Alfred Bert Gray (1890–1967) was an Australian
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 for
Glebe
Glebe (; also known as church furlong, rectory manor or parson's close(s))McGurk 1970, p. 17 is an area of land within an ecclesiastical parish used to support a parish priest. The land may be owned by the church, or its profits may be reserved ...
in the NSWRL competition in the 1910s and 1920s. He represented
New South Wales
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, 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 ...
and .
Background
Born in
Glebe, New South Wales
Glebe is an inner-western suburb of Sydney. Glebe is located southwest of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney, in the Inner West region.
Glebe is surrounded by Blackwattle Bay ...
to parents Ernest and Jane Gray, Gray learnt the game of rugby in the Glebe rugby union juniors before switching to rugby league.
His younger brothers
Paddy and
Frank
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
Curr ...
were also first-grade rugby league players. Another brother, Tom, played reserve grade for Glebe.
Playing career
Gray played in twelve first grade seasons for
Glebe
Glebe (; also known as church furlong, rectory manor or parson's close(s))McGurk 1970, p. 17 is an area of land within an ecclesiastical parish used to support a parish priest. The land may be owned by the church, or its profits may be reserved ...
between 1912 and 1926. Following a three season absence while serving in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
,
Gray returned to first grade in 1919.
Gray was selected to represent during the
1920 Ashes series against . He was selected again for Australia for their
tour of Great Britain in 1921–22. He played just five matches during this tour after suffering a knee injury.
This knee injury hampered the remainder of his career, and was ultimately the cause of his retirement in May 1925.
Gray came out of retirement for the 1926 season after the twelve month break afforded him a chance to rest and recover.
He played in the
1922 Grand Final for the Glebe team that was defeated by
North Sydney Bears
The North Sydney Bears is an Australian rugby league football club based in North Sydney, New South Wales. The club competes in the New South Wales Cup, having exited the National Rugby League following the 1999 NRL season after 90 years in the ...
35–3.
Post-playing career
Gray was a selector for Australia, New South Wales, and Metropolis for a total of 20 years until retiring in 1952.
Death
Gray died on 17 December 1967, aged 77.
[Sydney Morning Herald: Death Notice .- 18/12/1967]
References
1890 births
1967 deaths
Australian rugby league players
Glebe rugby league players
New South Wales rugby league team players
Australia national rugby league team players
Rugby league players from Sydney
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