Laurie Fagan (3 May 1941 – 28 September 2020) was a 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 who played in the 1950s and 1960s. Fagan played for Balmain and the

Penrith Panthers The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith that competes in the NRL. The team is based west of the centre of Sydney, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Penrith ...

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 ...

(NSWRL) competition.

Playing career

A local junior, Fagan was graded with Balmain in 1958 and was in first grade the following year, replacing Brian Staunton. In 1962 Fagan played 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 ...

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_ ...

and

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

. Also, in 1962, he was named ''The Sun Herald'' 'Player of the Year'. Fagan was slowly forced out of Balmain's first grade side after club had signed the Englishman

Dave Bolton David R. Bolton (27 April 1937 – 21 January 2021) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, who later became a coach in Australia's NSWRFL premiership. An international representative for G ...

during 1965. Fagan moved to the new Penrith club in 1967 and was their foundation captain during their debut season, but ultimately lost the captaincy in 1968 to another ex-Balmian team-mate, Bob Boland. Fagan stayed at Penrith until 1970, playing 77 first grade matches before retiring. At a dinner in 2008, Fagan was inducted into 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 ...

Hall of Fame.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fagan, Laurie 1941 births 2020 deaths Sportsmen from New South Wales Australian rugby league players Penrith Panthers players Penrith Panthers captains Balmain Tigers players New South Wales rugby league team players Rugby league players from Sydney Rugby league halfbacks