Ron Costello was a 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...

 player for the Western Suburbs Magpies

Western Suburbs Magpies

The Western Suburbs Magpies are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly referred to, were one of the nine foundation clubs of the first New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia...

, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, New South Wales

New South Wales Rugby League team

The New South Wales rugby league team has represented the Australian state of New South Wales in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1907. Administered by the New South Wales Rugby League, the team competes in the annual State of Origin series against arch-rivals, the...

 and for the Australian

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...

 national side.

Ron came from Shellharbour on the South Coast of New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

 and went to Shellharbour Public School(1948-1954), and then went to the Western Suburbs Magpies

Western Suburbs Magpies

The Western Suburbs Magpies are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly referred to, were one of the nine foundation clubs of the first New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia...

 in Sydney and played lower grades.

He was signed by Collegians Wollongong RLFC (Illawarra Division) in 1967 by then Coach Kevin Smyth (a former Kangaroo 1963). Collegians won the Club Championship and First Grade Premiership that season with Costello representing NSW.

Ron played at Collegains in 1968 also and was then signed by Canterbury, in 1970 he was selected to play for Australia and toured New Zealand.

He returned to the Illawarra Competition in about 1974 with the Port Kembla Club

Port Kembla Blacks

The Port Kembla Blacks are a Rugby League team that compete in the Illawarra Rugby League competition.-History:...

.

He finished his career at Shellharbour in 1980 where it started.

Sources

• Whiticker, Alan
  Alan Whiticker
  Alan 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