Fonda Metassa (died 26 May 2018) 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 11 ...
footballer. Known as "the Golden Greek", he played in the
Brisbane Rugby League premiership for
Fortitude Valley
Fortitude Valley (often called "The Valley" by local residents) is an inner suburb of the City of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. In the , Fortitude Valley had a population of 9,708 people. The suburb features two pedestr ...
and
Norths, and in the
New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership
The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia and contributor to today's National Rugby League. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League (initially named the New Sou ...
for the
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian rugby league club based in Redfern, a suburb of inner-southern Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and are one of nine existing tea ...
in the 1960s.
A powerful
winger, Metassa played two seasons (1960 and 1961) for
South Sydney. He became a part of Brisbane Rugby League folklore when, in a 1968 reserve grade match for Norths against Souths at
Lang Park, he burst from the back of an ambulance to return to the field after being carted off injured. Metassa also played one match for
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
against
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
in 1966. The following season he played in Norths' Brisbane Rugby League
grand final
Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. S ...
loss to
Brothers
A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...
.
Metassa was part of the 1969 BRL premiership-winning Norths side.
He later worked as a television presenter. In 2008, Metassa was named on the wing of an all-time greatest Norths Devils team.
References
External links
Fonda Metassa at nrlstats.comQueensland representatives at qrl.com.au
1930s births
2018 deaths
Australian rugby league players
Fortitude Valley Diehards players
Norths Devils players
Queensland rugby league team players
Rugby league wingers
South Sydney Rabbitohs players
Year of birth missing
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