Tom Gleeson (rugby league)

Thomas Patrick Gleeson (1889-1931) was an Australian rugby league footballer from the 1910s.

Tom Gleeson
Personal information
Full nameThomas Patrick Gleeson
Born1889
Kempsey, New South Wales
Died27 Jun 1931
drowned at La Perouse, New South Wales
Playing information
PositionWing, Centre
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1911–12 Glebe 28 17 0 0 51
1914–22 Huddersfield
1923 Glebe 1 1 0 0 3
Total 29 18 0 0 54
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1912 New South Wales 3 5 0 0 15
1912 Metropolis 1 0 0 0 0
Source: [1]

Former Glebe centre Tom Gleeson also had a long career with Huddersfield Giants in England where he partnered the legendary Albert Rosenfeld. "Australian Tommy Gleeson, signed in November 1912 from the Glebe club in Sydney, just three months before protests from the New South Wales Rugby League resulted in a ban on overseas players - a ban which was effective for fourteen years." [2]

He did not return to Australia until after the first world war and played one final season with Glebe in 1923. [3] [4]

Tragic death

Tom Gleeson died in very tragic circumstances when he dived in the ocean from rocks near La Perouse, New South Wales to save his son Martin (aged 12) who had already been washed off the rocks while fishing. Tom Gleeson drowned soon after, and his son also drowned .[5] [6] [7]

References
  1. Whiticker/Hudson
  2. "TEAM OF ALL TALENTS - Huddersfield Rugby League Heritage". www.huddersfieldrlheritage.co.uk.
  3. Alan Whiticker/Glen Hudson: Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players. 1995. (ISBN 1875169571)
  4. TOM GLEESON RETURNS Referee(Sydney) 4/10/1922 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/127926067?searchTerm=%22tom%20gleeson%22
  5. Rugby League News (Trove) 4 July 1931. page 18 "Passing of League Pioneer" https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-627272716/view?sectionId=nla.obj-639327227&partId=nla.obj-627291118#page/n17/mode/1up
  6. Sydney Morning Herald - Death Notice 3 July 1931
  7. Sydney Morning Herald - 29//06/1931 Page 9, "Fatality Feared" https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16789578?searchTerm=%22gleeson%22
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