Joe Thomas (born 13 February 1964) 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 for South Sydney,

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

, Western Suburbs and

Illawarra The Illawarra is a coastal region in the Australian state of New South Wales, nestled between the mountains and the sea. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast region. It encompasses the two cities of Wollongo ...

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 ...

Playing career

A Mascot junior, Thomas started his NSWRL career with South Sydney, playing as a lock forward. His first-grade appearances at South Sydney were limited by serious injuries. Thomas was a hooker in Canterbury's 1988 premiership team, which defeated Balmain in the grand final. In his three seasons at Canterbury he played 55 first-grade games. From 1991 to 1993, he played for Western Suburbs and while at the club made two representative appearances for NSW City. He was one of Western Suburb's captains during this period. He finished his career with a season at Illawarra in 1994

Post playing

In 1994, he was appointed an assistant coach under Phil Gould at

Eastern Suburbs Eastern Suburbs may refer to: Places *Eastern Suburbs (Mumbai), India *Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Australia **Eastern Suburbs railway line, Sydney, Australia Sports clubs ;Association football *Eastern Suburbs AFC, Auckland, New Zealand * Eastern ...

Personal life

Thomas's elderly mother Mary died in 2010 of head injuries sustained when she fell to the ground after being assaulted by a cyclist on an Eastlakes street. The attacker, Daniel Paul Wood, had got off his bike after passing the 71-year old and walked back 10-metres to push her in the chest, an altercation brought about by his belief she had been in his way. Wood, who was intoxicated, was charged with murder, but the court accepted a guilty plea for manslaughter, sentencing him to five-years in prison.

References

External links

Joe Thomas
at Rugby League project {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Joe 1964 births Living people Australian rugby league players South Sydney Rabbitohs players Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs players Western Suburbs Magpies players Illawarra Steelers players New South Wales City Origin rugby league team players Rugby league hookers Rugby league players from Sydney