John Cleary (rugby)

John Cleary
Personal information
Born (1938-10-12) 12 October 1938 (age 86)
Playing information
PositionProp
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1963 Queensland 3 0 0 0 0
1963–64 Australia

John Cleary (born 12 October 1938) is an Australian former rugby footballer.[1]

Raised on the Darling Downs, Cleary attended Nudgee College as a boarder and pursued rugby union as his preferred sport while undertaking further studies at teacher's college in Toowoomba. He competed for the city's Harlequins club and also had a stint in Brisbane with Brothers. A breakaway, Cleary was a Queensland representative player and his appearances included a match against the 1959 British Lions.[2]

Cleary switched to rugby league after getting a teaching position in Harrisville and competed for nearby Ipswich in the Bulimba Cup competition. He had his best season in 1963 when he broke into the Queensland side and won a place as a prop on the national squad for their 1963–64 tour of Europe.[3] In 1964, Cleary relocated to Townsville for work and coached in the local competition.[4]

References

  1. ^ "A cold beer with . . . former teacher and Kangaroo". newsregionalmedia.com.au. 1 April 2020.
  2. ^ Ricketts, Steve (September 2015). "John Cleary Is One Tough Queenslander". Men of League (60).
  3. ^ "Pen pictures of the tourists". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 September 1963.
  4. ^ N.S.W. Rugby Football League (1964), Dispute Over Kanga's Clearance, The Rugby League news (Vol. 45 No. 30) – via Trove