1983 Queensland rugby league tour of Papua New Guinea and England

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The 1983 Queensland rugby league tour of Papua New Guinea and England was a tour that took place in two parts. In June 1983 the Queensland team took in a one-week tour of Papua New Guinea, then following the end of the 1983 Brisbane Rugby League season, the team embarked on a 3-game, 2 week tour of England in October. [1] [2]

Contents

Leadership

The team was coached by Arthur Beetson and was captained by Wally Lewis.

Touring squad

Chris Phelan who played for the 1983 Sydney premiers Parramatta was the only non-Queensland based player in the 21 man touring squad. Paul Bartier, Martin Bella, Terry Butler, Wayne Challis, Greg Conescu and Mal Meninga only played on the Papua New Guinea portion of the tour.

PlayerClubPosition(s)GamesTriesGoalsF/GoalsPoints
Paul Bartier Norths Devils colours.svg Norths Devils Five-eighth , Lock 21004
Martin Bella Balmain colours.svg Easts Tigers Prop 20000
Shane Bernardin Norths Devils colours.svg Norths Devils Hooker , Prop 20000
Mitch Brennan Redcliffe colours.svg Redcliffe Dolphins Wing , Centre 32008
Larry Briggenshaw Balmain colours.svg Easts Tigers Halfback 20000
Terry Butler Wynnum-Manly Colours.svg Wynnum Manly Seagulls Centre , Wing 240016
Wayne Challis Western Suburbs colours.svg Souths Magpies Wing 21004
Greg Conescu Norths Devils colours.svg Norths Devils Hooker 20000
Greg Dowling Wynnum-Manly Colours.svg Wynnum Manly Seagulls Prop 21004
Brett French Wynnum-Manly Colours.svg Wynnum Manly Seagulls Centre , Wing 32008
Wally Fullerton Smith Redcliffe colours.svg Redcliffe Dolphins Second-row , Lock 430012
Cavill Heugh Balmain colours.svg Easts Tigers Lock 430012
Gavin Jones Balmain colours.svg Easts Tigers Prop 30000
Paul Khan Balmain colours.svg Easts Tigers Prop 10000
Joe Kilroy Norths Devils colours.svg Norths Devils Halfback , Fullback 32008
Wally Lewis (c) Valleys colours.svg Fortitude Valley Diehards Five-eighth , Centre 533018
Wayne Lindenberg Balmain colours.svg Easts Tigers Five-eighth 22008
Shane McNally Balmain colours.svg Easts Tigers Hooker 2011022
Mal Meninga Western Suburbs colours.svg Souths Magpies Centre 238028
Gene Miles Wynnum-Manly Colours.svg Wynnum Manly Seagulls Centre 550020
Mark Murray Redcliffe colours.svg Redcliffe Dolphins Halfback 40000
Bryan Niebling Redcliffe colours.svg Redcliffe Dolphins Second-row 41004
Trevor Paterson Balmain colours.svg Easts Tigers Lock 20000
Chris Phelan Parramatta colours.svg Parramatta Eels ( NSWRFL ) Second-row 31004
Colin Scott Wynnum-Manly Colours.svg Wynnum Manly Seagulls Fullback , Wing 442020
Steve Stacey Balmain colours.svg Easts Tigers Wing 32008
Brad Tessmann Western Suburbs colours.svg Souths Magpies Second-row , Prop 350020

Papua New Guinea

Wednesday, 15 June
Highlands Zone Brothers Valleys Colours.svg 16 – 34 Queensland colours.svg Queensland
Tries:
Ifiso Segeyaro, Dekot Koki
Goals:
K. Tifati (4)
[3]
Tries:
Wayne Challis, Terry Butler, Cavill Heugh, Mal Meninga, Richie Poulsen, Brad Tessmann
Goals:
Wally Lewis (1), Mal Meninga (1), Colin Scott (1)
Rebiamul Oval, Mount Hagen
Attendance: 8,000

Highlands Zone: . Reserves – . Coach –

Queensland: . Reserves – Colin Scott, Steve Stacey, Terry Butler, Gene Miles, Wayne Challis, Paul Bartier, Joe Kilroy, Martin Bella, Greg Conescu, Richie Poulsen, Brad Tessmann, Bryan Niebling, Cavill Heugh. Reserves – Mal Meninga, Wally Lewis (c), Mark Murray, Wally Fullerton Smith


Saturday, 18 June
PNG Presidents XIII Papua New Guinea colours.svg 3 – 106 Queensland colours.svg Queensland
Tries:

Goals:
K. Keveu
Field Goals
Poka Kila
[4]
Tries:
Brad Tessmann (4), Terry Butler (3), Wally Fullerton Smith (2), Mal Meninga (2), Gene Miles (2), Colin Scott (2), Steve Stacey (2), Paul Bartier, Cavill Heugh, Bryan Niebling
Goals:
Mal Meninga (7), Colin Scott (5), Wally Lewis (1)
Lloyd Robson Oval, Port Moresby
Attendance: 12,000

PNG Presidents XIII: . Reserves – . Coach –

Queensland: Joe Kilroy, Terry Butler, Mal Meninga, Gene Miles, Wayne Challis, Wally Lewis (c), Mark Murray, Brad Tessmann, Greg Conescu, Martin Bella, Bryan Niebling, Wally Fullerton Smith, Paul Bartier. Reserves – Richie Poulsen, Cavill Heugh, Steve Stacey, Colin Scott


England

Sunday, 16 October
Hull Kingston Rovers HKRcolours.svg 8 – 6 Queensland colours.svg Queensland
Tries:
Mike Smith
Goals:
George Fairbairn (2)
[5]
Tries:
Wally Lewis
Goals:
Wally Lewis (1)
Craven Park, Hull
Attendance: 6,383
Referee: Robin Whitfield
Player of the Match: Gordon Smith HKRcolours.svg

Hull KR: George Fairbairn (c), Garry Clark, Mike Smith, John Dorahy, Gary Prohm, Steve Hartley, Gordon Smith, Roy Holdstock, David Watkinson, Mark Broadhurst, Phil Hogan, Chris Burton, David Hall. Res – David Laws, Andy Kelly, Tracy Lazenby. Coach – Roger Millward

Queensland: Colin Scott, Steve Stacey, Gene Miles, Brett French, Mitch Brennan, Wally Lewis (c), Mark Murray, Paul Khan, Shane Bernardin, Brad Tessmann, Bryan Neibling, Chris Phelan, Wally Fullerton-Smith. Res – Joe Kilroy, Wayne Lindenberg, Trevor Paterson, Gavin Jones


Sunday, 23 October
Wigan Wigancolours.svg 2 – 40 Queensland colours.svg Queensland
Tries:

Goals:
Colin Whitfield (1)
[6]
Tries:
Wayne Lindenberg (2), Mitch Brennan, Brett French, Cavill Heugh, Joe Kilroy, Gene Miles, Chris Phelan
Goals:
Shane McNally (4)
Central Park, Wigan
Attendance: 9,749
Referee: Ron Campbell
Player of the Match: Wayne Lindenberg Queensland colours.svg

Wigan: Colin Whitfield, Ronnie Braithwaite, David Stephenson, Tim Wilby, Henderson Gill, David Wood, Jimmy Fairhurst, Kerry Hemsley, Howie Tamati, Brian Case, Danny Campbell, Graeme West (c), John Pendlebury. Res – Shaun Wane, Mick Scott, Brian Dunn. Coach – Alex Murphy

Queensland: Joe Kilroy, Brett French, Gene Miles, Wally Lewis (c), Mitch Brennan, Wayne Lindenberg, Larry Briggenshaw, Greg Dowling, Shane McNally, Chris Phelan, Gavin Jones, Cavill Heugh, Trevor Paterson


Aftermath

As had happened at the end of the unbeaten 1982 Kangaroo tour (which Wally Lewis, Gene Miles and Mark Murray had all been a part of with Lewis the Kangaroos vice-captain), a number of the Queensland players were targeted by cashed-up English clubs. Wally Lewis, despite feeling jaded due to not having a break from the game since the end of the 1981 BRL season, accepted a £30,000 offer to join Wakefield Trinity for 10 games before returning to Australia for the start of the 1984 BRL season where he would move from his junior club Fortitude Valley Diehards to join the Wynnum Manly Seagulls.

Greg Dowling would join Wigan for a season in 1985–86 season. Wally Fullerton Smith joined Leeds for the 1984–85 season. Joe Kilroy joined Halifax and Chris Phelan joined Oldham.

References

  1. "1983 Queensland World tour @ Rugby League Project". Archived from the original on 27 May 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  2. QLD UK Tour 1983
  3. Highlands Zone vs Queensland
  4. Presidents XIII vs Queensland
  5. Hull Kingston Rovers vs Queensland
  6. Wigan vs Queensland
  7. Leeds vs Queensland