As Manly prepares to take on the Parramatta Eels at Bankwest Stadium on Sunday afternoon, it has just been announced that legendary Manly player and coach Bob Fulton has died.
Remembering those who departed in 2020 A Set the default text size A Set large text size
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2020 was both a year to remember and a year we all want to forget.
Before it’s too far gone, let’s take some time to remember some of the rugby league players who left us for good in 2020.
1. Paul Fisher
A Souths-Sunnybank junior and a very accomplished and highly regarded player in the Brisbane competition, Paul Fisher was equally at home at either halfback, hooker or fullback. He was selected in the Queensland residents team in 1992 under coach Paul Vautin.
Remembering a couple of rugby league speed demons A Set the default text size A Set large text size
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The saying goes that you can’t coach speed and that’s probably true. But raw speed alone isn’t enough to hold a place in first grade.
There’s nothing better than watching some of the modern games speed men tearing down the field, leaving opposition defenders in their wake, and the game has been blessed with fast and talented players since day one.
When I started watching the game in the mid ’60s, nearly every team had their marquis speed men, ready to bring the crowd to their feet and scorch down the sideline when the ball came their way. In those days, these flyers invariably played on the wing, although at times speed merchants like Reg Gasnier found themselves playing in the centres.
Brian James
1943-January 10, 2020
A high-quality winger for South Sydney who represented Australia at the 1968 World Cup before retiring at the age of 26.
The son of former Cootamundra Maher Cup prop Jack Swifty James, he came to rugby league via rugby union after attending Newington College and playing a season of first grade with the St George rugby club.
He switched to rugby league with St George in 1961 where he played centre and wing but top-grade opportunities were scarce in the Dragons’ star-studded backline, so he made the decision to transfer to South Sydney in 1966.
He was quickly vindicated, playing more first-grade games in his first season with Souths (18) then he did in four years at St George (16). A winger of above average pace (he pursued professional sprinting in the off-season), James earned his first representative jersey with City Seconds in 1967 before making City Firsts the following year.