Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Paul Upfield | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | 22 January 1964 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Second-row, Lock, Five-eighth | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 2 February 2023 |
Paul Upfield is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He played for Illawarra, St. George and Balmain in the NSWRL competition.
An Illawarra junior, Upfield made his first grade debut in round 7 of the 1984 NSWRL season against Western Suburbs at Lidcombe Oval. Upfield scored a try on debut during a 13–10 loss. In 1988, Upfield was selected to represent NSW Country in the annual City vs Country Origin match. Upfield departed Illawarra at the end of 1988 having played 80 matches.
In 1989, Upfield joined St. George but only made five appearances for the first grade team before another transfer to Balmain where he played two seasons. Following his departure from Balmain, he played for Wagga Kangaroos and the Nowra Warriors. In 1994 he captain-coached Bathurst to a Group 10 premiership before returning to the Illawarra competition as a representative captain-coach. [2] [3] [4]
The St. George Dragons is an Australian rugby league football club from St George District in Sydney, New South Wales that played in the top level New South Wales competition and Australian Rugby League competitions from the 1921 until the 1997 ARL season, as well as the unified 1998 National Rugby League season. On 23 September 1998, the club formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers, creating the St. George Illawarra Dragons team which competed in the 1999 NRL season and continues to compete in the league today. As a stand-alone club, it fields teams in the NSWRL underage men's and women's competitions, Harold Matthews Cup, S.G. Ball, and Tarsha Gale Cup.
The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club competed in Australia's top-level rugby league competition from 1982 until 1998. On the 13th of December 1980, they were the first non-Sydney based team to be admitted into the New South Wales Rugby League premiership, with the Canberra Raiders being admitted later ensuring an even number of teams in the competition for the start of their first season, 1982. Over their seventeen years in the top grade, the club received three wooden spoons, made the play-offs twice and had a total of three of its players selected to play for the Australia national rugby league team.
The Western Suburbs Magpies are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly referred to, were one of the nine foundation clubs of the first New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia. The club, as a sole entity, departed the top-flight competition in 1999 after forming a 50–50 joint venture with Balmain Tigers to form the Wests Tigers. The club currently fields sides in the NSW State Cup, Ron Massey Cup (Opens), S.G. Ball Cup and Harold Matthews Cup competitions.
The Newtown Jets are an Australian rugby league football club based in Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west. They currently compete in the NSW Cup competition, having left the top grade after the 1983 NSWRFL season. The Jets' home ground is Henson Park, and their team colours are blue and white.
Leichhardt Oval is a rugby league and soccer stadium in Lilyfield, New South Wales, Australia. It is currently one of three home grounds for the Wests Tigers National Rugby League (NRL) team, along with Campbelltown Stadium and Western Sydney Stadium. Prior to its merger with the Western Suburbs Magpies, it was the longtime home of the Balmain Tigers, who used the ground from 1934–1994 and 1997–1999. It was named after Ludwig Leichhardt.
The NSW Cup, currently known as the Knock-On Effect NSW Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a rugby league competition for clubs in New South Wales. The competition has a history dating back to the NSWRFL's origins in 1908, starting off as a reserve grade competition, and is now the premier open age competition in the state. The NSW Cup was the Reserve Grade/Presidents Cup/First Division from 1908 until 2002, and the NSWRL Premier League from 2003 to 2007, the NSW Cup from 2008 to 2015, the Intrust Super Premiership NSW from 2016 to 2018, the Canterbury Cup NSW from 2019 to 2020. The New South Wales Cup, along with the Queensland Cup, acts as a feeder competition to the National Rugby League premiership.
Craig Young is an Australian former representative rugby league footballer for the Australia national rugby league team, the New South Wales Blues and a stalwart player over 11 seasons from 1977 to 1988 with the St. George Dragons in the NSWRL premiership competition. He played as a prop-forward. His nickname was "Albert" after his middle name and/or the cartoon character Fat Albert.
Paul Sironen is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of Finnish descent who was a prominent Second-row forward for the Balmain Tigers during the late 1980s, and early 1990s. He was part of the team that played in successive Grand Finals in 1988 and 1989, and included other representative players Steve "Blocker" Roach, Wayne Pearce, Benny Elias and Garry Jack. He made a number of appearances for both New South Wales in State of Origin, and also for Australia, and has been named as part of the Wests Tigers Team of the Century.
Mark Coyne is an Australian former rugby league footballer, a state and international representative player and an Insurance Executive. His football club career was with the St George Dragons and the joint-venture of the St George Illawarra Dragons - he captained both sides. He played principally at centre but sometimes as a wing in his notable representative career. He was also the brother of another first grade footballer, Peter Coyne.
Ross Conlon is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s. He played for the Western Suburbs Magpies, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Balmain Tigers in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership (NSWRL) as well as representative football for New South Wales and the Australia. He was a renowned goalkicker and described as "One of the fastest players in the game."
Cliff Lyons is an indigenous Australian former international rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. A Clive Churchill Medalllist and two-time Dally M Medallist, he made 309 first-grade appearances with the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, winning grand finals with them in 1987 and 1996. Lyons also represented New South Wales and Australia, being part of the successful 1990 Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain and France.
The 1988 NSWRL season was the 81st season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and saw the first expansion of the New South Wales Rugby League Premiership outside the borders of New South Wales, and another expansion outside of Sydney, with the addition of three new teams: the Brisbane Broncos, Newcastle Knights and Gold Coast-Tweed Giants. The largest NSWRL premiership yet, sixteen clubs competed during the 1988 season, with the J J Giltinan Shield for minor premiers going to Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. The finals culminated in a grand final for the Winfield Cup between the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Balmain Tigers. This season NSWRL teams also competed for the 1988 Panasonic Cup.
The Helensburgh Tigers are an Australian rugby league football team based in Helensburgh, a country town of the Illawarra region. The club are a part of Country Rugby League and has competed in the Illawarra Rugby League premiership since its inception in 1911.
Ray Pratt (1915-1990) also known as Roy Pratt was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1930s and 1940s. He played for St George and Eastern Suburbs in the NSWRL competition.
John Maguire Was an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s. He played for Cronulla-Sutherland, Parramatta and St George in the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) competition. Subsequent to his career in football he became a teacher and principal.
Kevin Smyth (1932–2007) was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. He played for Western Suburbs, Balmain and Parramatta in the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) competition.
Gary Bridge nicknamed "Parrot" is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He played for Balmain and Eastern Suburbs in the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) competition and for Oldham RLFC in England.
David McLean is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played for the Balmain Tigers and the Penrith Panthers in the NRL.
Gary McFarlane is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He played for Balmain and Western Suburbs in the NSWRL competition. McFarlane also played for Whitehaven in England.
David French nicknamed "Frog" is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s. He played for Eastern Suburbs and Balmain in NSWRL competition.