Who am I? He was notable for his elusive cross-field runs, creating doubt in the minds of defenders and setting up gaps for support players, most famously second-rower Steve Menzies, to run back into. As a teenager he moved to the Cronulla district as a boarder from Tregear near Mount Druitt. “I still remember getting my first call [informing him of his selection in 2013] off Georgey Rose. Cliff Lyons (born 19 October 1961) is an indigenous Australian former international rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. After leading Manly to a 6th-place finish in the 2012 NSW Cup season, Lyons was replaced as Manly's NSW Cup coach for the 2013 season by former Sea Eagle Luke Williamson. Churchill, Clive. He was only six seasons into his NRL career when he was included in the 2008 Indigenous Team of the Century. He played with the Gundagai Tigers in the Group 9 competition for three seasons, from where he represented Riverina against New Zealand in 1982 and against Great Britain in 1984. Bartomeu will miss the match against Ferencvaros due to a relative's covid. “He’s very proud of his culture and he’s very strong in his opinions as well,” said Wighton’s Indigenous All Stars coach Laurie Daley. “I was a 25-year-old man with two kids who made a massive blunder. The always-dependable second-rower or prop was a mainstay at Origin and Test level for more than a decade, contributing heavily to many successes. As it turned out, it was one of the most important days in Wighton’s life. You can see how powerful they are and how big leaders they are, on and off the field. During the history of the game, there have been countless Indigenous players who have left an indelible mark on the code. Such was the talent on offer, modern and emerging legends missed the initial list of 10, such as David Peachey, Wendell Sailor, Anthony Mundine, Matt Bowen, Scott Prince, Nathan Blacklock, Latrell Mitchell or Preston Campbell. They will probably not play Ajax, Griezmann will not return to Atletico from Barcelona, Miranchuk was included in Atalanta's bid for the Champions League match with Midtjylland, The rival Krasnodar has a bright coach: he is friends with young stars, even worked with Dembele, entrusted the center of the field to a 16-year-old, https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/they-showed-faith-in-me-jack-wighton-and-the-elders-who-helped-him-turn-his-life-around-20200731-p55hbs.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed. Lyons's scheming runs to create space for others or himself are the stuff of folklore, with his famous try in the second Ashes Test of 1990 being a prime example. I knew which one I was taking.”. He made his first grade début for the Bears in Round 2 of the 1985 NSWRL season, playing five-eighth, and contributing a field goal in a 15-10 win over the Illawarra Steelers at the Wollongong Showground. Australian/Harvard Citation. He also sits third on the Australian list with 31 tries in 39 Tests. The results, from that moment, have been spectacular. At the end of the 1998 season, in which he was mainly used off the bench, Lyons reluctantly retired after not being offered a contract. NRL.com chose 10 of the greatest and asked fans to vote on who they think is the best. The Indigenous All Stars Team of the Decade. Lyons was graded as a second rower with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in 1981. Wighton collects the Clive Churchill medal on grand final night last year. Instead, he was given a two-month suspended jail sentence and then a range of sanctions from the NRL itself, including a 10-game ban. He then produced a solid display in the third Test as Australia retained The Ashes with a resounding 14-0 win at Elland Road. Australia lost the first Test 19-14 at Wembley Stadium (the Kangaroos first loss on English soil since 1978), and Lyons was thrust into the second Test side at Old Trafford. It’s a cracker.”. ... clive churchill was aboriginal wasn't he? or Following the grand final victory he travelled with Manly to England for the 1987 World Club Challenge against the 1986–87 English champions, Wigan. Able to make the almost impossible seem effortless, Inglis's ability to rise to any occasion was reflected in the fact he played a different position in his three grand final wins - five-eighth (2007) and centre (2009) for Melbourne and fullback (2014) for South Sydney. Wet GF prompts training, bench shake-ups as Naden starts, Kotoni Staggs reflects on winning Try of the Year, Luai extension talks to ramp up after Munster showdown, Decision pending: 6000 games of experience may join retiring class, You have skipped the navigation, tab for page content. It wasn’t your usual courtroom. It is very rare to hear a player criticise their own club but, at age 27 and with a thriving career, he is clearly now comfortable enough to speak his mind even if the outcome may be uncomfortable. On tour he played in both test matches for Australia against the Papua New Guinea Kumuls, scoring a try in the first test in Goroka in which he partnered Manly teammate Geoff Toovey in the halves, but was relegated to the bench for the final test against the Kumuls in Port Moresby. Indigenous All Stars v NRL All Stars, 2010. The jaw-dropping feats of Indigenous athletes are woven into the fabric of rugby league. In January 1999 Lyons was playing for Warringah in a rugby sevens competition, but following the Sea Eagles' disastrous start to the 1999 NRL season, he made a comeback with the club, passing the 300 first-grade game mark late in the season. A newcomer to the Origin and Test scene last year, he was thrust into the Indigenous All Stars side when he was still a teenager, and the thrill and education involved with sharing a dressing-room with iconic figures Greg Inglis and Jonathan Thurston has left a mark to this day. Lyons scored the only try of the first half against the Raiders after a strong 25m run from a scrum win, but it was his damaging runs that cut holes in the Raiders defence that saw him win the Clive Churchill Medal as man of the match. The clutch playmaker was a central pillar in Queensland's unprecedented eight-year Origin dynasty from 2006-13 and shone on the international stage. Forums Rugby League - Australia NRL great aboriginal RL players Out Now: Here it is - the latest edition of The Front Row, our exclusive online e-magazine with a full wrap on last weekend's NRL and Super League along with the match programme for the coming round! The poll has been closed and after more than 6000 votes, Cowboys legend Johnathan Thurston was crowned the greatest Indigenous player of all time ahead of Maroons icon Arthur Beetson and another former Kangaroos star, Greg Inglis. A one-club champion, Thaiday played 304 games for Brisbane and featured in their 2006 premiership and 2015 grand final loss. "The greatest players in the game and I was going into camp with them and rub shoulders. He then played in England in the Australian off-season with stays with Leeds (1985–86) and Sheffield Eagles (1986–87). Hodges played fullback through Brisbane's most recent premiership in 2006 but will be best remembered as a centre who turned dummy-half running into an art form. to continue using this website. It was at five-eighth that Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles coach Bob Fulton started playing Lyons on a permanent basis. Regarded among the game's finest centres, Renouf was blessed with speed, elusiveness and an incredible knack for finding the line, scoring a record 142 tries in 183 games for the Broncos. Lyons' ability to set up tries for his support players with his unpredictable weaving runs saw him consistently win player awards, culminating in his 'breakthrough' season in 1990, age 29. Joining Lyons in the side were his Manly teammates Dale Shearer (Fullback), Michael O'Connor (Centre) and Noel "Crusher" Cleal (Second-row), as well as fellow Australians Steve Ella (5/8), Allan Langer (Halfback) and Sam Backo (Prop). Lyons entered the NSWRFL Premiership for the first time with the North Sydney Bears midway through 1984, following his Riverina coach Greg Hawick. For more information, visit Mozilla Firefox In front of an official 36,895 fans at Wigan's Central Park (though many in attendance believe the crowd to be closer to 50,000), Wigan stunned the Winfield Cup premiers 8-2 in a try-less game. Arguably the greatest Cowboys player ever, his feats in bringing the club a maiden premiership in 2015 will never be forgotten. After an attempted return against Avignon on the French leg of the tour, he announced a shock retirement at age 28. Lyons made his State of Origin début for New South Wales in Game 2 of 1987 State of Origin series on a wet and muddy Sydney Cricket Ground, beating out Canterbury-Bankstown pivot and 1986 Kangaroo tourist Terry Lamb as the Blues' five-eighth at the end of the representative career of Brett Kenny, and playing opposite the King of Origin football, Australian and Queensland captain Wally Lewis. Like many of his contemporaries Wighton has continued to learn about Indigenous culture, in particular when All Stars week comes around in the summer. Born in Narrandera, New South Wales on 19 October 1961, Lyons played junior rugby league with Gundagai Tigers. A Clive Churchill Medallist and two-time Dally M Medallist, he made 309 first-grade appearances with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, winning grand finals with them in 1987 and 1996. “And part of growth is his confidence in not only his game on the field, but who he is and aspires to be off the field, which includes being very comfortable with his Indigenous background.”, Wighton collects the Clive Churchill medal on grand final night last year.Credit:NRL Photos. At the end of the 1988 NSWRL season, Lyons made his international début when he was selected on the bench for a Rest of the World team that narrowly lost 30-28 to Great Britain at Headingley in Leeds, England. Wighton collects the Clive Churchill medal on grand final night last year. Sorry but this browser is no longer supported. Athletes dream of the perfect season, and Thurston has lived it. While seven years later it is Wighton who is one of the leading Indigenous players in the game – and among the best in general – he’s never forgotten the sensation of feeling you've made it. Inglis is a versatile back, having played in several positions during his career. He repaid the faith shown in him by his former club coach Fulton by finishing one of the best team tries ever seen in a Test as Australia kept The Ashes alive with 14-10 win over Great Britain. Fearsome and fearless, Gorden Tallis only knew one way to play: as hard as possible. You always leave with a lot of confidence. In 2018, Lyons was inducted in the National Rugby League Hall of Fame. After winning the coveted Gold 'Dally M' award for Player of the Year in the regular club season he received his call-up to the Australian team on the 1990 Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain and France. Huge in heart, Thurston's skill, composure, toughness and relentless competitiveness elevated him into rare air.