Reg Gasnier
Encyclopedia
Reg Gasnier AM
(born 12 May 1939 in Kogarah, New South Wales
) 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. He also represented Australia
in a record 36 Tests and three World Cup games and was the Captain of the national side on eight occasions between 1962 and 1967. Gasnier is the uncle of rugby league footballer Mark Gasnier
.
, cricket
, baseball
and athletics
. Reg Gasnier later attended Sydney Technical High School
in the St. George area suburb of Bexley
as a local student. Whilst at 'Tech', he became a champion schoolboy sportsman in both rugby and cricket.
He was selected at age 13 in a New South Wales Schoolboy side in a curtain raiser
to the 1952 Australia and New Zealand Test.
He signed on to play for the St. George Dragons
, his local rugby league club for the start of the 1958 season. His talents had been noticed while he was playing for junior club Renown United. His rise through the game was meteoric, after only six games in third grade he was selected for his first grade debut and after only five first grade games he was selected for New South Wales. By 1959 Gasnier had become an established member of both the New South Wales state side
and the Australian international team
. He was a vital member of the all-conquering Dragons team of the later 1950s and early 1960s that successfully won 11 successive premiership victories. Gasnier himself enjoyed seven of those premiership victories
Before Gasnier the St George dynasty with three premierships to its credit had a backline that was well-drilled and competent but still one that deferred to the powerful Dragons forwards. After Gasnier donned the number 3 jersey, the backs came into their own as an irrespressible scoring machine.
Gasnier has been described as the ultimate all round rugby league player, possessing speed and a beautiful running style, good hands, a superb change of pace and great anticipation along with being a sound defender. He was dubbed 'Puff the Magic Dragon' by Dragons fans because of this. He finished his career with the Dragons in 1967 with 127 tries and 20 goals in only 131 appearances.
Upon his retirement the then ARL chairman Bill Buckley
was quoted, "On his day, he was the greatest rugby league player I have ever seen. Gasnier had an amazing change of pace and great anticipation. He was also particularly unselfish. He was without peer."
At the end of the 1959 season Gasnier toured England with the Kangaroos
a highlight being his three tries in the 1st Test against a star studded Great Britain team at Station Road, Swinton.
He became Australia's youngest ever captain in 1962 when he led Australia against England aged 23 years and 28 days, he also toured Europe on another two occasions in 1963 and 1967, the latter also as captain.
Gasnier's career was unfortunately ended on the 1967 European tour when in a minor game against a French provincial team he sustained a cruciate injury and never played competitively again, he was only 28 years old. He finished his international career as Australia's most capped player, with a total of thirty-six test caps, which remained a record until broken by Mal Meninga
in 1992. He also scored twenty-six tries for Australia and captained the side on eight occasions.
in his knee. After leaving the playing field in 1967 Gasnier was involved in the media
side of rugby league, writing about and becoming involved in broadcasting
the game and showing that not only did he play the game beautifully but was a student of it and knew its intricacies. Gasnier provided expert analysis for many years on the ABC
's Grandstand television coverage of the Saturday match of the day during the 1970s.
” of the Australian game with Churchill
, Raper
and Fulton
and in December of that year he was inducted into the Australian Sporting Hall of Fame. In 2002 he was inducted into the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame
.
In 2007 Gasnier was selected by a panel of experts at centre in an Australian 'Team of the 50s'.
In February 2008, Gasnier 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. Gasnier went on to be named as one of the centres, along with Mal Meninga
, 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. In 2008 New South Wales announced their rugby league team of the century also, and Gasnier was again named at centre.
He was made a life member of the Sydney Cricket Ground
and a plaque in the Walk of Honour there commemorates his career. He is a Member of the Order of Australia
(AM).
In 2010 a bronze statue of Gasnier was unveiled as the seventh inside the Sydney Cricket Ground
precinct as part of the Basil Sellers Sports Sculpture project.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born 12 May 1939 in Kogarah, New South Wales
Kogarah, New South Wales
Kogarah is a suburb of southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kogarah is located 14 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is considered to be the centre of the St George area...
) is an Australian former 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...
footballer and coach, regarded as one of the 20th century's finest players. He played in the centres for the St. George Dragons
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,...
from 1959 to 1967. He also represented Australia
Australian national rugby league team
The Australian national rugby league team have represented Australia in senior men's rugby league football competition since the establishment of the game in Australia in 1908. Administered by the Australian Rugby League, the Kangaroos' are ranked number one in the RLIF World Rankings...
in a record 36 Tests and three World Cup games and was the Captain of the national side on eight occasions between 1962 and 1967. Gasnier is the uncle of rugby league footballer Mark Gasnier
Mark Gasnier
Mark Gasnier is an Australian former rugby league player, a state and national representative centre three-quarter. He played eleven top-grade seasons with the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL, interrupted by two seasons of rugby union played with the French club Stade Français. He was a...
.
Childhood and early career
Gasnier was born and raised in the southern Sydney suburb of Mortdale. At Sutherland Intermediate High School Gasnier began to hone his natural sporting ability playing rugbyRugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and athletics
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
. Reg Gasnier later attended Sydney Technical High School
Sydney Technical High School
Sydney Technical High School is an academically selective, state-funded high school for boys in Bexley, a southern suburb of Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1911 as part of Sydney Technical College, the school was one of the six original New South Wales selective schools...
in the St. George area suburb of Bexley
Bexley
Bexley is an South East London]] in the London Borough of Bexley, London, England. It is located on the banks of the River Cray south of the Roman Road, Watling Street...
as a local student. Whilst at 'Tech', he became a champion schoolboy sportsman in both rugby and cricket.
He was selected at age 13 in a New South Wales Schoolboy side in a curtain raiser
Curtain raiser
*A United States Air Force missile combat competition called Curtain Raiser, held in 1967*Curtain raiser - A short play or entertainment given before the main entertainment or event to fill out the bill or programme....
to the 1952 Australia and New Zealand Test.
St. George Dragons
In 1957 at the age of eighteen Gasnier was forced to choose which sport to focus on having already achieved junior state representative honours in both cricket and rugby league.He signed on to play for the St. George Dragons
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,...
, his local rugby league club for the start of the 1958 season. His talents had been noticed while he was playing for junior club Renown United. His rise through the game was meteoric, after only six games in third grade he was selected for his first grade debut and after only five first grade games he was selected for New South Wales. By 1959 Gasnier had become an established member of both the New South Wales state side
New South Wales Rugby League
The New South Wales Rugby League is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and is a member of the Australian Rugby League. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was known as the New South Wales Rugby Football League until 1984 when forward thinking marketing managers decided...
and the Australian international team
Australian national rugby league team
The Australian national rugby league team have represented Australia in senior men's rugby league football competition since the establishment of the game in Australia in 1908. Administered by the Australian Rugby League, the Kangaroos' are ranked number one in the RLIF World Rankings...
. He was a vital member of the all-conquering Dragons team of the later 1950s and early 1960s that successfully won 11 successive premiership victories. Gasnier himself enjoyed seven of those premiership victories
Before Gasnier the St George dynasty with three premierships to its credit had a backline that was well-drilled and competent but still one that deferred to the powerful Dragons forwards. After Gasnier donned the number 3 jersey, the backs came into their own as an irrespressible scoring machine.
Gasnier has been described as the ultimate all round rugby league player, possessing speed and a beautiful running style, good hands, a superb change of pace and great anticipation along with being a sound defender. He was dubbed 'Puff the Magic Dragon' by Dragons fans because of this. He finished his career with the Dragons in 1967 with 127 tries and 20 goals in only 131 appearances.
Upon his retirement the then ARL chairman Bill Buckley
Bill Buckley (rugby league)
William George Buckley OBE was an Australian rugby league footballer and administrator.A front rower, Buckley played 75 first-grade matches for Newtown...
was quoted, "On his day, he was the greatest rugby league player I have ever seen. Gasnier had an amazing change of pace and great anticipation. He was also particularly unselfish. He was without peer."
Australia
Gasnier made his international debut for Australia against New Zealand in the 1st Test on 1959 in Sydney and played in all three Tests of that series.At the end of the 1959 season Gasnier toured England with the Kangaroos
Australian national rugby league team
The Australian national rugby league team have represented Australia in senior men's rugby league football competition since the establishment of the game in Australia in 1908. Administered by the Australian Rugby League, the Kangaroos' are ranked number one in the RLIF World Rankings...
a highlight being his three tries in the 1st Test against a star studded Great Britain team at Station Road, Swinton.
He became Australia's youngest ever captain in 1962 when he led Australia against England aged 23 years and 28 days, he also toured Europe on another two occasions in 1963 and 1967, the latter also as captain.
Gasnier's career was unfortunately ended on the 1967 European tour when in a minor game against a French provincial team he sustained a cruciate injury and never played competitively again, he was only 28 years old. He finished his international career as Australia's most capped player, with a total of thirty-six test caps, which remained a record until broken by Mal Meninga
Mal Meninga
Malcolm Norman Meninga AM is an Australian former rugby league test captain and current coach of Queensland's State of Origin team. As a player he was a legendary goal-kicking centre, counted amongst the finest footballers of the 20th century...
in 1992. He also scored twenty-six tries for Australia and captained the side on eight occasions.
Retirement
Gasnier's retirement was forced by a torn anterior cruciate ligamentAnterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
in his knee. After leaving the playing field in 1967 Gasnier was involved in the media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
side of rugby league, writing about and becoming involved in broadcasting
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
the game and showing that not only did he play the game beautifully but was a student of it and knew its intricacies. Gasnier provided expert analysis for many years on the ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
's Grandstand television coverage of the Saturday match of the day during the 1970s.
Honours
Since retirement he has been awarded a variety of honours. In 1985 he was selected as one of the initial four post-war “ImmortalsThe 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...
, Raper
Johnny Raper
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...
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...
and in December of that year he was inducted into the Australian Sporting Hall of Fame. In 2002 he was inducted into the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame
Australian 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 Gasnier was selected by a panel of experts at centre in an Australian 'Team of the 50s'.
In February 2008, Gasnier 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. Gasnier went on to be named as one of the centres, along with Mal Meninga
Mal Meninga
Malcolm Norman Meninga AM is an Australian former rugby league test captain and current coach of Queensland's State of Origin team. As a player he was a legendary goal-kicking centre, counted amongst the finest footballers of the 20th century...
, 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. In 2008 New South Wales announced their rugby league team of the century also, and Gasnier was again named at centre.
He was made a life member of the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
and a plaque in the Walk of Honour there commemorates his career. He is a Member of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(AM).
In 2010 a bronze statue of Gasnier was unveiled as the seventh inside the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
precinct as part of the Basil Sellers Sports Sculpture project.
Sources
- "Reg Gasnier History", www.bestlegenz.com.au, retrieved 15 June 2006
- "Rugby League 1908: Reg Gasnier" by Sean Fagan, RL1908, retrieved 15 June 2006
- "Gasnier inducted into Australia Hall of Fame" by Brad Walter 19 April 2004, Sport Australia Hall of Fame, retrieved 15 June 2006