Norm Pope (rugby league, born 1931)

For the Eastern Suburbs and St. George player, see Norm Pope (rugby league, born 1908).

Norm Pope
Personal information
Born(1931-09-10)10 September 1931
Died2 March 2003(2003-03-02) (aged 71)
Playing information
PositionFullback
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1953–56 Queensland 13 0 51 0 102
1956 Australia 1 0 5 0 10

Norm Pope (10 September 1931 – 2 March 2003) was an Australian rugby league player.

A Balmain junior, Pope was a prolific goal-kicking fullback for Valleys and spent his entire first-grade career in Brisbane from 1950 to 1964, aside from one season with Rockhampton's Railways club.[1] He broke a Brisbane Rugby League (BRL) goal-kicking record in 1953 when he slotted 19 goals from 22 attempts in a rout of Wynnum Manly.[2] In 1956, Pope represented Australia in the 3rd Test against New Zealand at the Sydney Cricket Ground, kicking five goals in a 31–14 win. He set another BRL record in 1957 by amassing 330-points for the season.[3]

Pope served as coach of both Valleys and Wests.[4]

In 2022, Pope was named fullback in the Brisbane Rugby League Team of the Century, put together by the BRL and QRL history committee to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the competition.[5]

References

  1. ^ "£2 Bonus To Norm Pope". The Courier-Mail. 6 July 1953. p. 7 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ The Rugby League news (Vol. 34 No. 20), N.S.W. Rugby Football League, 18 July 1953 – via Trove
  3. ^ The Rugby League news (Vol 38, No. 29), N.S.W. Rugby Football League, 14 September 1957 – via Trove
  4. ^ "History of Brisbane Rugby League: Warning signs, 1970s". The Roar. 14 August 2020.
  5. ^ "BRL Team of the Century and Ipswich's best named". Fassifern Guardian. 24 August 2022.