Graham Wilson (rugby league)

Graham Wilson (1939–2005)[1] was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s. He played in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership for Newtown club and later Cronulla-Sutherland, also achieving state and international representative honours. He is also the father of former North Sydney Bears player Craig Wilson, and Cronulla-Sutherland player Alan Wilson.

Graham Wilson
Personal information
Full nameGraham Alan Wilson
Born(1939-06-24)24 June 1939
Grafton, New South Wales, Australia
Died20 December 2005(2005-12-20) (aged 66)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
PositionForward
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1960–67 Newtown 128 11 15 0 63
1968–70 Cronulla-Sutherland 37 2 0 0 6
Total 165 13 15 0 69
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1961–66 NSW City 4 0 0 0 0
1963–66 New South Wales 4 2 0 0 6
1963 South Africa
1963–64 Australia 2 1 0 0 3

Playing career

Originally from Grafton, New South Wales, Wilson made his first grade debut for Newtown in the Sydney premiership as a 16-year-old in 1960.[2] He was first selected to represent New South Wales the following season.

In 1963, the South African team was touring Australia and Wilson represented Sydney against them. Before leaving for New Zealand, the South African team invited Wilson and Canterbury-Bankstown's hooker, Fred Anderson to bolster their injury-ravaged forward pack. Later that year Wilson was selected for the Australia national team for the 1963–64 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France, gaining the unusual distinction of playing for two countries in the same year.[3] On tour he played at second-row forward in the third test against France.

Death

Wilson died in December, 2005 in Sydney, aged 66.

Accolades

In 2008, the centenary year of rugby league in Australia, Wilson was named in the Newtown 18-man team of the century.

References
  1. "Former Kangaroos prop Wilson dies". AAP Sports News (Australia). Retrieved 25 September 2008.
  2. "Graham Wilson". Yesterday's Hero. Archived from the original on 27 July 2008. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
  3. "Memories of tour rekindled". The Press. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
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