Greg Oliphant (born 22 June 1950) 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 112 ...
footballer, a state and national representative who made one
Kangaroo tour
Kangaroo Tour is the name given to Australian national rugby league team tours of Great Britain and France, tours to New Zealand and the one-off tour to Papua New Guinea (1991). The first Kangaroo Tour was in 1908. Traditionally, Kangaroo Tours to ...
. Oliphant played 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 two seasons of 1978-1979 with the
Balmain Tigers
The Balmain Tigers (also known as the Sydney Tigers from 1995–96) are a rugby league club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in t ...
. Prior to and after those years he played 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 ...
with
Wests,
Valleys
A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...
and
Redcliffe.
He made his international debut off the reserve bench in the first Test of the 1978 domestic series against
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
and then started in the 2nd Test. He was selected for the
1978 Kangaroo tour
The 1978 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France comprised the Australia national rugby league team's fourteenth tour of Great Britain and ninth tour of France, and took place from September to December 1978. Coached by Frank Stanton and captai ...
but played only four tour matches with his rival
Tommy Raudonikis
Thomas Walter Raudonikis (13 April 1950 – 7 April 2021) was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach. He played 40 International games and World Cup games as Australia representative and captained his country in two matches of the 1 ...
the selectors' preferred Test halfback. Oliphant and Raudonikis enjoyed a great club and state rivalry and regularly competed for national selection. Oliphant played in the inaugural
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 ...
match for the
Queensland Maroons
The Queensland rugby league team represents the Australian state of Queensland in rugby league football. Nicknamed the "Maroons" after the colour of their jersey, they play three times a year against arch-rivals New South Wales in the State of O ...
. He later coached in the
BRL premiership with
Norths.
References
Queensland representatives at qrl.com.au* Andrews, Malcolm (2006) ''The ABC of Rugby League''
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...
, Sydney
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oliphant, Greg
1950 births
Living people
Australian rugby league players
Wests Panthers players
Fortitude Valley Diehards players
Redcliffe Dolphins players
Queensland Rugby League State of Origin players
Balmain Tigers players
Australian rugby league coaches
Norths Devils coaches
Rugby league halfbacks
Australia national rugby league team players