Johnny Raper
Encyclopedia
John Raper, MBE is an Australian former rugby league
footballer and coach. He was a lock forward for the Australia national team. He had a record 33 test caps between 1959 and 1968 and played in 6 World Cup
games between 1960 to 1968. He captained Australia on 8 occasions in 1967–68 and has since been named as one of the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century.
, in south-western Sydney
into a working class family of nine boys, he played junior football for the Camperdown Dragons before representing Newtown's President's Cup side in 1956. He joined and made his first grade debut for Newtown
in 1957 at age 18. Raper represented New South Wales Colts as a lock against Great Britain in 1958. Having agreed terms to leave Newtown
to join the reigning premiers St George
Raper sat out most of the 1958 season to comply with residential criteria.
as a lock forward and it was in this position that he became an international rugby league star. His legendary cover defence and ball skills had him be acknowledged during his playing career as the best lock forward the world had ever seen. He played in eight Grand final
wins with St George
between 1959 and 1966.
Raper attributed his success to a training discipline and fitness fanaticism that was ahead of its time. While St George
's early adoption of circuit training in the late 50s was a major contributing factor in their 11 year premiership run, Raper's own commitment to additional running and weights every day and often alone, enabled him to achieve a personal goal of being the fittest player in the fittest team in the competition.
Raper's last season with St George
was in 1969 as captain-coach. In 1969 he appeared as a guest player for Auckland
in a match against the New Zealand Kiwis to mark the New Zealand Rugby League
's diamond jubilee.
in the Newcastle competition from 1970–1972. He captain coached the club and took them to victory in the 1970 grand final. He finished his playing career with Kurri Kurri in 1973–1974.
In 1959–60 he made the first of three Kangaroo tour
s, scoring a try on debut in the 3rd Test loss vs Great Britain at Wigan. For the next ten years he was rarely, except for injury, out of the Australian Test team.
Raper's performance in the 2nd test of the 1963 tour at Swinton which saw the Kangaroos register the biggest win in Anglo-Australian test history and become the first Australian touring team in 50 years to win the Ashes
was pivotal. In the 50–12 victory, Raper had a hand in the first seven tries scored in an opening 25-minute routing and he gave the final pass in four of them.
In his 3rd Kangaroo tour of 1967–68 Raper suffered a cheekbone fracture in the opening 16–11 Test loss causing him to miss the 2nd Test won by Australia to keep the series alive. Captain-coach Reg Gasnier
had broken a leg in the 1st Test so Raper upon his return to fitness was deputised and earned the ultimate Australian rugby league
honour in captaining his country in the 11–3 win over Great Britain played in icy conditions on a frozen ground in Swinton on 21 October 1967. This test was the first time the Australians had beaten the English on English soil in many years.
Raper went on to captain Australia in the 1st and 3rd Tests against France in 1967–68 (Queenslander Peter "Pedro" Gallagher was the captain for the 2nd test when Raper was injured.) For the 1968 World Cup Raper captained Australia in their four games undefeated games of the tournament including the 20–2 victory against France in the final at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
in 1975–76 commencing an association with that club later carried on by his sons Stuart Raper
and Aaron Raper
. He coached a Lane Cove Rugby Union Club
team to victory in the Judd Cup suburban competition in 1977. Midway through the 1978 season he took over as coach of the Newtown Jets
in a caretaker capacity after the resignation of Paul Broughton.
In retirement Raper for a time played a larger-than-life celebrity role making a record, appearing in commercials for a tyre company and the Liberal party and as an in-demand speaker and guest on radio and TV talk shows. Much higher honours were to follow: an award of a Member of the British Empire
; selection in 1985 as one of the initial four post-war "Immortals
" of the Australian game with Churchill
, Gasnier
and Fulton
; appointment in 1988 as an Australian Test selector and representative of the New South Wales Rugby League.
. In 2007 he was selected by a panel of experts at lock in an Australian 'Team of the 50s'.
In February 2008, Raper was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) which was commissioned by the NRL
and ARL
to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia. Raper went on to be named as lock in Australian rugby league's Team of the Century
. Announced on 17 April 2008, the team is the panel's majority choice for each of the thirteen starting positions and four interchange players. While playing football, Raper also served in the New South Wales Police Force and in 2008, rugby league's centenary year in Australia, he was named at lock in a NSW Police team of the century. In 2008 New South Wales announced their rugby league team of the century also, and again Raper was named at lock.
Raper was named captain and second-row forward in the Western Suburbs Rosellas
' team of the century.
Always regarded as a larrikin in his playing days, Raper now is seen as one of Rugby League's most ardent ambassadors and senior statesmen. In 2000, his portrait was entered into the Archibald Prize
.
over seven seasons from 1966 , kicking a field-goal from the halfway line in their 1967 Grand final loss to South Sydney. He played out the end of his career as Captain/Coach at Wests Brisbane
and made two representative appearance for Queensland in 1973.
Maurie Raper played eighty-seven first grade matches for Penrith
and Cronulla
in an eight year career, Gerard made two first grade appearances for Canterbury in 1977 and Peter, two appearances for Newtown
while Michael played in lower grades.
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...
footballer and coach. He was a lock forward for the Australia national team. He had a record 33 test caps between 1959 and 1968 and played in 6 World Cup
Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...
games between 1960 to 1968. He captained Australia on 8 occasions in 1967–68 and has since been named as one of the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century.
Early life and childhood
Born in RevesbyRevesby, New South Wales
Revesby, a suburb of local government area City of Bankstown, is located 22 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and is a part of the South-western Sydney region....
, in south-western Sydney
South-western Sydney
South-western Sydney is a general term which is used to describe the metropolitan area in south-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the Greater Western Sydney area....
into a working class family of nine boys, he played junior football for the Camperdown Dragons before representing Newtown's President's Cup side in 1956. He joined and made his first grade debut for Newtown
Newtown Jets
The Newtown Jets are an Australian rugby league football club based in Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west. They currently compete in the NSWRL Premier League competition, having left the top grade after the 1983 NSWRFL season...
in 1957 at age 18. Raper represented New South Wales Colts as a lock against Great Britain in 1958. Having agreed terms to leave Newtown
Newtown Jets
The Newtown Jets are an Australian rugby league football club based in Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west. They currently compete in the NSWRL Premier League competition, having left the top grade after the 1983 NSWRFL season...
to join the reigning premiers St George
St. George Dragons
The St George Dragons was an Australian Rugby league football club in St George, Sydney, New South Wales that played in Australia's top-level Rugby league competition from New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1921 until 1998; in 1999 they formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers,...
Raper sat out most of the 1958 season to comply with residential criteria.
St George
Raper joined St GeorgeSt. George Dragons
The St George Dragons was an Australian Rugby league football club in St George, Sydney, New South Wales that played in Australia's top-level Rugby league competition from New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1921 until 1998; in 1999 they formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers,...
as a lock forward and it was in this position that he became an international rugby league star. His legendary cover defence and ball skills had him be acknowledged during his playing career as the best lock forward the world had ever seen. He played in eight Grand final
Grand Final
Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sport term used to describe a match that decides a league champion.It originated in Victoria and South Australia and has become specifically significant Australian culture...
wins with St George
St. George Dragons
The St George Dragons was an Australian Rugby league football club in St George, Sydney, New South Wales that played in Australia's top-level Rugby league competition from New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1921 until 1998; in 1999 they formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers,...
between 1959 and 1966.
Raper attributed his success to a training discipline and fitness fanaticism that was ahead of its time. While St George
St. George Dragons
The St George Dragons was an Australian Rugby league football club in St George, Sydney, New South Wales that played in Australia's top-level Rugby league competition from New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1921 until 1998; in 1999 they formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers,...
's early adoption of circuit training in the late 50s was a major contributing factor in their 11 year premiership run, Raper's own commitment to additional running and weights every day and often alone, enabled him to achieve a personal goal of being the fittest player in the fittest team in the competition.
Raper's last season with St George
St. George Dragons
The St George Dragons was an Australian Rugby league football club in St George, Sydney, New South Wales that played in Australia's top-level Rugby league competition from New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1921 until 1998; in 1999 they formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers,...
was in 1969 as captain-coach. In 1969 he appeared as a guest player for Auckland
Auckland rugby league team
The Auckland rugby league team is the team which traditionally represents all of the clubs which play in the Auckland Rugby League competition. The Auckland Rugby League team has traditionally been a powerhouse of New Zealand domestic rugby league...
in a match against the New Zealand Kiwis to mark the New Zealand Rugby League
New Zealand Rugby League
The New Zealand Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. The NZRL was founded on the 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year....
's diamond jubilee.
Newcastle
Raper played three seasons with the Western Suburbs RosellasWestern Suburbs Rosellas
The Western Suburbs Rosellas, Western Suburbs, Wests, The Rosellas or The Maggots are a Rugby League club based in the Newcastle, NSW region of Australia. It was a foundation member of the Newcastle Rugby League in 1909 and has been one of the most successful teams in that competition...
in the Newcastle competition from 1970–1972. He captain coached the club and took them to victory in the 1970 grand final. He finished his playing career with Kurri Kurri in 1973–1974.
Representative career
Kangaroo Tour
Kangaroo Tour is the name given to Australian national rugby league team tours of Great Britain and France. The first Kangaroo Tour was in 1908. Traditionally, Kangaroo Tours took place every four years and involved a three-Test Ashes series against Great Britain and a number of tour matches...
s, scoring a try on debut in the 3rd Test loss vs Great Britain at Wigan. For the next ten years he was rarely, except for injury, out of the Australian Test team.
Raper's performance in the 2nd test of the 1963 tour at Swinton which saw the Kangaroos register the biggest win in Anglo-Australian test history and become the first Australian touring team in 50 years to win the Ashes
Rugby League Ashes
The Ashes is the name given to the trophy awarded to the winner of a best-of-three series of rugby league football test series between Great Britain and Australia...
was pivotal. In the 50–12 victory, Raper had a hand in the first seven tries scored in an opening 25-minute routing and he gave the final pass in four of them.
In his 3rd Kangaroo tour of 1967–68 Raper suffered a cheekbone fracture in the opening 16–11 Test loss causing him to miss the 2nd Test won by Australia to keep the series alive. Captain-coach Reg Gasnier
Reg Gasnier
Reg Gasnier AM is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach, regarded as one of the 20th century's finest players. He played in the centres for the St. George Dragons from 1959 to 1967...
had broken a leg in the 1st Test so Raper upon his return to fitness was deputised and earned the ultimate Australian 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...
honour in captaining his country in the 11–3 win over Great Britain played in icy conditions on a frozen ground in Swinton on 21 October 1967. This test was the first time the Australians had beaten the English on English soil in many years.
Raper went on to captain Australia in the 1st and 3rd Tests against France in 1967–68 (Queenslander Peter "Pedro" Gallagher was the captain for the 2nd test when Raper was injured.) For the 1968 World Cup Raper captained Australia in their four games undefeated games of the tournament including the 20–2 victory against France in the final at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Point scoring summary
| Games | Tries | Goals | F/G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 223 | 57. | 4 | – | 179 |
Matches played
| Team | Matches | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Newtown | 37 | 1957–1958 |
| St. George Dragons | 186 | 1959–1969 |
| New South Wales | 31 | 1959–1970 |
| Australia (Tests & World Cup) | 39 | 1959–1968 |
Life after football
He returned to Sydney as coach of the Cronulla SharksCronulla Sharks
The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales...
in 1975–76 commencing an association with that club later carried on by his sons Stuart Raper
Stuart Raper
Stuart Raper is an Australian former professional rugby league player and coach. He has since become a sideline commentator for the NRL with Foxsports...
and Aaron Raper
Aaron Raper
Aaron Raper is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1990s.Raper played in Australia for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and Parramatta Eels and in England for the Castleford Tigers...
. He coached a Lane Cove Rugby Union Club
Lane Cove Rugby
Lane Cove Rugby Union Football Club is a rugby union club founded in 1949 and which participates in the New South Wales Suburban Rugby Union competition. The club is situated in Lane Cove in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The home ground is Tantallon Oval...
team to victory in the Judd Cup suburban competition in 1977. Midway through the 1978 season he took over as coach of the Newtown Jets
Newtown Jets
The Newtown Jets are an Australian rugby league football club based in Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west. They currently compete in the NSWRL Premier League competition, having left the top grade after the 1983 NSWRFL season...
in a caretaker capacity after the resignation of Paul Broughton.
In retirement Raper for a time played a larger-than-life celebrity role making a record, appearing in commercials for a tyre company and the Liberal party and as an in-demand speaker and guest on radio and TV talk shows. Much higher honours were to follow: an award of a Member of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
; selection in 1985 as one of the initial four post-war "Immortals
The Immortals (rugby league)
A major Australian rugby league magazine Rugby League Week in 1981 selected an exclusive group of players dubbed "The Immortals". The group consisted of Clive Churchill, Bob Fulton, Reg Gasnier, and Johnny Raper...
" of the Australian game with Churchill
Clive Churchill
Clive Bernard Churchill AM was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach of the mid-20th century. An Australian international and New South Wales and Queensland interstate representative fullback, he played the majority of his club football with and later coached the South Sydney Rabbitohs...
, Gasnier
Reg Gasnier
Reg Gasnier AM is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach, regarded as one of the 20th century's finest players. He played in the centres for the St. George Dragons from 1959 to 1967...
and Fulton
Bob Fulton
Robert "Bob" Fulton AM is an Australian rugby league football identity. 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...
; appointment in 1988 as an Australian Test selector and representative of the New South Wales Rugby League.
Accolades
In 2002 Raper was inducted into the Australian Rugby League Hall of FameAustralian Rugby League Hall of Fame
The Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame honors players who have shown exceptional skill at rugby league, all-time great coaches and referees, and other major contributors to the game who are Australian...
. In 2007 he was selected by a panel of experts at lock in an Australian 'Team of the 50s'.
In February 2008, Raper was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) which was commissioned by the NRL
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
and ARL
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia. Raper went on to be named as lock in Australian rugby league's Team of the Century
Australian Rugby League's Team of the Century
In late 2007, the Australian Rugby League and National Rugby League commissioned a college of 130 experts to select the 100 best rugby league players in the game's 100-year history in Australia...
. Announced on 17 April 2008, the team is the panel's majority choice for each of the thirteen starting positions and four interchange players. While playing football, Raper also served in the New South Wales Police Force and in 2008, rugby league's centenary year in Australia, he was named at lock in a NSW Police team of the century. In 2008 New South Wales announced their rugby league team of the century also, and again Raper was named at lock.
Raper was named captain and second-row forward in the Western Suburbs Rosellas
Western Suburbs Rosellas
The Western Suburbs Rosellas, Western Suburbs, Wests, The Rosellas or The Maggots are a Rugby League club based in the Newcastle, NSW region of Australia. It was a foundation member of the Newcastle Rugby League in 1909 and has been one of the most successful teams in that competition...
' team of the century.
Always regarded as a larrikin in his playing days, Raper now is seen as one of Rugby League's most ardent ambassadors and senior statesmen. In 2000, his portrait was entered into the Archibald Prize
Archibald Prize
The Archibald Prize is regarded as the most important portraiture prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after a bequest from J. F. Archibald, the editor of The Bulletin who died in 1919...
.
Footballing brothers
A number of Raper's brothers had success in top-grade rugby league. Ron played an 128 game career for CanterburyCanterbury 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...
over seven seasons from 1966 , kicking a field-goal from the halfway line in their 1967 Grand final loss to South Sydney. He played out the end of his career as Captain/Coach at Wests Brisbane
Wests Panthers
The Western Suburbs Panthers, often simply referred to as Wests, are a rugby league club from Brisbane, Australia. The Club is the oldest in the QRL and despite absences from the top grade in recent years and several name changes the club continued to operate...
and made two representative appearance for Queensland in 1973.
Maurie Raper played eighty-seven first grade matches for Penrith
Penrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
and Cronulla
Cronulla Sharks
The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales...
in an eight year career, Gerard made two first grade appearances for Canterbury in 1977 and Peter, two appearances for Newtown
Newtown Jets
The Newtown Jets are an Australian rugby league football club based in Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west. They currently compete in the NSWRL Premier League competition, having left the top grade after the 1983 NSWRFL season...
while Michael played in lower grades.
Sources
- Whiticker, Alan (2004) Captaining the Kangaroos, New Holland, Sydney
- Writer, Larry (1995) Never Before, Never Again, Pan MacMillan, Sydney
- Whiticker, AlanAlan WhitickerAlan J. Whiticker is an Australian non-fiction author with currently over 30 published books.Whiticker writes primarily on matters pertaining to the history of the sport of rugby league in Australia, but has also published works on subjects as diverse as the Wanda Beach Murders and an adaptation...
& Hudson, Glen (2006) The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players, Gavin Allen Publishing, Sydney
External links
- John Raper biography at Sport Australia Hall of Fame
- Johnny Raper at playtheball.com
- Johnny Raper at eraofthebiff.com