Ray Higgs (born 1950) is an Australian former

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 1970s. An Australian international and

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_ ...

representative

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

, he played club football in the

NSWRFL Premiership The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia and contributor to today's National Rugby League. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League (initially named the New Sou ...

with Sydney's

Parramatta Eels The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta that competes in the National Rugby League. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, and their ...

for three seasons between 1975-1977 and

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. The team colours are maroon and white, while their namesake and logo is the sea eagle. They compete in Australia's premier rugb ...

for one season 1978.

Playing career

Originally from

Roma, Queensland Roma is a rural town and locality in the Maranoa Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre of the Maranoa Region. The town was incorporated in 1867 and is named after Lady Diamantina Bowen (née di Roma), the wife of Sir Geo ...

, Higgs played for

Nambour Crushers Nambour Crushers Rugby League Football Club is an Australian rugby league football club based in Nambour, Queensland formed in 1955. The club was established when two Nambour local teams merge; South Magpies and the All Whites. Notable Juniors ...

and

Souths Magpies The Souths Logan Magpies, more commonly referred to by their former names Southern Suburbs Magpies, or South Brisbane Magpies, or often simply referred to as Souths, are a rugby league football club based in the southern suburbs of Brisbane, Au ...

. He was selected to represent Queensland and then made his debut for the Australian national side in 1974. The following year he helped the Kangaroos to victory in the 1975 World Cup. After winning both the

Rothmans Medal The Rothmans Medal was the premier individual award in the New South Wales Rugby League and Brisbane Rugby League competitions, and later in the Australian Rugby League, which was given to the player voted by referees as the best and fairest ...

and the

Rugby League Week ''Rugby League Week'' (frequently abbreviated to RLW) was the highest selling Australian rugby league magazine, ahead of major competitor ''Big League''. It was published weekly (on Wednesdays) during the Australian rugby league season, which ru ...

player of the year award in

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

, he captained his club, the

, to that year's and

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

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 ...

s. Higgs continued representing Australia, featuring in The Kangaroos' triumph in the 1977 World Cup. Higgs is listed on the ''Australian Players Register'' as Kangaroo No. 478. He played a total of nine Tests for Australia between 1974-1977. After only four seasons in the NSWRFL, Ray Higgs returned to Queensland in 1979.

Accolades

In 2011, Higgs was inducted into the

hall of fame.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Higgs, Ray 1950 births Living people Australian rugby league players Australia national rugby league team players City New South Wales rugby league team players New South Wales rugby league team players Parramatta Eels players People from Roma, Queensland Queensland rugby league team players Rugby league players from Queensland Souths Logan Magpies players Manly Warringah Sea Eagles players Rugby league second-rows Date of birth missing (living people)