John Ballesty
Encyclopedia
John Patrick Ballesty in Strathfield, New South Wales
is an Australia
n former national representative
rugby union
player who also played first-grade rugby league
with the Eastern Suburbs
club.
when he debuted against the All Blacks
in Sydney in June 1968. That same year he kicked the match winning field goal
in a Test match against the France
. He played in 9 tests between 1968 and 1969 for the Wallabies
at fly-half before switching codes. He captained Australia in three minor matches in 1969.
alongside former Wallaby team mates John Brass
and Alan Cardy
. In 1972 he was a try-scorer in the Roosters side that lost to Manly Warringah in that year's Grand final and he received the Player of the Year award from Australian rugby league's major publication, Rugby League Week
. While at Easts
he trained in club management before leaving to play for the Queanbeyan Blues under his Roosters coach Don Furner
at the end of the 1973 season.
in 1980 where he held the role of Secretary-Manager for two years before joining the Canterbury Bankstown Leagues Club
in 1982 as General Manager. He remains General Manager at Canterbury Leagues currently, it is financially Australia's largest single licensed club. He is married with 4 children, Martin, Brendan, Scott and Kate.
Strathfield, New South Wales
Strathfield is an Inner West suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Strathfield is located 14 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield...
is an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n former national representative
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player who also played first-grade rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
with the Eastern Suburbs
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
club.
Rugby union
Ballesty was Eastwood's first Wallaby test player and the third Australian national representative to come from the Eastwood Rugby ClubEastwood Rugby Club
Eastwood Rugby Club is a rugby union club playing in the Sydney grade competition. The club is based at T G Millner Field, named in honour of its benefactor Colonel Tom Millner MC VD, and the club's players and supporters are primarily drawn from the Northern Suburbs and Hills District of Sydney....
when he debuted against the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
in Sydney in June 1968. That same year he kicked the match winning field goal
Field goal (rugby)
A drop goal, also referred to as a dropped goal or field goal, is a method of scoring points in rugby union and rugby league. A drop goal cannot be scored in open play by punting the ball, and instead must be scored by drop kicking the ball over the crossbar and between the uprights. After the...
in a Test match against the France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
. He played in 9 tests between 1968 and 1969 for the Wallabies
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
at fly-half before switching codes. He captained Australia in three minor matches in 1969.
Rugby league
In 1970 Ballesty joined the Eastern Suburbs clubSydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
alongside former Wallaby team mates John Brass
John Brass
John Brass is an Australian former rugby union and rugby league footballer - a dual-code international. He made twelve international representative rugby union appearances with the Wallabies from 1966–68 and six representative rugby league appearances for the Kangaroos in 1970 and 1975, as...
and Alan Cardy
Alan Cardy
Allan Cardy was a representative of Australia in rugby union. He played for the Drummoyne club in Sydney before switching to other rugby code – rugby league in 1969...
. In 1972 he was a try-scorer in the Roosters side that lost to Manly Warringah in that year's Grand final and he received the Player of the Year award from Australian rugby league's major publication, Rugby League Week
Rugby League Week
Rugby League Week is the second highest selling Australian rugby league magazine, behind major competitor Big League...
. While at Easts
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
he trained in club management before leaving to play for the Queanbeyan Blues under his Roosters coach Don Furner
Don Furner
Don Furner is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. As a player he represented Queensland on nine occasions and also toured with the 1956–57 Kangaroos....
at the end of the 1973 season.
After football
Ballesty returned to the Eastwood Rugby Union ClubEastwood Rugby Club
Eastwood Rugby Club is a rugby union club playing in the Sydney grade competition. The club is based at T G Millner Field, named in honour of its benefactor Colonel Tom Millner MC VD, and the club's players and supporters are primarily drawn from the Northern Suburbs and Hills District of Sydney....
in 1980 where he held the role of Secretary-Manager for two years before joining the Canterbury Bankstown Leagues Club
Canterbury Bulldogs
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions...
in 1982 as General Manager. He remains General Manager at Canterbury Leagues currently, it is financially Australia's largest single licensed club. He is married with 4 children, Martin, Brendan, Scott and Kate.