Don Manson

Don Manson

Personal information
Full name	Donald Hugh Manson
Born	29 July 1918 Randwick, New South Wales, Australia
Died	13 May 1993(1993-05-13) (aged 74)
Playing information
Weight	14 st 2 lb (90 kg)[1]
Position	Wing
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1937–39 South Sydney 21 24 0 0 1939–41 Eastern Suburbs 0 0 0 0 0 Total 21 24 0 0 0 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1938–38 New South Wales 1 0 0 0 0
Source: [2] As of 14 May 2020

Donald Manson (29 July 1918-13 May 1993) was a rugby league player who played for South Sydney on the wing from 1937 to 1939.[3]

Rugby league career

He made his debut in round 1 of the 1937 season against University.[3] In his first two matches he scored six tries, the last player to accomplish such a feat till Charlie Staines in 2020.[4] By the start of the 1938 season, he was considered to "be on the up and up".[5] He was the NSWRFL's leading try-scorer for the 1938 season, and that year he appeared for the New South Wales Blues.[2]

During the 1939 season, Manson went on a tour to New Zealand as part of a side coached by Ray Stehr. After his return, South Sydney did not name him in their line-up for either their first, reserves or third side, a decision which was considered surprising by the Daily News.[6] Manson played one further game in the South Sydney reserves, before subsequently leaving the club for Eastern Suburbs at the season's end.[7] Manson retired from the NSWRFL after the 1941 season, and stopped playing league altogether for five years.[8] He has the second best strike rate in the history of the NRL/ARL/NSWRFL, averaging 1.13 tries per game.[9]

References

1. "Twins Play Together". The Rugby League News. Vol. 19, no. 12. 25 June 1938. p. 18. Retrieved 8 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
2. "Don Manson: Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
3. "Donald "Don" Manson - South Sydney Player Report". South Sydney Almanac. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
4. "Panthers destroy Manly 42-12 as Canberra Raiders and Sydney Roosters score NRL wins". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. AAP. 1 August 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
5. "South Sydney Club Defections". The Rugby League News. Vol. 19, no. 5. 14 May 1938. p. 16. Retrieved 8 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
6. "Manson not graded by Souths". Daily News. 10 April 1939. p. 8. Retrieved 8 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
7. "Manson for Easts". Daily News. 16 May 1939. p. 8. Retrieved 8 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
8. Thatcher, George (12 March 1947). "R.L. Winger's Comeback: Don Manson trains after five-year break". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
9. "Stats Insider: The NRL's top try-scorers". National Rugby League. 28 July 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2020.