John Albert Whittaker (28 March 1950 – 29 September 2020) was a New Zealand

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 in the 1970s and 1980s at international level for the

New Zealand national rugby league team The New Zealand national rugby league team ( Māori: Tīma rīki motu Aotearoa) has represented New Zealand in rugby league since 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of ...

and the

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

Playing career

From the Randwick club, Whittaker also played for

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

a record 73 times.''Lion Red 1988 Rugby League Annual'',

New Zealand Rugby League The New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. SPARC, 2009: 13 The NZRL was founded on 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year.Coffey and Wood '' ...

, 1988. p.p.151-159 Whittaker was involved in Randwick's premierships in 1968, 1969, 1970, 1976 and 1983.Team of the Century-Week 3
''Wellington Rugby League''

Representative career

Whittaker made his international début for the

in 1970 and went on to play for the Kiwis in twenty four matches, including four

world cups A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

. Whittaker's international career spanned thirteen seasons. Despite suffering major injuries in a motoring accident, Whittaker made a full recovery and was recalled in the early 1980s after two years out of the national side. Whittaker then represented the

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

in the

1986 Pacific Cup The 1986 Pacific Cup was the 3rd Pacific Cup, a rugby league tournament held between Pacific teams. The tournament was hosted in the Cook Islands and eventually won by the New Zealand Māori side, who defeated Western Samoa in the final. Backgrou ...

Notable tour matches

John Whittaker played as an interchange/ substitute in

Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...

's 15-12 victory over Australia at

Wilderspool Stadium Wilderspool Stadium was a rugby league stadium in Warrington, England. The ground was Warrington RLFC's old ground before moving to the Halliwell Jones Stadium. History In 1898, Warrington RLFC moved to the Wilderspool Stadium. A 10-year lea ...

on Wednesday 11 October 1978.

Legacy

In 2012 Whittaker was named as one of the

's Legends of League. At the

Wellington Rugby League Wellington Rugby League is the local sporting body responsible for the administration of Rugby league in the Greater Wellington region. It is responsible for the local competition of the same name, as well as its representative team, the Wellingto ...

's Centenary celebrations, Whittaker was named as their player of the century. He was also named in their team of the century. Whittaker died on 29 September 2020, aged 70.Rugby league mourns 1970s Kiwis star John Whittaker, who has died of cancer
/ref>

References

External links

Statistics at wolvesplayers.thisiswarrington.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whittaker, John 1950 births 2020 deaths Central Districts rugby league team players Cook Islands national rugby league team players Deaths from cancer in New Zealand New Zealand national rugby league team players New Zealand rugby league players Randwick Kingfishers players Rugby league centres Rugby league fullbacks Rugby league wingers Warrington Wolves players Wellington rugby league team players