Arthur Fitzgerald Folwell (23 September 1904 – 14 October 1966) was a British-born 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 11 ...

footballer who played in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s,

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

ed in the 1940s, and was an administrator in the mid-20th century. An Australia national and

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

state representative , he played his club football in the

New South Wales Rugby Football 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 ...

for Sydney's Newtown before becoming their coach and taking them to the 1943 NSWRFL premiership.

Playing career

In 1933 Folwell was selected for the Australian touring squad for the 1933-34 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain . He became Kangaroo No. 179 when played in the 2nd and 3rd

Test match Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to: * Test cricket * Test match (indoor cricket) * Test match (rugby union) * Test match (rugby league) * Test match (association football) ...

es and he played another 19 matches on the 1933-34 tour.

Coaching career

Folwell coached Newtown for three seasons during the Second World War (1942-1944). He is remembered as the winning grand final coach in 1943, the year Newtown won the

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 ...

grand final. In Folwell's final year as coach of Newtown he took them to the

1944 NSWRFL season The 1944 NSWRFL season was the thirty-seventh season of the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership, Sydney’s top-level rugby league competition, and Australia’s first. Eight teams from across the city contested the premiership duri ...

's grand final which was lost to Balmain. He assisted Bumper Farrell and Len Smith as coach of the Blue Bags during the final year of World War II before retiring.

Later life

He later became a New South Wales and Australian Rugby League selector during the 1950s and early 1960s. Folwell died at his home at Empire Bay aged 62. Folwell was the grandfather of the rugby league footballer;

Greg Pierce Gregory Stuart Pierce (4 March 1950 – 24 June 2016) was an Australian rugby league player, coach and administrator. He played as a for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the National Rugby League competition and for Australia. He captained hi ...

. Folwell was named at in the

Newtown Jets The Newtown Jets are an Australian rugby league football club based in Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west. They currently compete in the NSW Cup competition, having left the top grade after the 1983 NSWRFL season. The Jets' home ground ...

Team of the Century (1908-2007).Team of the Century
at newtownjets.com

References

1904 births 1966 deaths Australia national rugby league team players Australian rugby league administrators Australian rugby league coaches Australian rugby league players City New South Wales rugby league team players English emigrants to Australia New South Wales rugby league team players Newtown Jets coaches Newtown Jets players Rugby league hookers Rugby league players from Leicestershire {{Australia-rugbyleague-bio-stub