Albert McGuinness nicknamed "Podgy" was an Australian professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

footballer who played in the 1930s and 1940s. He played for Western Suburbs in the

New South Wales Rugby League The New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and is a member of the Australian Rugby League Commission. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was ...

(NSWRL) competition.

Playing career

McGuinness made his first grade debut for Western Suburbs against North Sydney in Round 11 1933 at

North Sydney Oval North Sydney Oval is a multi-use sporting facility in North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, owned and operated by North Sydney Council. First used as a cricket ground in 1867, it is also used for Australian rules football, rugby league, rug ...

. Western Suburbs would go on to finish the 1933 season in last place on the table. In 1934, Western Suburbs had a complete form reversal as they finished minor premiers and the premiership defeating

Eastern Suburbs Eastern Suburbs may refer to: Places *Eastern Suburbs (Mumbai), India *Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Australia **Eastern Suburbs railway line, Sydney, Australia Sports clubs ;Association football *Eastern Suburbs AFC, Auckland, New Zealand * Eastern ...

in the grand final. McGuinness was overlooked for selection in the decider. The change in form was attributed to the fact that Western Suburbs lost players such as

Frank McMillan Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Cur ...

and

Alan Ridley Alan Ridley (1910–1993) was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1920s and 1930s. An Australian international and New South Wales interstate representative winger, he played club football for Sydney's Western Suburbs, wi ...

who were away on tour with the Australian team when the club finished last but returned for the start of the 1934 season. As of the

2019 NRL season The 2019 NRL season was the 112th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 22nd season run by the National Rugby League. The Sydney Roosters became the first team to win back-to-back Premierships since the Brisbane Broncos in 1992 ...

, no club has gone from wooden spooners to premiers the following season since Western Suburbs achieved this feat. After the premiership victory in 1934, Western Suburbs went through a period of decline and finished last in 1940, 1942 and 1943. McGuinness became a regular member of the team during this time and was selected to play for New South Wales and New South Wales City in 1941. In 1942, McGuinness captain-coached Western Suburbs with limited success.

References

Australian rugby league players City New South Wales rugby league team players New South Wales rugby league team players Place of birth missing Place of death missing Rugby league five-eighths Rugby league halfbacks Rugby league players from Sydney Western Suburbs Magpies captains Western Suburbs Magpies coaches Western Suburbs Magpies players Year of birth missing Year of death missing {{Australia-rugbyleague-bio-stub