Graham Wilson (1939–2005) 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 in the 1960s and 1970s. He played 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 Sout ...

for Newtown club and later Cronulla-Sutherland, also achieving state and international representative honours. He is also the father of former North Sydney Bears player Craig Wilson, and Cronulla-Sutherland player Alan Wilson.

Playing career

Originally from

Grafton, New South Wales Grafton ( Bundjalung-Yugambeh: Gumbin Gir) is a city in the Northern Rivers region of the Australian state of New South Wales. It is located on the Clarence River, approximately by road north-northeast of the state capital Sydney. The closest m ...

, Wilson made his first grade debut for Newtown in the Sydney premiership as a 16-year-old in 1960. He was first selected to represent New South Wales the following season. In 1963, the South African team was touring Australia and Wilson represented Sydney against them. Before leaving for New Zealand, the South African team invited Wilson 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 o ...

's , Fred Anderson to bolster their injury-ravaged

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

pack. Later that year Wilson was selected for the Australia national team for the 1963–64 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France, gaining the unusual distinction of playing for two countries in the same year. On tour he played at second-row forward in the third

test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Death

Wilson died in December, 2005 in Sydney, aged 66.

Accolades

In 2008, the centenary year of rugby league in Australia, Wilson was named in the Newtown 18-man team of the century.

References

External links

Graham Wilson at rugbyleagueproject.com.auGraham Wilson at nrlstats.com.au
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Graham 1939 births 2005 deaths Australian rugby league players Newtown Jets players New South Wales rugby league team players City New South Wales rugby league team players Australia national rugby league team players South Africa national rugby league team players Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks players Rugby league forwards Rugby league players from Grafton, New South Wales