Stephen Butler (rugby league)

Last updated

Stephen Butler
Personal information
Full nameStephen Butler
Born1954
Died2024
Playing information
Position Wing
Club
YearsTeamPldTGFGP
1977–80 St. George Dragons 36120036

Stephen Butler (1954-2024) was an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in Sydney's NSWRFL competition in the 1970s. He was a two-time premiership winner in his three year career in the top grade. [1]

Career

Butler came through the junior ranks at St. George S.G. Ball Cup and Jersey Flegg Cup teams. He was graded in 1976 and played most of the year in the Under23s although he won a Premiership with the Dragons reserve grade team in 1976 as a late replacement for Owen O'Donnell. [1]

He won a premiership with St. George in his debut first grade year in 1977 after replacing Tony Graham in the starting line up. He played wing in the 1977 drawn Grand Final and the 1977 Grand Final replay and had a marvellous year under the coaching of Harry Bath. [1]

He played reserve grade in 1978, and was a reserve back in the 1979 Grand Final taking the field late in the match to replace the injured Michael Sorridimi. Butler retired in 1980. [2] [1]

Related Research Articles

The St. George Dragons are an Australian rugby league football club from the 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.

Robert Henry Stone was an Australian professional rugby league footballer and official. He played 281 games for the St. George Dragons including 170 games in first grade mainly at prop. Stone achieved representative honours including being a member of the first New South Wales State of Origin team. Stone later became the executive officer at St. George where his most notable achievement was having St George Illawarra Dragons return to Oki Jubilee Stadium in Kogarah from 2003.

William John Smith is an Australian former rugby league footballer. He was the leading halfback in Australian rugby league during the late 1960s, and a keystone of the latter part of the St. George Dragons' eleven consecutive premiership victories between 1956 and 1966. He represented Australia in eighteen Tests and eight World Cup games between 1964 and 1970. He captained Australia in a World Cup game against Great Britain in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NSW Cup</span> Australian rugby league competition

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graeme Wynn</span> Australia international rugby league footballer

Graeme Wynn is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played for the St. George Dragons and the Western Suburbs Magpies in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership. His position of choice was at second-row forward, where his height and strong build made him among the most powerful runners in the game during the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Suburbs Rugby Club</span> Rugby team

Northern Suburbs Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club in Sydney, Australia, that was formed in 1900 from the merger of the Pirates and Wallaroos clubs. The club competes in the Shute Shield competition run by the New South Wales Rugby Union. The club has produced 42 Wallaby representatives. The club's home ground is the historic North Sydney Oval on the North Shore of Sydney. The ground has been a venue for both codes of rugby and for cricket over more than a century.

Graham "Wombat" Eadie, is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. He has been named amongst Australia's finest of the 20th century. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australian international representative fullback, he played in Australia during Manly-Warringah's dominance of the NSWRFL competition during the 1970s. He won four premierships with them and his 1,917 points in first grade and 2,070 points in all grades were both records at the time of his retirement. Eadie also played in England for Halifax, winning the Challenge Cup Final of 1987 with them. He also won World Cups with Australia and collected awards such as the Rothmans Medal and Lance Todd Trophy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Potter</span> Australian rugby league footballer and coach

Michael Potter is an Australian professional rugby league football coach who most recently served as the interim head coach of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the National Rugby League (NRL), and a former professional rugby league footballer. He was previously head coach of Super League clubs, the Catalans Dragons, St Helens, the Bradford Bulls and NRL club the Wests Tigers. As a player, he was a New South Wales State of Origin representative fullback, playing his club football for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, the St George Dragons and the Western Reds. He currently works as an assistant coach for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.

John "Bomber" Peard is an Australian former rugby league footballer and later coach. An Australian international and New South Wales representative Five-eighth, he played for the Eastern Suburbs, St George and Parramatta NSWRFL clubs in the 1960s and 1970s. Peard's nickname, 'Bomber', came from his revolutionary towering punt kick, popularly referred to as a bomb, which terrorised opposition players, especially the Fullbacks and Wingers they were aimed at. It has now become a common feature of the modern game.

Johnny Mayes is an Australian former rugby league halfback who represented Australia in the 1975 World Cup. He also played in three consecutive premiership-winning teams from 1973 to 1975, the first for Manly-Warringah and the latter two for Eastern Suburbs. His feat of playing in three consecutive premiership sides for different clubs is comparable only with Glenn Lazarus in the early 1990s for Canberra and the Brisbane Broncos, who played in four premiership sides between 1989 and 1993 and with Cooper Cronk who won three premierships with the Melbourne Storm and the Sydney Roosters from 2017 to 2019.

Barry Beath is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer, a second-row forward for the St. George Dragons in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership competition. He represented for New South Wales and in the Australia national rugby league team.

Geoff Gerard is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. An Australia international and New South Wales State of Origin representative forward, he played his club football with Sydney clubs Parramatta, Manly Warringah and Penrith, and also spent time with English clubs Wakefield Trinity and Hull FC. From the time of his retirement in early 1989 to mid-1994 he held the record for the most career New South Wales Rugby League premiership first-grade games until overtaken by Terry Lamb. He holds the distinction of playing in the most first-grade grand finals (four) without ever winning one.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Marys Saints</span> Australian rugby league club, based in Penrith District, NSW

The St Marys Saints are an Australian rugby league club who were formed in 1908. They were the founding Member of the Penrith District Rugby League. They have previously competed in the NSWRL Jim Beam Cup, winning three titles in the 1990s and in the NSWRL Premier League/State League as a former joint-venture club with their local rivals, the Penrith Panthers from 2002 until 2007. For a brief time, the Saints were known as the Cougars in the NSWRL Jim Beam Cup. The club has since returned to its original name.

Jim Porter is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s. An Australia national representative winger, he played his club football in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership with the Eastern Suburbs club and Parramatta. With the Australian team he won the 1975 World Cup, and he also made an appearance for NSW City in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Kembla Blacks</span> Defunct Australian rugby league club, based in Port Kembla, NSW

The Port Kembla Blacks were a Rugby League team from Port Kembla, New South Wales, Australia that competed in the Illawarra Rugby League competition from 1914 to 2008 before moving to the Group 7 Rugby League competition from 2013 to 2017.

Don Parish is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and coached in the 1970s. An Australia international and New South Wales state representative goal-kicking fullback or three-quarter back, he played club football in Sydney's NSWRFL Premiership for the Western Suburbs club, as well as elsewhere in New South Wales. Parish later coached Wests and Penrith.

John Joseph Kolc is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. An Australia international representative halfback, he played in Sydney's NSWRFL premiership for the Parramatta club. Kolc was one of the smallest international rugby league players: only late 1920s St. George hooker “Snowy” Justice is believed to have played for Australia at a lighter weight, although 1950s backs Darcy Henry and Johnny Hunt are believed to have been similarly small.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wyong Roos</span> Australian rugby league club, based in Kanwal, NSW

The Wyong Rugby League Football Club are an Australian rugby league club based on the Central Coast of New South Wales. The club competed in the New South Wales Cup from 2013 to 2018 and still competes in the Central Coast Division Rugby League. The club's colours are green and gold, the home ground of the club is the Morry Breen Oval in Kanwal, New South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illawarra RLFC</span> Defunct Australian rugby league club, based in Illawarra, NSW

The Illawarra Rugby League Football Club was an Australian rugby league football club based in Illawarra formed in 2012. Originally known as the Illawarra Cutters, they became known as the Illawarra RLFC before the 2017 Intrust Super Premiership NSW.

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Alan Whiticker/Glen Hudson: Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players. 1995. ISBN   1875169571
  2. Big League Magazine. 24-30 September 1977. Article 'BUTLER'. (page 32-33)