Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Anthony Ross Branson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | 18 December 1947 Nowra, New South Wales [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 1 April 2020 72) [2] | (aged||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Five-eighth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Whiticker/Hudson [3] |
Tony Branson (1946-2020) was an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s. A state and national representative five-eighth from Nowra in country New South Wales, Branson came to Sydney in 1968 to join the St George Dragons in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership competition.
A country player from Nowra, Branson came to attention representing Country in two matches in 1967 including a rare Country win over City in the first match up of that year's series. [4] He was selected at five-eighth in all three matches of the 1967 interstate series for New South Wales against Queensland and then made the 1967-68 Kangaroo Tour where he played in five Tests matches for Australia against Great Britain and France. Branson is listed on the Australian Players Register as Kangaroo No. 416. [5] Following the tour Branson was signed to the St George Dragons to replace their stalwart star pivot Brian Clay whose career ended in 1967.
Branson made further representative appearances for New South Wales and represented Australia in two fixtures in the 1968 Rugby League World Cup where he was vying for selection at five-eighth against Bob Fulton who was at the very beginning of his rep career. In 1971 Branson made his final representative appearance for Australia in a one-off Test match against New Zealand.
Branson played six seasons in the top grade with the Dragons including the 1971 Grand Final loss to South Sydney. [6] He played a further two seasons at St George and retired in 1973.
John William Raper was an Australian professional rugby league footballer and coach. Nicknamed "Chook", he was a lock-forward who earned a then-record of 33 Test caps in the Australia national team between 1959 and 1968. He also played six World Cup games between 1960 and 1968. Raper captained Australia on eight occasions from 1967 to 68 and played in eight consecutive NSWRFL first-grade grand final victories for the St George Dragons club. He was named as one of the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century.
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.
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.
Shaun Timmins is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australian international representative utility, he played his club football in the National Rugby League for the Illawarra Steelers and the St George Illawarra Dragons. Timmins was a versatile player, performing at five-eighth, centre, lock, and second-row at representative and club levels.
Robert Fulton, also nicknamed "Bozo", was an Australian international rugby league footballer, coach and later commentator. Fulton played, coached, selected for and has commentated on the game with great success at the highest levels and has been named amongst Australia's greatest rugby league players of the 20th century. As a player Fulton won three premierships with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in the 1970s, the last as captain. He represented the Australian national side on thirty-five occasions, seven times as captain. He had a long coaching career at the first grade level, taking Manly to premiership victory in 1987 and 1996. He coached the Australian national team in thirty-nine Tests. He was a New South Wales State selector and a national selector. He was a radio commentator with 2GB at the time of his death in 2021, aged 73. In 1981, he was selected as one of the initial four post-war "Immortals" of the Australian game and, in 2008, he was named in Australia's team of the century.
Matt Cooper is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australia international representative centre, he played his entire National Rugby League career for the St. George Illawarra Dragons, with whom he won the 2010 NRL grand final.
Johnny Greaves is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s. He played for St. George, Canterbury-Bankstown, New South Wales and for Australia.
Edmund Lumsden was an Australian professional rugby league footballer. He was a wing with the St. George Dragons during their eleven-year premiership winning run from 1956 to 1966, playing in and winning nine grand finals. Lumsden is one of four brothers who all played for Country. Jack Lumsden played for Manly and Australia. Eddie Lumsden's twin, Richie, and his other brother, Ray, were both "bush footballers".
Brian Joseph 'Poppa' Clay (1935–1987) was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a five-eighth with the St. George Dragons during their 11-year consecutive premiership winning run from 1956 to 1966. He was a representative in the Australian national team in 1957 and from 1959 to 1960 earning five Test caps plus three World Cup appearances. He is considered one of the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century.
Elton Rasmussen (1936–1978) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a second-row with the St. George Dragons during the second half of their 11-year consecutive premiership winning run from 1956 to 1966. He was a representative in the Australian national team from 1959 to 1962 and from 1967 to 1968.
Billy Wilson was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. An Australia national and New South Wales state representative front-row forward, he captained the national team in two Tests against New Zealand in 1963 and captained-coached several of his club sides during a record length top-grade career over twenty seasons from 1948 to 1967. Much of his New South Wales Rugby League premiership career was spent with Sydney's St. George club where he was a pivotal member for the first half of that club's 11-year consecutive premiership run from 1956. Billy Wilson won six consecutive premierships with the Dragons between 1956 and 1962.
Ian John Walsh was an Australian professional rugby league footballer and coach. He was a hooker with the St. George Dragons from 1962 to 1967 and played in the last five of the Dragons' historic 11 consecutive premiership winning teams. He captained St. George in the last of its 11 successive Grand Final wins in 1966 and led The Saints again when their premiership winning streak ended in 1967. He was a representative for Australia and captained them in 10 Test matches from 1963 to 1966.
Scott Robert Gourley is an Australian former rugby league and rugby union footballer who played from 1986 to 1998 and achieved the status of a dual-code international representing his country in both sports. He made five Test appearances for the Wallabies and switched to rugby league in 1990 playing for the St George Dragons, the Sydney Roosters and making one Test appearance for the Kangaroos.
Noel Pidding was an Australian rugby league footballer. He was a state and national representative, whose goal-kicking prowess enabled him to set a number of long-standing club and Australian point scoring records. His club career was with the St. George Dragons, with whom he won the 1949 premiership, and later at Eastern Suburbs.
Colin Maxwell (1917–2001) was an Australian international rugby league footballer whose career ran from the 1930s to the 1950s. He was a centre for the Australian national team in one Test in 1948 in which he captained the side.
Robert Alfred Bugden was an Australian professional rugby league footballer. He was a halfback with the St. George Dragons in the first half of their 11-year consecutive premiership winning run from 1956 to 1966. He was also a representative in the Australian national team in 1959 and 1960, making two test appearances.
Norman John "Johnny" Hawke was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, and 1950s. An Australian international and New South Wales interstate representative back, he played club football in the ACT as well as in Sydney for St. George Dragons, whom he captained and won a premiership with in 1949.
John Gleeson, also known by the nickname of "Dookie", was an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. An Australian international and Queensland interstate representative half, he played club football in the country for Chinchilla's team, in the Toowoomba Rugby League for the All Whites club, and in the Brisbane Rugby League for the Wynnum-Manly and Brothers clubs, winning the 1967 BRL premiership with the latter.
Kevin O'Brien is an Australian former rugby league footballer in the 1950s. He was a premiership winning centre with the St George Dragons, made state representative appearances and toured with the Australian national side in 1956–57.
The 1967–68 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France was the twelfth Kangaroo Tour, and saw the Australian national rugby league team travel to Europe and play twenty-one matches against British and French club and representative rugby league teams, in addition to three Test matches against Great Britain and three Tests against the French. It followed the tour of 1963-64 and the next was staged in 1973.