George Keith Froome (1920–1978) 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 ...

player. He was a halfback for the Australian national team. He played in eight Tests between 1948 and 1949 as captain on two occasions.

Playing career

Known as Keith, he was born in

Armidale Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale had a population of 24,504 as of June 2018. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region. It ...

but grew up in

Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle ( ; Awabakal: ) is a metropolitan area and the second most populated city in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie local government areas, and is the hub of the Greater Newcastle area, w ...

and played his junior football with Wests Newcastle. He was a talented soccer player as a youngster and also played first grade and district representative cricket in Newcastle. He had first represented in rugby league for

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 1941. During

WWII World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he was required to continue working as a boilermaker, it being an essential service. He joined the AIF in 1944 and served with the 2/43 Australian Infantry Battalion. He was stationed at

Goulburn Goulburn ( ) is a regional city in the Southern Tablelands of the Australian state of New South Wales, approximately south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Canberra. It was proclaimed as Australia's first inland city through letters pate ...

and though restricted in availability signed to play with Sydney's Newtown club in 1943 and played two first grade games that year. He served overseas from 1944-45. He returned to Newtown after the war and played all of his first grade football with the club from 1946-50 scoring 288 points as a goalkicking half-back in 72 first grade games. After the war he made State appearances regularly against

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_ ...

from 1946 to 1948 and against a touring New Zealand side in 1948. He made his Australian Test debut in 1948 in the domestic series against New Zealand and played in both Tests kicking five goals in all. He was selected on 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 ...

of England and appeared in four Tests and 12 minor tour matches. He was the tour's leading goalkicker finishing with 39 goals (and 3 tries) in his 16 appearances ahead of John Graves's 35 goals. In 1949 he was named by a local newspaper.Sun Herald (Sydney) as New South Wales' Player of Year after captaining NSW to a 4-0 whitewash against Queensland in the interstate series. At the end of the 1949 season he was selected to lead an Australian side on a ten match tour of New Zealand. He captained Australia in both Tests of the series to a loss and a win and played in three additional tour matches scoring 2 tries and 11 goals in all.

Post playing

At the tail end of his playing career Froome coached a country side in Gunnedah. Keith and his family settled in Bellingen NSW. He had a career in the club industry and as a liquor sales representative. Keith succumbed to cancer aged 57 on 28 January 1978. In 2008, the centenary year of rugby league in Australia, Froome was named in the Newtown Jets 18-man team of the century.

References

Sources & Footnotes

* Whiticker, Alan (2004) ''Captaining the Kangaroos'', New Holland, Sydney * Andrews, Malcolm (2006) ''The ABC of Rugby League'' Austn Broadcasting Corpn, Sydney
Keith Froome
at yesterdayshero.com.au

at rugbyleagueproject.org 1920 births 1978 deaths Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian boilermakers Australian rugby league players Australia national rugby league team players Australia national rugby league team captains Australia national rugby league team coaches Newtown Jets players New South Wales rugby league team players Rugby league halfbacks Rugby league players from Armidale, New South Wales Western Suburbs Rosellas players {{Australia-rugbyleague-bio-stub