Reginald William "Reg" Gasnier (12 May 1939 – 11 May 2014) 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 and coach. He played for the
St. George Dragons
The St. George Dragons is an Australian rugby league football club from St George District in Sydney, New South Wales that played in the top level New South Wales competition and Australian Rugby League competitions from the 1921 until th ...
from 1959 to 1967 and represented
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
in a then record 36 Tests and three World Cup games. He was the captain of the national side on eight occasions between 1962–1967.
Gasnier was included on the
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
's
list of 100 greatest players and the honorary
Team of the Century
In team sport, team of the century and team of the decade are hypothetical best teams over a given time period. For the century team, it can be either 100 years, or for a century (always the 20th). Similarly the team of the decade can be for 10 ...
. He is a member of the
Sport Australia Hall of Fame
The Sport Australia Hall of Fame was established on 10 December 1985 to recognise the achievements of Australian sportsmen and sportswomen. The inaugural induction included 120 members with Sir Don Bradman as the first inductee and Dawn Fraser th ...
and
Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame
The Australian Rugby LeaguHall of Fame'' honours players who have shown exceptional skill at rugby league, all-time great coaches and referees, and other major contributors to the game who are Australian.
It was officially established in 2002, ...
. He was appointed a Member of the
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
.
Early life
Reginald William Gasnier was born in the
Southern Sydney
Southern Sydney is the southern metropolitan area of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.
Southern Sydney includes the suburbs in the local government areas of Georges River Council and part of Bayside Council (collectively known ...
suburb of
Mortdale
Mortdale is a suburb located in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mortdale is located 20 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the St George area. Mortdale is situated in the ...
on 12 May 1939. At Sutherland Intermediate High School, Gasnier excelled at both
rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
and
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
. He later attended
Sydney Technical High School
Sydney Technical High School (STHS) is a government-funded single-sex academically selective secondary day school for boys, located in Bexley, a southern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Founded in 1911 as part of Sydney Technic ...
("Tech") in the St. George area suburb of
Bexley
Bexley is an area of south-eastern Greater London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village or Old Bexley to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located east-southeast of Char ...
.
While at Tech, he became a champion sportsman in both rugby and cricket, achieving junior state representative honours in both sports. He went on to play rugby league for junior club Renown United.
Gasnier was selected in the NSW schoolboys side aged 13, to play in a
curtain raiser
A curtain raiser is a short performance, stage act, show, actor or performer that opens a show for the main attraction. The term is derived from the act of raising the stage curtain. The first person on stage has "raised the curtain".
The fashio ...
to the
1952 Australia and New Zealand Test.
[
]
Career
Gasnier has been described as the ultimate all-round rugby league player. Teammate Keith Barnes
William Keith Barnes AM (born 30 October 1934), also known by the nickname of "Golden Boots", is a Welsh-born Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s, and coached in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He was a for ...
recalled: "He had everything, a body swerve, speed and acceleration. He could stand you up or run around you. There was no better sight in rugby league than when he threw his head back and left them standing." 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 ...
, who played against Gasnier in international play remarked: "He was a great player. Along with Eric Ashton
Eric Ashton MBE (24 January 1935 – 20 March 2008) was an English World Cup winning professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s, and coached in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
He played his whole top flight football ca ...
the best centre I’ve ever seen. He was very fast and very deceptive. You never knew what he would do next. He'd be running straight and then veer left or right." Upon Gasnier's retirement then ARL chairman Bill Buckley said, " nhis day, he was the greatest rugby league player I have ever seen. Gasnier had an amazing change of pace and great anticipation. He was also particularly unselfish. He was without peer."
Gasnier was nicknamed "Puff the Magic Dragon" and the "prince of centres" for his high-quality play.
St. George Dragons
In 1957, Gasnier, aged 18, focused his attention on rugby league, signing with the local St. George Dragons
The St. George Dragons is an Australian rugby league football club from St George District in Sydney, New South Wales that played in the top level New South Wales competition and Australian Rugby League competitions from the 1921 until th ...
for the 1958 season. After only six games in third grade, he was selected for his first grade debut, and after only five first grade games he was selected for New South Wales. He scored 15 tries in 16 games for his state team.
By 1959, Gasnier had become an established member of both the New South Wales state side and the Australian international team. He was an important member of the dominant Dragons team of the late 1950s/early 1960s that won 11 consecutive premiership victories, of which Gasnier was on the team for six. He finished his career with the Dragons in 1967, with 127 tries and 20 goals in 125 appearances and 6 premierships. Reg Gasnier is widely regarded as one of the greatest ever St. George Dragons
The St. George Dragons is an Australian rugby league football club from St George District in Sydney, New South Wales that played in the top level New South Wales competition and Australian Rugby League competitions from the 1921 until th ...
players.
National team
In 1959, Gasnier moved up from reserve to Test team, making his international debut for Australia against New Zealand in the 1st Test of 1959 in Sydney. He played in all three Tests of that series, and went on to tour Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
with the Kangaroos
Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...
. On the tour, he scored a hat trick in the 1st Test 22–14 victory against Great Britain at Swinton's Station Road (attendance 35,224). However the Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. The term originated in a satirical obituary published in a British newspaper, ''The Sporting Times'', immediately after Australia's 1882 victory at The Oval, its first Te ...
were retained by the home nation after wins in the remaining Tests at Headingley
Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingle ...
Rugby Stadium, Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
(11–10, attendance 30,184) and Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...
(Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...
) (18–12, attendance 26,089). In 1960, he played in World Cup finals as a member of the national team. He is listed on the ''Australian Players Register'' as Kangaroo No. 339.
Gasnier became Australia's youngest ever captain in 1962 when he led Australia against England at 23 years and 28 days. The following season, he toured Europe as a member of the National Team for a second time. In 1967-68, he again toured Europe, this time as coach-captain of the Kangaroos. His career ended prematurely, at age 28, when he broke his leg during the first test at Headingley
Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingle ...
Rugby Stadium, Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
, that saw him sit out the remainder of the English leg. He returned to the field in 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 ...
but in a minor game against Les Espoirs in Avignon
Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of So ...
, he suffered a further break of the leg. This would ultimately cause him to announce his retirement from playing at the age of just 28. He later told in an interview that he never regretted his decision to retire, explaining that he had been playing rugby league virtually non-stop including juniors, junior representative games, the Sydney premiership, interstate games and international tours since the early 1950s, and felt it was about time that he started devoting more time to his family.
He finished his international career as Australia's most capped player, with a total of 39 caps (36 Test and 3 World Cup), a record that remained until Mal Meninga
Malcolm Norman Meninga (; born 8 July 1960) is an Australian professional rugby league coach who is the head coach of the Australian national team and a former professional rugby league footballer. Meninga is widely regarded as one of the fin ...
broke it in 1992. Gasnier scored 28 tries for Australia and captained the side on eight occasions.
Media career
After retiring from the playing field in 1967, Gasnier was involved in the media side of rugby league, becoming a sports writer and broadcaster. He provided expert analysis on the ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
's Grandstand television coverage during the 1970s.
Personal life and death
While at Sydney Technical High School, Gasnier met his future wife Maureen (née Sullivan). The couple wed in 1962. Gasnier was the uncle of the rugby league footballer Mark Gasnier
Mark Gasnier (born 19 July 1981) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. A rugby league New South Wales State of Origin and international representative , he played eleven seasons in the N ...
, who, like his uncle, was a centre and played for both NSW (12 games) and Australia (15 tests).
In 2010, Gasnier underwent major surgery to remove tumours from his neck and brain. On 11 May 2014, the day before his 75th birthday, he died in a Miranda nursing home after a long illness. He was survived by his wife, son Peter, daughter Kellie, and four grandchildren. Maureen died on 30 September 2016.
Honours
In 1981, Gasnier was selected as one of the initial four post-war "Immortals
Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life.
Immortal or Immortality may also refer to:
Film
* ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film
* ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film '' The Wisdom of ...
" of the Australian game along with Clive Churchill
Clive Bernard Churchill AM (21 January 1927 – 9 August 1985) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer and coach in the mid-20th century. An Australian international and New South Wales and Queensland interstate representative ...
, Johnny Raper
John William Raper (12 April 1939 – 9 February 2022) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer and coach. Nicknamed "Chook", he was a lock-forward who earned a then-record of 33 Test caps in the Australia national team between ...
and Bob Fulton
Robert Fulton (1 December 1947 – 23 May 2021), also nicknamed "Bozo", was an Australian international rugby league footballer, coach and later commentator. Fulton played, coached, selected for and has commentated on the game with great succe ...
. In December of that year, he was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame
The Sport Australia Hall of Fame was established on 10 December 1985 to recognise the achievements of Australian sportsmen and sportswomen. The inaugural induction included 120 members with Sir Don Bradman as the first inductee and Dawn Fraser th ...
and in 2002, he was inducted into the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame
The Australian Rugby LeaguHall of Fame'' honours players who have shown exceptional skill at rugby league, all-time great coaches and referees, and other major contributors to the game who are Australian.
It was officially established in 2002, ...
. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
(AM) in 1989. He was awarded the Australian Sports Medal
The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...
in 2000, and the Centenary Medal
The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or go ...
in 2001.
In 1989 he was awarded Life Membership of the St. George Dragons
The St. George Dragons is an Australian rugby league football club from St George District in Sydney, New South Wales that played in the top level New South Wales competition and Australian Rugby League competitions from the 1921 until th ...
club.
In 2007, Gasnier was selected by a panel of experts at centre in the "Team of the 50s". In February 2008, he was selected as one of Australia's 100 Greatest Players by the National Rugby League
The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
and Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League Commission (ARL), formerly the Australian Rugby Football League known as the Australian Rugby League is an Australian rugby league football competition operator. It was founded in 1986 as the Australian Rugby Footbal ...
to celebrate the code's centenary year. Gasnier was also named as one of the centres, along with Mal Meninga
Malcolm Norman Meninga (; born 8 July 1960) is an Australian professional rugby league coach who is the head coach of the Australian national team and a former professional rugby league footballer. Meninga is widely regarded as one of the fin ...
, in Australian rugby league's 17 player Team of the Century
In team sport, team of the century and team of the decade are hypothetical best teams over a given time period. For the century team, it can be either 100 years, or for a century (always the 20th). Similarly the team of the decade can be for 10 ...
in April 2008. New South Wales also named Gasnier to their team of the century.
Gasnier was made a life member of the Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in Sydney, Australia. It is used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australian rules football and occasionally for rugby league, rugby union and as ...
, and a plaque in the Walk of Honour there commemorates his career. In 2010, a bronze statue of Gasnier was unveiled as the seventh at the grounds as part of the Basil Sellers Sports Sculpture project.
A tribute to the life of Reg Gasnier was held at Jubilee Oval
Jubilee Stadium, also known as Kogarah Oval or by its sponsored name Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, is a multipurpose stadium in Carlton, New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. The stadium is mainly used for rugby league and the A-League, and is o ...
, Kogarah on 5 July 2014 and was attended by over 12,000 people. Many of his former team-mates attended the hour long ceremony including three Immortals
Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life.
Immortal or Immortality may also refer to:
Film
* ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film
* ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film '' The Wisdom of ...
; Graeme Langlands
Graeme Frank Langlands, MBE, (2 September 1941 – 20 January 2018), also known by the nickname of "Changa", was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. and coached in the 1970s.
He retire ...
, Wally Lewis
Walter James Lewis AM (born 1 December 1959) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, and coached in the 1980s and 1990s. He became a commentator for television coverage of the spo ...
and Johnny Raper
John William Raper (12 April 1939 – 9 February 2022) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer and coach. Nicknamed "Chook", he was a lock-forward who earned a then-record of 33 Test caps in the Australia national team between ...
. The late Clive Churchill
Clive Bernard Churchill AM (21 January 1927 – 9 August 1985) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer and coach in the mid-20th century. An Australian international and New South Wales and Queensland interstate representative ...
was represented by his wife Joyce and the late Arthur Beetson
Arthur Henry "Artie" Beetson OAM (21 January 1945 – 1 December 2011 was represented by his son Mark. Other notable former players attended including Eddie Lumsden
Edmund Lumsden (28 September 1936 – 6 October 2019) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer. He was a with the St. George Dragons during their eleven-year premiership winning run from 1956 to 1966, playing in and winning ...
, Johnny Riley, Johnny King
Johnny Cecil King (born 2 July 1942) is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He was a winger with the St. George Dragons for the last seven years of their eleven consecutive premiership-winning run from 1956 to 1966. He was ...
, Dave Brown, Bob Bugden
Robert Alfred Bugden (born 25 February 1936) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. He was a with the St. George Dragons in the first half of their 11-year consecutive premiership winning run from 1956 to 1966. He was al ...
, Grahame Bowen, Tommy Ryan
Tommy Ryan (born Joseph Youngs; March 31, 1870 – August 3, 1948) was an American World Welterweight and World Middleweight boxing champion who fought from 1887 to 1907. His simultaneously holding records in both weight classes was a rar ...
, Brian Graham and Billy Smith. The Master of Ceremonies for the occasion was noted broadcaster Ray Warren
Raymond Warren OAM (born 11 June 1943) is a retired Australian sports commentator, known for his coverage of televised professional rugby league matches on the Nine Network. He is known as the "Voice of Rugby League", and called 99 State of ...
who read tributes to Reg Gasnier provided by Ian Heads, Robert Raftery and David Middleton plus historical photographs and video footage of Gasnier's career were shown to the crowd. A plaque is erected near the north western sideline of Jubilee Oval
Jubilee Stadium, also known as Kogarah Oval or by its sponsored name Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, is a multipurpose stadium in Carlton, New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. The stadium is mainly used for rugby league and the A-League, and is o ...
where Gasnier showed his electrifying skill and talent during his sparkling rugby league career. The plaque was unveiled by Gasnier's wife Maureen and children, Kellie and Peter.
On 20 July 2022, Gasnier was named in the St. George Dragons District Rugby League Clubs team of the century at centre.
References
*
Footnotes
External links
Reg Gasnier at bestlegenz.com.au
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gasnier, Reg
1939 births
2014 deaths
Australia national rugby league team captains
Australia national rugby league team coaches
Australia national rugby league team players
Australian rugby league coaches
City New South Wales rugby league team players
Members of the Order of Australia
New South Wales rugby league team players
People educated at Sydney Technical High School
Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal
Recipients of the Centenary Medal
Rugby league centres
Rugby league players from Sydney
Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees
St. George Dragons players