Ricky Walford
Encyclopedia
Ricky Walford is an Australian former professional rugby league
footballer of the 1980s and 90s. He played for the Sydney Roosters
, North Sydney Bears
and the St. George Dragons
. He was a classy goal-kicking winger.
as an Australian schoolboy representative and toured to New Zealand in 1981.
In 1983 Walford joined the Eastern Suburbs Roosters
and made thirteen appearances for the tri-colours in 1982 and 1983. He made his first grade debut in Round 2 of the 1982 season and kicked 2 goals coming from the bench, going on to score 3 tries and 4 goals in seven appearances. Walford only played in 6 games in 1983 for the Roosters, not scoring a try or a goal. He then moved north of Sydney Harbour
in 1984 and played 11 games for the North Sydney Bears
, scoring 8 tries and kicking 21 goals.
Ricky Walford was one of a dying breed of goal kicker in top line rugby league. He was an old style direct 'toe poker' of the ball rather than the 'around-the-corner' style which gives the kicker greater accuracy and has proved much more popular since Englishman
John Gray
introduced the style to Australia
when he joined The Bears in 1975.
Walford joined the St. George Dragons
in 1985 but only played two games for the season and missed out on the Dragon's heartbreaking 6-7 loss to Canterbury-Bankstown in the Grand Final at the Sydney Cricket Ground
. He cemented his place on the wing for the Dragons in the 1986 season and scored 9 tries in 17 games to be the clubs leading try scorer.
After an injury interrupted 1987 season where he only played 14 of The Dragons 26 games, Ricky Walford enjoyed his some of his best form and his best ever points haul in 1988. Playing 22 games he was the clubs leading try and point scorer with 15 tries and 52 of 89 goals kicked for a total of 164 points scored.
In an 11 year career with the famous St. George club Ricky Walford played 206 games. He scored 104 tries and kicked 253 goals. He played on the wing in both of the 1992 and 1993 Grand Final losses to the Brisbane Broncos
at the Sydney Football Stadium and was the NSWRL's leading point scorer in 1989 when he scored 146 points (equal with Balmain's
English
import Andy Currier
). Walford crossed the line for 13 tries and kicked 47 goals from 75 attempts. Walford had his biggest point scoring day in Round 19 of 1989 at The Dragons home ground Kogarah Oval when he crossed for 4 tries and kicked 5 goals against Canterbury in a 32-2 romp over the reigning premiers.
Ricky Walford's 874 career points for St George stood in second place behind Graeme Langlands
on the club's all time highest score tally. He retired from the Dragons at the end of the 1995 season but made himself available to play for The Dragons in the 1996 season as a result of troubles during the Super League war
.
and NSW Origin. He played in the first game of the 1990 Origin series
before missing games two and three through injury. He also represented for an Australian Aboriginal
side on a tour of Tonga in 1990 and at the 1990 Pacific Cup
.
Walford is now Indigenous Development Manager at the Australian Rugby League
.
's development function.
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 of the 1980s and 90s. He played for the Sydney Roosters
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...
, North Sydney Bears
North Sydney Bears
The North Sydney Bears are an Australian rugby league football club based in North Sydney, New South Wales. They currently compete in the New South Wales Cup, having exited the National Rugby League following the 1999 NRL season after 92 years of top-grade competition. The Bears are based on...
and 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,...
. He was a classy goal-kicking winger.
Club career
Walford was selected from Walgett, New South WalesWalgett, New South Wales
Walgett is a town in North-West New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Walgett Shire. It is at the junction of the Barwon and Namoi rivers and near the junction of the Kamilaroi and Castlereagh Highways...
as an Australian schoolboy representative and toured to New Zealand in 1981.
In 1983 Walford joined the Eastern Suburbs Roosters
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...
and made thirteen appearances for the tri-colours in 1982 and 1983. He made his first grade debut in Round 2 of the 1982 season and kicked 2 goals coming from the bench, going on to score 3 tries and 4 goals in seven appearances. Walford only played in 6 games in 1983 for the Roosters, not scoring a try or a goal. He then moved north of Sydney Harbour
Port Jackson
Port Jackson, containing Sydney Harbour, is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia. It is known for its beauty, and in particular, as the location of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge...
in 1984 and played 11 games for the North Sydney Bears
North Sydney Bears
The North Sydney Bears are an Australian rugby league football club based in North Sydney, New South Wales. They currently compete in the New South Wales Cup, having exited the National Rugby League following the 1999 NRL season after 92 years of top-grade competition. The Bears are based on...
, scoring 8 tries and kicking 21 goals.
Ricky Walford was one of a dying breed of goal kicker in top line rugby league. He was an old style direct 'toe poker' of the ball rather than the 'around-the-corner' style which gives the kicker greater accuracy and has proved much more popular since Englishman
Englishman
Englishman may refer to:*English people*Grey Partridge*Jason Englishman, Canadian rock music singer and guitarist*Jenny-Bea Englishman, real name of the Canadien singer Esthero*Erald Briscoe, reggae musician who records under the name Englishman...
John Gray
John Gray (rugby league)
John D. Gray is an English former professional rugby league footballer of the 1970s and '80s who at representative has played level for Great Britain, and England, and at club level for Wigan, North Sydney Bears , and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, playing at , or /, i.e...
introduced the style to 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...
when he joined The Bears in 1975.
Walford joined 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,...
in 1985 but only played two games for the season and missed out on the Dragon's heartbreaking 6-7 loss to Canterbury-Bankstown in the Grand Final at 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...
. He cemented his place on the wing for the Dragons in the 1986 season and scored 9 tries in 17 games to be the clubs leading try scorer.
After an injury interrupted 1987 season where he only played 14 of The Dragons 26 games, Ricky Walford enjoyed his some of his best form and his best ever points haul in 1988. Playing 22 games he was the clubs leading try and point scorer with 15 tries and 52 of 89 goals kicked for a total of 164 points scored.
In an 11 year career with the famous St. George club Ricky Walford played 206 games. He scored 104 tries and kicked 253 goals. He played on the wing in both of the 1992 and 1993 Grand Final losses to the Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
at the Sydney Football Stadium and was the NSWRL's leading point scorer in 1989 when he scored 146 points (equal with Balmain's
Balmain Tigers
The Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles...
English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
import Andy Currier
Andy Currier
Andy S. Currier is a British former rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. A rangy centre, he achieved representative selection for Great Britain Lions and played most of his club football with Widnes as well as stints with Featherstone Rovers, Warrington Wolves and Australian team the...
). Walford crossed the line for 13 tries and kicked 47 goals from 75 attempts. Walford had his biggest point scoring day in Round 19 of 1989 at The Dragons home ground Kogarah Oval when he crossed for 4 tries and kicked 5 goals against Canterbury in a 32-2 romp over the reigning premiers.
Ricky Walford's 874 career points for St George stood in second place behind Graeme Langlands
Graeme Langlands
Graeme 'Changa' Langlands, MBE, is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach of the 1960s and 70s. He retired as the most-capped player for the Australian national team with 45 from 1963 to 1975, and captained his country in 15 Test matches and World Cup games. Langlands was the...
on the club's all time highest score tally. He retired from the Dragons at the end of the 1995 season but made himself available to play for The Dragons in the 1996 season as a result of troubles during the Super League war
Super League war
The Super League war is the common name given to the corporate dispute that was fought in and out of court during the mid-1990s between the Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation-backed Super League and the Kerry Packer and Optus Vision-backed Australian Rugby League organisations over broadcasting...
.
Representative career
During 1989 Walford started to be noticed by the representative selectors and he was selected on the win for Country OriginCity vs Country Origin
City vs Country is an annual Australian rugby league football match that takes place in New South Wales between City and Country representative sides. The City side represents the Sydney metropolitan area...
and NSW Origin. He played in the first game of the 1990 Origin series
1990 Rugby League State of Origin series
Game I at the Sydney Football Stadium was a typical Origin arm-wrestle and resulted in the lowest score in the series' 10 year history to that point. Queensland's Wally Lewis withdrew pre-match due to a hamstring tear , Maroon's hero Gene Miles had retired and Tony Currie, Michael Hancock and...
before missing games two and three through injury. He also represented for an Australian Aboriginal
Australian Aboriginal rugby league team
The Australia Aboriginal rugby league team is a rugby league football team that represents Australian Aborigines...
side on a tour of Tonga in 1990 and at the 1990 Pacific Cup
1990 Pacific Cup
-Group B:-Finals:-Semi Finals:-Final:-External links:* The Vault...
.
Walford is now Indigenous Development Manager at the Australian Rugby League
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...
.
Post-playing
After retiring, Walford became the Indigenous Programme Manager for the Australian Rugby LeagueAustralian 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...
's development function.