Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | James Joseph Duckworth | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1908 Balmain, New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 2 July 1967 (aged 58–59) Rozelle, New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre, Five-eighth | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Coaching information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
James Joseph Duckworth (1908-1967) was an Australian rugby league footballer, a premiership winning coach and administrator.
Duckworth was born in 1908 at Balmain, New South Wales who came through the junior ranks to play first grade for the Balmain club. He played nine seasons with Balmain between 1928-1933 and between 1936-1938, although he spent two years at Cessnock and Port Macquarie during 1934-35.
He returned to coach Port Macquarie and Kempsey teams in the war years before coming to St. George as first grade coach in 1948. Duckworth coached the Saints between 1948-1950, and won the 1949 Grand Final with them. He fell out with the club at the end of 1950 and returned to his old club, Balmain to coach them for the 1951 season without success.
Duckworth later moved into rugby league administration, firstly as a state and then as an Australian selector. He went on to become a Director and Vice-President of the NSWRFL, under Bill Buckley until he died suddenly in 1967. [2]
He died suddenly on 2 July 1967, at his Rozelle, New South Wales home. [3]
The New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and is a member of the Australian Rugby League Commission. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was known as the New South Wales Rugby Football League (NSWRFL) until 1984. From 1908 to 1994, the NSWRL ran Sydney's, then New South Wales', and eventually Australia's top-level rugby league club competition from their headquarters on Phillip Street, Sydney. The organisation is responsible for administering the New South Wales rugby league team.
The Balmain Tigers are a rugby league club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles. In 1999 they formed a joint venture club with the Western Suburbs Magpies club to form the Wests Tigers for competition in the National Rugby League (NRL). They no longer field any senior teams in the lower divisions. At the time of the joint venture only South Sydney Rabbitohs and the St George Dragons had won more titles than the Tigers.
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The 1947 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fortieth season of Sydney’s top-level rugby league competition, Australia’s first. For the first time, the number of clubs in the league reached double digits due to the admission of Manly-Warringah and Parramatta to the first grade competition. The season culminated in a grand final between the Balmain and Canterbury-Bankstown clubs.
Norman "Latchem" Robinson was an Australian professional rugby league footballer, coach, selector and club administrator for the Balmain Tigers club in Sydney and a City, State and National selector and manager. He also served as NSW and Australian coach in 1948 and 1958 respectively.
Fred de Belin was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and an RAAF Flying Officer who saw active service over Germany during WWII. An Australian international and New South Wales interstate representative forward, he played club football in Sydney for Balmain, winning the 1946 NSWRFL Premiership with them and later being appointed their captain.
Reginald Augustine 'Whip' Latta (1897–1970) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1910s and 1920s who also became a coach. An Australia national and New South Wales state representative forward, he played his club football in Sydney for the Balmain club, with whom he won five premierships. Latta also coached the team.
Athol William Smith (1913–1953) was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. A Queensland and Country New South Wales representative forward, he played club football in Sydney for Western Suburbs and Balmain
Leo Nosworthy was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1969, he became the premiership winning coach of the Balmain Tigers rugby league team.
Greg Fryer is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s. He played for Balmain in the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) competition.
