former Aussie cricket captain Ian Chappell who actually represented South Australia in the Claxton Shield as a catcher. And Chappell's grandfather Victor Richardson, also a former Aussie test cricket captain, not only played baseball at both state (Claxton) and international level, but also played senior Aussie rules football for the Sturt Football Club in the Adelaide based South Australian National Football League (SANFL, though then it was the SAFA without the National part), winning the league's Magarey Medal (the SANFL's equivalent of the Dally M or Brownlow medals) in 1920 while captain-coach of the club. Richardson was also a member of Sturt's premiership winning teams in 1915, 1919 and 1926. He also represented SA 10 times in interstate competition during his career, captaining the state side in 1923. He retired from league football in 1927 after gaining his first test cricket cap. He was also a South Australian state champion and representative in golf and tennis.

Shane Warne played U/19's and Reserve Grade for St Kilda in the then VFL before deciding to concentrate on cricket and was delisted from the club at the end of the 1988 VFL Season.

 

[Peter C]

Greg Brentnall was tossing up signing between the Dogs and an AFL team

 

[Shoe1]

Josh Addo-Carr - trap shooting

Latrell - dirt bikes

 

[40 nil]

Both Israel Folau and Karmichael Hunt have played for the Kangaroos, the Wallabies & AFL.

 

[Freddo]

Remembered a late starter. John '"cracka" McDonald was a professional runner and at one time held the world record for 400 metres. I knew he did some pro running in Queensland but did not know the extent of his career. apologies if he has already been mentioned.

 

[40 nil]

John '"cracka" McDonald was a professional runner and at one time held the world record for 400 metres.

Good get - will add Cracka to my team

 

[HoldenV8]

You said not other codes of football, right?

I guess that cancels out Bozo representing the Australian Combined Armed Forces in a rugby union game against the touring All Blacks when he was on national service? I believe the game was played at North Sydney Oval.

 

[40 nil]

You said not other codes of football, right?

Yes, sports with different skill sets to the oval ball games. Otherwise, you could probably have a whole team of dual international League & Union players. From what we have so far, it seems athletics is closely aligned with backs & boxing with forwards 🙂

 

[Peter C]

You said not other codes of football, right?

I guess that cancels out Bozo representing the Australian Combined Armed Forces in a rugby union game against the touring All Blacks when he was on national service? I believe the game was played at North Sydney Oval.

I remember that game, fairly certain it was in 1968, where have all those years gone?