 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ronald Paul Raper | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 22 November 1945 Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Lock | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coaching information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ronald Paul Raper (born 22 November 1945) is an Australian former rugby league footballer, and coach from the 1960s and 1970s.
Born in Camperdown, in inner-western Sydney into a working-class family of nine boys, he played junior football for the East Hills Bulldogs before representing Canterbury's President’s Cup side in 1964.
The younger brother of the legendary Johnny Raper, he gave great service as a lock forward for Canterbury-Bankstown joining them in 1964.
He played seven first grade seasons for Canterbury between 1966-1972 and played lock in the 1967 Grand Final.
In 1965, Ron started the year in reserve grade and emerged as a talent during the season. In 1966, Ron received the opportunity to play first grade against Newtown when George Taylforth was relegated.
He secured a first grade position for the next seven seasons.
In 1967, he played in all first grade games including the Grand Final against South Sydney. After missing two games in 1968, he played 85 consecutive first grade games between 1968 and 1971.
In 1970, he was appointed captain of the first grade team and captained Canterbury on 27 occasions. He played in the winning Pre-Season Final against St. George and also played in the Semi-Final against St. George.
Injuries finally caught up with Raper in 1971 and after losing his first grade position midway through 1972, he left the club to play for Ryde-Eastwood for the remainder of the season leading them to the Second Division Premiership.
Raper played 168 games for Canterbury and scored 333 points during his career.
He was awarded the Canterbury 'player of the year' in 1967.
In 1973, Raper moved to Brisbane to play for the Redcliffe Dolphins. He represented Queensland in two appearances that year and was unlucky to miss selection on the 1973 Kangaroo tour after breaking his arm in Redcliffe's BRL grand final loss to Valleys.
He became coach of the Wests Panthers in 1975 where he guided them to back to back BRL Premierships in 75 and 76 after Wests finished wooden spooners in 1974.
In 2004, Raper was nominated for the Canterbury Bankstown Berries to Bulldogs 70 Year Team of Champions.
On Sunday 31 July 2016, Raper received the great honour of having the old seniors field at Purtell Park, Bardon named after him. The field was named Erica Quinn and Ron Raper Oval and was named after Ron in recognition of his services to the Wests Panthers throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. [1]
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the NRL Telstra Premiership, as well as competitions facilitated by the New South Wales Rugby League, including the Canterbury Cup NSW, the Jersey Flegg Cup, Harvey Norman Women's Premiership, Tarsha Gale Cup, S. G. Ball Cup and the Harold Matthews Cup.
Matthew Utai is a former professional rugby league footballer who last played as a winger for the Auburn Warriors in the Ron Massey Cup. A New Zealand and Samoa international representative, he previously played for the Wests Tigers and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, with whom he won the 2004 NRL premiership.
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 New South Wales Cup, along with the Queensland Cup, acts as a feeder competition to the National Rugby League premiership. The competition is the oldest continuous rugby league competition in the Australia.
Steve Gearin is an Australian former rugby league footballer who represented Canterbury, St George and Manly in the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) during the 1970s and 1980s. A key member of the Bulldogs during the 'entertainers' era, one of his finest moments was kicking six conversions from six attempts in Canterbury's 1980 Grand Final victory. He was the top point scorer in the NSWRL in 1980 and 1984.
Greg Eastwood is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer. A New Zealand international forward, he played in the NRL for the Brisbane Broncos and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, and in the Super League for the Leeds Rhinos.
Andrew Ryan is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative forward, he played his club football in the National Rugby League for the Parramatta Eels and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, winning the 2004 NRL premiership with the club and becoming their captain.
Dennis Ward was an Australian professional rugby league footballer. He was a halfback who played first grade in the NSWRFL Premiership for Canterbury-Bankstown and Manly-Warringah from 1965 to 1972, winning the 1972 Grand Final with Manly. He also played for City Firsts, New South Wales and Australia in representative football.
Desmond John Hasler is an Australian professional rugby league coach and former player who is the current head coach of the Gold Coast Titans in the National Rugby League.
The history of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs stretches from the 1930s to the present day. Based in Belmore, a suburb of Sydney, the Bulldogs in 1935 were admitted to the New South Wales Rugby Football League (NSWRFL) competition, a predecessor of the current NRL competition.
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.
Paul Dunn is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australian international representative forward, he played club football in Sydney for Eastern Suburbs, Canterbury-Bankstown, Parramatta and Penrith.
Corey Payne is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. Payne played for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, the St George Illawarra Dragons and the Wests Tigers. He also represented NSW City. Payne primarily played at lock.
Cabramatta Two Blues, colloquially known as Cabra, is an Australian rugby league football club that was originally formed in 1919 and then later completely formed as the Two Blues in 1939. They have always based from the Parramatta Junior Leagues, and their junior teams compete in the Parramatta District Junior Rugby League Association. They currently compete in the Sydney Shield and have previously competed in the Ron Massey Cup however both sides did not field a side for the 2022 season in either competition. They play out of the Cabramatta, New South Wales, Sports Ground Complex which can fit up to 5,000 spectators. The Two Blues have won numerous A-Grade Titles with their last Premiership received in 2002.
Greg Barwick is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s.
Aiden Tolman is a former Australian professional rugby league footballer who last played as a prop for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NRL.
Ben Roarty is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He played for the Melbourne Storm, Penrith Panthers, Huddersfield Giants and the Castleford Tigers, as a prop, second-row or lock.
Dale Finucane is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a lock forward for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the National Rugby League (NRL). Finucane is a dual premiership winner 2017 and 2020 with the Melbourne Storm.
Lachlan Burr is a former Australian professional rugby league footballer who last played as a lock and prop for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL.
The Mounties Rugby League Football Club is an Australian rugby league football club based in Mount Pritchard, New South Wales formed in 1927. They currently play in the Ron Massey Cup and Sydney Shield.
Chris Smith is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row forward and lock for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL.