Norman John "Johnny" Hawke (1925 – 10 January 1992) 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 1940s, and 1950s. An
Australian international and
New South Wales interstate representative back,
he played club football in the
ACT as well as in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
for
St. George Dragons,
Johnny Hawke
at ''yesterdayshero.com.au'' whom he captained and won a premiership with in 1949.
Background
Hawke was born in Queanbeyan
Queanbeyan ( ) is a city in the south-eastern region of New South Wales, Australia, located adjacent to the Australian Capital Territory in the Southern Tablelands region. Located on the Queanbeyan River, the city is the council seat of the ...
, 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 ...
in 1925. At an early age, he displayed enormous sporting talent. Like many young sportsmen of the time, he played Australian rules football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
on Saturday and 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 ...
on Sunday.[
]
Rugby league career
Early years
In 1940 at the age of 15, Hawke played first grade for the Queanbeyan Blues rugby league team and Queanbeyan Tigers Australian football team.[ After leaving school, he started work at Commonwealth Government Printing Office.][ He transferred to the Eastlake Football Club as many of the Printing Office staff played for that club. He won Eastlake's best and fairest award in 1945 and in 1946 he captained the team. Eastlake lost the 1946 Grand Final after being undefeated during the year.][ Hawke played for the Queanbeyan Blues in 1946 but transferred to play in ]Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
in 1947.[ In 1948, he received several inducements to leave but remained playing in the local competition for 6 pounds per week.][ During 1948, Hawke was selected for Monaro, ]Country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
and 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 ...
.[ He used up all his leave entitlements from the Printing Office and as a result did not have any leave left to play in the final selection game, New South Wales versus ]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
, established_ ...
in Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
. Even though his leave application was rejected, he went and played in the game but the consequence was that the Printing Office dismissed him on his return to work.[ Hawke was selected for the 1948-49 ]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 ...
and left Canberra in August 1948 with a gift of just over 10 pounds from the Canberra Rugby League.[ He played four Tests against Great Britain and France. During the tour, as five-eighth and centre, he scored 11 tries and played 23 out of the 37 games.][
]
St. George
Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...
Upon the tour's return, he signed with the St. George Dragons for the 1949 NSWRFL season
The 1949 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the forty-second season of Sydney's top-level professional rugby league football club competition, Australia's first. Ten teams from across the city contested the premiership during ...
and was appointed captain at the age of 24.[ In the 1949 semi-final against South Sydney, he suffered a broken upper jaw and cracked teeth after a heavy tackle by Jack Rayner. He remained on the field and set up the winning try to winger ]Ron Roberts Ronald or Ron Roberts may refer to:
* Ronald Roberts (basketball) (born 1991), American-Dominican basketball player
* Ronald Roberts (swimmer) (1922–2012), British swimmer
* Ronald Suresh Roberts (born 1968), British West Indian biographer, lawy ...
.[ Three weeks later, he led the Saints to premiership victory and played a leading role in the 19-12 ]Grand final
Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Sy ...
win over South Sydney. Mid-season 1949, he had made the Kangaroo tour to New Zealand and another Test appearance.[
]
In 1950, he was in the running for the Ashes series captaincy but injured his knee in the visiting Great Britain national rugby league team's tour match against 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 ...
at the SCG which drew a record crowd of over 70,419 and made no further rep appearances that year. He made a career total of six state representative
A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system.
Two federations literally use the term "state legislature":
* The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...
appearances for New South Wales and captained the side.
Hawke captained-coached St. George in the premiership seasons of 1951 and 1952, and in 1951 made his final test appearance 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 ...
. In 1952, he suffered a slipped disc that led to him being in plaster from neck to thighs. Injury led to his career at St. George being curtailed at the end of the 1952 NSWRFL season
The 1952 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the forty-fifth season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney. Ten teams from across Sydney contested for the J. J. Giltinan Shield during the season which culminated in a gr ...
.[
]
Later years
Hawke left St. George to take a captain-coach role at Kyogle, New South Wales
Kyogle () is a town in the Northern Rivers region of northern New South Wales, Australia. It falls within the local government area of Kyogle Council. At the 2016 census, Kyogle had a population of 2,751 people. Kyogle is known as a "gateway" ...
and the team won the premiership in his first year as coach. He left Kyogle to coach at Woy Woy
Woy Woy is a coastal town in the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, located on the southern reaches of Brisbane Water north of Sydney. It is a population centre within the local government area.
Woy Woy is located in the nor ...
.[ Hawke returned to Canberra in 1956.
Hawke died of ]Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...
on 10 January 1992 at the age of 66.[ He was married to Joan for 46 years.][ After his death, he was inducted into the ]Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. ...
Sports Hall of Fame.[
]
References
1925 births
1992 deaths
Australia national rugby league team players
Australian rugby league players
Australian rules footballers from the Australian Capital Territory
City New South Wales rugby league team players
Country New South Wales rugby league team players
Neurological disease deaths in the Australian Capital Territory
Deaths from Parkinson's disease
Eastlake Football Club players
New South Wales rugby league team players
Queanbeyan Football Club players
Rugby league centres
Rugby league five-eighths
Rugby league players from Queanbeyan
St. George Dragons captains
St. George Dragons coaches
St. George Dragons players
{{Australia-rugbyleague-bio-stub