George Leslie Piggins
AM (born 14 October 1944) is 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 ...
personality. He is a former player, coach and administrator of the
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional 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 pla ...
club. Following their exclusion from the
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
premiership at the end of the
Super League war
The Super League war was a commercial competition between the Australian Rugby League (ARL) and the Australian Super League to establish pre-eminence in professional rugby league competition in Australia and New Zealand in the mid-1990s.
Super ...
, Piggins also successfully led the Rabbitohs' battle for re-inclusion in the NRL in the early 2000s. Since 2003, the "
George Piggins Medal
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian rugby league club based in Redfern, New South Wales, Redfern, a suburb of inner-southern Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and are ...
" has been awarded annually to South Sydney's player of the year.
Playing career
Of
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
descent, and once a wharf labourer from the Southern Sydney suburb of
Mascot
A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...
, Piggins played the game as a . He established himself in the NSWRFL Premiership's first grade in
1967
Events
January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 5
** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
but was left out for
Elwyn Walters
Elwyn Aubrey Walters (born 25 June 1943) is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played for South Sydney Rabbitohs, South Sydney and Sydney Roosters, Eastern Suburbs clubs and for the Australia national rugby league team, Australian ...
in the finals and took several years to re-establish himself. In
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6).
The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history.
Events
Ja ...
Piggins played a superb game in the grand final when Walters was injured and late the following year finally established a permanent first grade berth for good. In
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
, with Walters leaving for
Easts, Piggins advanced so much that he played for
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 ...
and the following year, despite Souths finishing last after winning only two of their last sixteen games, Piggins' toughness saw him represent
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
three times in the
1975 World Series
The 1975 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1975 season. The 72nd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox and the Natio ...
. The following year, he scored a memorable bustling
try
Try or TRY may refer to:
Music Albums
* ''Try!'', an album by the John Mayer Trio
* ''Try'' (Bebo Norman album) (2014) Songs
* "Try" (Blue Rodeo song) (1987)
* "Try" (Colbie Caillat song) (2014)
* "Try" (Nelly Furtado song) (2004)
* " Try (Ju ...
(one of only eight in 120 first grade games) against the
Western Suburbs Magpies
The Western Suburbs Magpies (legal name: Western Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club Ltd) are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly r ...
and again played for New South Wales. With injuries catching up, however, Piggins retired at the end of
1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
, but his experience and the skill of coach
Jack Gibson Jack Gibson may refer to:
* Jack Gibson (rugby league) (1929–2008), Australian player and coach
* Jack Stanley Gibson (1909–2005), Irish physician
* Jack Gibson (ice hockey, born 1880) (1880–1955), ice hockey player and executive
* Jack Gibs ...
that season was an important precursor for the Rabbitohs reaching the semi-finals in
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC.
* January 9 – ...
after winning only one of their last eighteen games in
1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
.
Post playing Piggins worked as a truck driver, eventually starting his own trucking business. He also invented a device which increased the rate at which trucks could be unloaded. His invention and business were later sold for millions of dollars.
Coaching career
In
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
, Piggins took over as first grade coach and was awarded the Coca-Cola Rugby League Coach-of-the-Year award for taking South Sydney to the finals in his rookie year, and just missing out (by one point) on winning the minor premiership. Piggins at the time gave tribute to
Phil Gould for his contribution to the development of the team and himself as coach. Piggins won a trip for two to
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
to study
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
as part of his award.
With the work-rate of a relatively lightweight but extremely tough forward pack containing
Les Davidson
Les Davidson is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and represented at both the State and national levels. His posi ...
,
David Boyle,
Michael Andrews,
Wayne Chisholm
Wayne Chisholm (born 1 May 1964) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played for Manly–Warringah, South Sydney and North Sydney. He represented NSW City in the City vs Country Origin match in 1989.
Biography Ca ...
,
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Mario Fenech
Mario Fenech (nicknamed "The Maltese Falcon", “Falcon”, or "Muzza"; born 11 November 1961) is a Maltese Australian rugby league personality. He is a former player of the game who had a lengthy career in the New South Wales/Australian Rugby ...
and young giant
Ian Roberts, Piggins took the Rabbitohs into the finals again in his second season. Although they scored the fewest tries of the thirteen clubs playing, their ability to win tight, low-scoring games kept the Rabbitohs at the top of the table. Injuries to their pack in
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
saw them finish eighth despite remedying their weakness in backline pace through acquiring
Phil Blake
Phil Blake (born 24 November 1963) is a former rugby league footballer and a professional rugby union coach.
Originally a , Blake developed into a utility player and played first grade matches in all the backline positions, as well as at and ...
. The side was also set back by the loss of two premiership points due to Piggins playing 17-year-old President's Cup player Scott Wilson in a game against
Manly which Souths won, due to a breach of replacement rules. 1989 saw the Rabbitohs as the undisputed pace-setters until the finals, winning twelve games in a row through a watertight defence and skilful, solid backline play. 1990, however, was a disaster as Boyle, Andrews and Chisholm succumbed to injury and Roberts, who by this time was Souths best player, was lost to Manly. The Rabbitohs' watertight defence became incredibly thin and the team won only two games all season – actually conceding more tries in their last five games than in the entire 1989 home-and-away season. Piggins was axed as coach at the end of that year to be replaced by
Frank Curry in 1990, but stayed involved by becoming Chairman of the Leagues Club.
Administration
In 2000 Piggins was awarded the
Australian Sports Medal
The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...
for his contribution to Australia's international standing in the sport of rugby league.
Due to the National Rugby League's plans for a fourteen-team competition, the South Sydney club was excluded from the NRL premiership commencing with the 2000 season. Piggins was the chairman of the South Sydney club during the legal battle against the NRL for re-inclusion in the premiership, which was achieved during 2001. He led the marches and even put up $3.2 million of his own money in a mortgage on the club's block of units adjacent to the leagues club. That year Piggins was awarded the
Centenary Medal
The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or go ...
"for service to the sport of rugby league" as the Rabbitohs returned to the playing field in
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
. At the start of that year his book, ''Never Say Die: The Fight to save the Rabbitohs'' was published. Its title refers to the persistence needed to keep the South Sydney club in the top-level competition. In 2002, Piggins was further honoured as a Member of the
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
"for service to Rugby League football as an administrator, coach and player, and to the South Sydney community".
Also in 2002 he was replaced as chairman of the club by the lawyer who led the battle with News for re-inclusion,
Nick Pappas
Nicholas George Pappas ( el, Νικόλαος Γεώργιος Παπαναστασιου) is a solicitor from Sydney, Australia, and also the current chairman of the South Sydney Rabbitohs Rugby league club. He was also chairman of the club ...
.
Since 2003, the "
George Piggins Medal
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian rugby league club based in Redfern, New South Wales, Redfern, a suburb of inner-southern Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and are ...
" has been awarded by the South Sydney club to the Rabbitohs' best and fairest player of the season.
With the club's vote to allow
Russell Crowe
Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor. He was born in New Zealand, spent ten years of his childhood in Australia, and moved there permanently at age twenty one. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maxi ...
and
Peter Holmes à Court's private ownership of the Rabbitohs in 2006, Piggins walked away from the South Sydney Club, as he didn't approve of what the new ownership represented.
On October 1 2014, Piggins announced that he would be attending his first Souths game in nearly a decade, which was the
2014 NRL Grand Final
The 2014 NRL Grand Final was the concluding and premiership-deciding match of the 2014 NRL season. Played on the evening of Sunday 5 October 2014 at ANZ Stadium, the match was contested by the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Canterbury-Bankstown B ...
between South Sydney and
Canterbury-Bankstown
Canterbury-Bankstown is a customary region of Sydney, Australia, in the south-western suburbs. The area is located around the Bankstown railway line, to the west of the St George region and to the south of the Inner West region. The suburbs ...
. Piggins said in September 2014 he would only attend the decider if someone paid $100,000 to a charity of his choice. After Tab Corp, News Corp and 2GB owner
John Singleton
John Daniel Singleton (January 6, 1968 April 28, 2019) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer. He made his feature film debut writing and directing ''Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for B ...
came up with the money, Piggins said he would attend. Piggins also came face to face with Souths co-owner
Russell Crowe
Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor. He was born in New Zealand, spent ten years of his childhood in Australia, and moved there permanently at age twenty one. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maxi ...
for the first time since 2006. South Sydney would go on to win their first premiership in 43 years, defeating Canterbury 30-6 at
ANZ Stadium
ANZ may refer to:
People
* Anz (musician), a British DJ and electronic musician
Banks
* ANZ (bank), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited, the fourth-largest bank in Australia
** ANZ Bank New Zealand, the largest bank in New Zealand
...
. His sister, Kim Piggins married Greek-Australian businessman and Souths reserve grade player, Peter Anasta who would become the parents of first grade footballer,
Braith Anasta
Braith Anastasakis (born 14 January 1982), better known as Braith Anasta, is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a and in the 2000s and 2010s. An Australian and Greek international, Anasta played in the NRL ...
and Piggins' nephew.
References
Sources
George Piggins at eraofthebiff.comGeorge Piggins at yesterdayshero.com.auGeorge Piggins at nrlstats.com
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Piggins, George
1944 births
Living people
Australia national rugby league team players
Australian rugby league administrators
Australian rugby league coaches
Australian people of English descent
Members of the Order of Australia
Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal
Recipients of the Centenary Medal
Rugby league hookers
Rugby league players from Sydney
South Sydney Rabbitohs captains
South Sydney Rabbitohs coaches
South Sydney Rabbitohs players
Sportsmen from New South Wales