Gary Coyne (born 30 September 1961) is an Australian former 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 1980s and 1990s. An Australia international and

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 ...

State of Origin A State of Origin competition is a type of sporting event between players representing their state or territory. State of Origin began in Australian rules football on 8 October 1977 between Western Australia (WA) and Victoria, at Subiaco Ov ...

representative forward, he played club football in the

Brisbane Rugby League The Brisbane Rugby League is a rugby league football competition in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was first held in 1922 and for every year until 1997. The competition was reinstated in 2001, known as the FOGS premiership under the Queen ...

for the

Wynnum-Manly Seagulls The Wynnum-Manly Seagulls are an Australian rugby league football club based at Kougari Oval, in Brisbane's bayside suburb of Manly West, which neighbours the suburb of Wynnum. They competed in the Brisbane Rugby League from 1951 to 1997. Sin ...

(with whom he won the 1984 premiership) and 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 ...

for the

Canberra Raiders The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby ...

(with whom he won the 1989 and 1990 premierships).

Playing career

Originally from

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line ...

, Coyne was a part of Canberra's competition-winning side of the

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...

and

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

seasons. Coyne also played for the club in two further grand finals which both ended in defeat which were the 1987 and 1991 deciders. In the 1989 post season he travelled with the Canberra club to England for the

1989 World Club Challenge The 1989 World Club Challenge (also known as the Foster's World Club Challenge due to sponsorship by brewers, Foster's) was the third ever and first official World Club Challenge match. 1989's NSWRL season premiers, the Canberra Raiders travelle ...

which was lost to

Widnes Widnes ( ) is an industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 census had a population of 61,464. Historically in Lancashire, it is on the northern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form th ...

. He also played in two

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 for Australia in 1991 and 11

games for

between 1989 and 1992. Coyne was named a member of Canberra's 25-man "Dream Team" in 2007, as part of the club's 25th anniversary of their entry into first-grade rugby league. In the 1991 semifinal against the

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. The team colours are maroon and white, while their namesake and logo is the sea eagle. They compete in Australia's premier rugb ...

, Coyne went over for his 4th and final try of the match after Canberra legend Mal Meninga took a tap instead of the expected shot at goal. Manly were stunned and seen out of the 1991 season. Meninga can be seen casually approaching Coyne and suggesting something as the Manly players walk towards the posts, backs turned.

Post playing

Currently, Coyne is a franchisee owner of McDonald's family restaurants in

Kallangur Kallangur is a Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Kallangur had a population of 20,405 people. Geography The North Coast railway line, Queensland, North Coast railway line form ...

, Warner, Strathpine, Deception Bay,

North Lakes North Lakes is a suburb in the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. According to the , North Lakes had a population of 23,030 people. Geography The suburb is mostly made up of newly developed housing originally around the North Lakes ...

, North Lakes Business Park, North Lakes Westfield and

Murrumba Downs Murrumba Downs is a suburb in Moreton Bay Regional Council, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 Census, Murrumba Downs had a population of 10,795 people. Geography Murrumba Downs is located east of Kallangur on the Bruce Highway by road n ...

References

External links

Queensland Representatives at qrl.com.au
1961 births Living people Australian rugby league players Rugby league players from Ipswich, Queensland Wynnum Manly Seagulls players Queensland Rugby League State of Origin players Canberra Raiders players Australia national rugby league team players Rugby league second-rows {{Australia-rugbyleague-bio-1960s-stub