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Born | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | 24 May 1960||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Position | Hooker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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William "Greg" Conescu (born 24 May 1960 [1] ) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. An Australia national and Queensland State of Origin representative hooker, he played all of his club football in Queensland with Norths Devils (with whom he won the BRL premiership in 1980) Gladstone Brothers, Redcliffe and the Brisbane Broncos.
Born to Romanian parents, Conescu achieved Brisbane Rugby League premiership success with the Norths Devils in 1980 and also played for Gladstone Brothers and Redcliffe Dolphins. While playing for Norths, Conescu made his debut for both the Australian Kangaroos and Queensland. [2] In 1987 he played for Redcliffe in the BRL grand final.
In 1988, Conescu entered the New South Wales Rugby League premiership with the Brisbane Broncos, playing in the club's first ever match in 1988. [3] He continued to represent Queensland in the State of Origin series that year, and was again selected in the Australian Kangaroos side. On 20 July 1988 Conescu played for Australia in their record 62-point win over Papua New Guinea, scoring a try. [4] Despite being the incumbent Australian and Queensland hooker, he was surprisingly dropped to reserve grade by coach Wayne Bennett in favour of a young Kerrod Walters. [5]
In 2000, Conescu was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his contribution to Australia's international standing in the sport of rugby league.[ citation needed ]
As part of State of Origin's 25th anniversary in 2005, the Australian Rugby League announced the 25 greatest players for both Queensland and New South Wales, with Conescu named for the Queenslanders. [6]
Conescu was named as a reserve in an all-time greatest Norths Devils team announced in 2008. [7]
The Redcliffe Dolphins are a semi-professional rugby league club based in Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1947, they were accepted into the Brisbane Rugby League (BRL) premiership competition in 1960, and since 1996 have played in the Queensland Cup. The Redcliffe Dolphins thrived in the BRL. However, the 1988 admission of the Brisbane Broncos team in the New South Wales Rugby League competition caused the decline of the BRL.
The Northern Suburbs Devils, or North Brisbane Devils, or often simply referred to as Norths for short, are a rugby league club representing the northern suburbs of Brisbane, Australia. The team colours are sky blue, navy blue and gold. They play in the Hostplus Cup, and, through their predecessors, are one of the oldest clubs in Australia. Norths have won 14 A Grade, 17 Reserve Grade and 14 Colts/Third Grade Premierships. They hold the record for most consecutive first grade Brisbane Rugby League premierships, winning six in a row between 1959 and 1964 and being crowned champions most recently in 2022.
The Queensland Cup, currently known as the Hostplus Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the highest-level regional rugby league football competition in Queensland, Australia. It is run by the Queensland Rugby League (QRL) and is contested by fifteen teams, thirteen of which are based in Queensland, with one based in New South Wales and one in Central Province, Papua New Guinea.
The Western Suburbs Panthers, or the West Brisbane Panthers, or often simply referred to as Wests for short, are a rugby league club based in the western suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The club is the oldest in the QRL and despite absences from the top grade in recent years and several name changes the club continued to operate. After leaving the Queensland Cup, they participated in the Brisbane A-Grade competition from 2005 until their senior sides disbanding in 2012. In 2013, the club entered a voluntary hiatus, but was announced to be part of the revived Brisbane Rugby League.
John Ribot, also known by the nickname of "Reebs", is an Australian sports administrator, former rugby league footballer of the 1970s and 1980s. Once a Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative, Ribot was the 1980 NSWRFL season's equal top try-scorer. Also a member of the 1982 "Invincibles" Kangaroo touring squad, he played club football in Brisbane for Fortitude Valley, Wests and Redcliffe, and in Sydney for Newtown, Wests and Manly-Warringah.
Barry Muir was an Australian professional rugby league footballer and coach. An Australian and Queensland representative halfback, he played in 22 Tests between 1959 and 1964, as captain on two occasions.
Mark Murray is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He represented Australia in test matches and Queensland in the State of Origin. His position of choice was halfback. Murray has also coached in the National Rugby League and State of Origin.
The Wynnum-Manly Seagulls are an Australian rugby league football club based at Kougari Oval, in Brisbane's bayside suburb of Manly West, which neighbours the suburb of Wynnum. They competed in the Brisbane Rugby League from 1951 to 1997. Since 1996 they have competed in the Queensland Cup. Their jersey is red, green and white. From 1995 to 2005 they were known as the Wynnum Seagulls.
Kevin David Walters is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player, who has been the head coach of the Brisbane Broncos in the National Rugby League (NRL) since 2021.
Gene Miles is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative centre, he played his club football in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership before joining the Brisbane Broncos in 1988 and later captained in 1990.
Steve Walters, also known by the nickname of "Boxhead", is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s who at the peak of his career was considered the best hooker in the game. An Australian Kangaroos and Queensland Maroons representative, he played in the Canberra Raiders' 1st, 2nd and 3rd NSWRL grand final victories.
Kerrod Walters is an Australian former rugby league footballer. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative hooker, he played most of his club football with the Brisbane Broncos, with whom he won the 1992 and 1993 NSWRL Premierships.
"Smokin" Joe Kilroy is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. A Queensland State of Origin representative wing/fullback, he played club football in the Brisbane Rugby League Premiership with Brothers and Northern Suburbs club and in the Sydney Rugby League Premiership with the Brisbane Broncos.
Colin Scott is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. Primarily a fullback, he was an inaugural player for the Queensland State of Origin team and the Brisbane Broncos.
Bryan Niebling is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. Niebling played in the forwards. After a successful Brisbane Rugby League premiership, and representative career for both his state and country, Niebling played in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership for the Brisbane Broncos from their first ever game.
Greg Oliphant is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer, a state and national representative halfback who made one Kangaroo tour. Oliphant played in the New South Wales Rugby League for the two seasons of 1978-1979 with the Balmain Tigers. Prior to and after those years he played in the Brisbane Rugby League with Wests, Valleys and Redcliffe.
Rugby league in Queensland is the most watched winter sport in the state and the second most participated football code after soccer. Rugby league was introduced in 1908 and within just a few years it surpassed rugby union there to become the most popular football code as players switched to play professionally in the Queensland Rugby League. In the 1920s, Queenslanders began leaving to play professionally in the New South Wales Rugby League which became a more popular competition. However Queensland maintained a strong rugby league culture, with the state continuing to perform well in interstate rugby league. The later advent of the State of Origin series ensured that players would return to represent their state.
Jack Reardon (1914-1991) was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1930s and 1940s and who later became a sports journalist. An Australian international and both a New South Wales and Queensland representative centre, he played club football in country New South Wales before moving to Queensland and playing in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership. He is also well known for his football journalism and being the first to suggest 'state of origin' selection rules for interstate rugby league.
Lloyd Weier (1938-2003) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s. A Queensland state and Australia national representative forward, he played his club football in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership for Norths and in the NSWRFL Premiership for North Sydney
Cameron Cullen is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays for the Redcliffe Dolphins in the Intrust Super Cup. He plays as a five-eighth, halfback and hooker. He previously played for the Gold Coast Titans.