Frank Burge

Infobox rugby league biography
playername = Frank Burge
fullname = Frank Burge
nickname = Chunky


caption =
position = rlp|LK
dateofbirth = 14 August, 1894
placeofbirth = Darlington
countryofbirth = Australia
dateofdeath = 5 July, 1958
placeofdeath = Marrickville
countryofdeath = Australia
height =
weight = 93kg
club1 = leagueicon|Glebe|16 Glebe Dirty Reds
year1start = 1911
year1end = 1926
appearances1 = 138
tries1 = 137
goals1 = 49
fieldgoals1 = 0
points1 = 509
club2 = leagueicon|St. George Dragons|16 St. George Dragons
year2start = 1927
year2end =
appearances2 = 16
tries2 = 9
goals2 = 0
fieldgoals2 = 0
points2 = 27
teamA = leagueicon|New South Wales|16 New South Wales
yearAstart = 1912
yearAend = 1926
appearancesA = 18
triesA =
goalsA =
fieldgoalsA =
pointsA = 83
teamB = leagueicon|Australia|16 Australia
yearBstart = 1914
yearBend = 1922
appearancesB = 13
triesB = 7
goalsB = 7
fieldgoalsB = 0
pointsB = 35
coachteam1 = leagueicon|St. George Dragons|16 St George Dragons
coachyear1start = 1927
coachyear1end = 1930
coachgames1 = 66
coachwins1 = 44
coachdraws1 = 3
coachlosses1 = 19
coachteam2 = leagueicon|Sydney Roosters|16 Eastern Suburbs
coachyear2start = 1932
coachyear2end =
coachgames2 = 15
coachwins2 = 9
coachdraws2 = 0
coachlosses2 = 6
coachteam3 = leagueicon|North Sydney Bears|16 North Sydney Bears
coachyear3start = 1935
coachyear3end =
coachgames3 = 17
coachwins3 = 10
coachdraws3 = 1
coachlosses3 = 6
coachteam4 = leagueicon|Canterbury|16 Canterbury Bankstown
coachyear4start = 1936
coachyear4end =
coachgames4 = 15
coachwins4 = 9
coachdraws4 = 2
coachlosses4 = 4
coachteam5 = leagueicon|Newtown Jets|16 Newtown Bluebags
coachyear5start = 1940
coachyear5end =
coachgames5 = 15
coachwins5 = 9
coachdraws5 = 0
coachlosses5 = 6
coachteam6 = leagueicon|North Sydney Bears|16 North Sydney Bears
coachyear6start = 1945
coachyear6end =
coachgames6 = 15
coachwins6 = 8
coachdraws6 = 0
coachlosses6 = 7
coachteam7 = leagueicon|Western Suburbs|16 Western Suburbs
coachyear7start = 1947
coachyear7end =
coachgames7 = 20
coachwins7 = 12
coachdraws7 = 0
coachlosses7 = 8
source = [http://www.nrlstats.com.au/archive/coaches.cfm?CoachID=21 NRL Stats] , [http://rugbyleagueproject.com/players/Frank_Burge.html RLP] and [http://www.yesterdayshero.com.au/PlayerProfile_Frank-Burge_1441.aspx Yesterday's Hero]

Frank 'Chunky' Burge (born 14th August, 1894 in Darlington, New South Wales, died 5th July, 1958 in Marrickville, New South Wales) was the one of the greatest forwards in the history of rugby league in Australia. [ [http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2008/02/22/Controversy_reigns_as_NRL_releases_top_100_players Century's Top 100 Players] ] Later he was one of the game's finest coaches.

His club career was with Glebe and the St. George Dragons. He represented New South Wales on eighteen occasions. He played thirteen Tests for the Kangaroos and played for Australia in a further twenty three tour matches.

Club and representative career

Frank was a sensation as a teenager and played 1st grade rugby union at age 14, the youngest ever to play senior football in either code. Upon switching to the professional code, Frank was playing first grade for Glebe at age 16 and was selected for the state at age 18.

He debuted for Australia in the domestic 1914 Ashes series against Great Britain appearing in all three Tests, and on the 1919 tour of New Zealand in all four tests. Again in 1920 he appeared in all three Tests of the domestic Ashes series and then was selected on the 1921-22 Kangaroo tour where he played in all three tests and twenty representative tour matches scoring 33 tries in 23 matches, more than any touring forward before or since. Burge's representative record shows him appearing in every single Australian Test match played in the war-interrupted eight year period between 1914 and 1922.

Records and accolades

He was the NSW Rugby Football League's top try-scorer in 1915, 1916 and 1918 an extrmemely rare feat in even one year for a forward. In the 1920 season, he was the League's top point scorer.

He holds the standing record for tries in a match set when he scored eight in a club match for Glebe in 1920. His career tally of 146 first grade tries stood for eighty years as the highest by a forward until Steven Menzies broke it in 2004. He maintained an average of a try a game for seventeen seasons scoring 218 tries in 213 senior matches with 146 coming from his 154 Sydney first grade matches. That try-scoring tally today stands at eighth on an all-time list dominated by backs.

In 2004 he was admitted into the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame [ [http://rl1908.com/Hoffame/index.htm Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame] ] .

In February 2008, Frank Burge was named in the list of Australia's "100 Greatest Players" (1908–2007) which was commissioned by the NRL and ARL to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia. [cite web|publisher="NRL & ARL"|title=Centenary of Rugby League - The Players |url=http://www.centenaryofrugbyleague.com.au/site/the-players.aspx?cat=3&list=true |accessdate=2008-02-23|date=2008-02-23] [cite news|author=Peter Cassidy |publisher="Macquarie National News"|title=Controversy reigns as NRL releases top 100 players |url=http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2008/02/22/Controversy_reigns_as_NRL_releases_top_100_players |accessdate=2008-02-23|date=2008-02-23] Burge went on to be named as an interchange player in Australian rugby league's "Team of the Century". Announced on 17 April, 2008, the team is the panel's majority choice for each of the thirteen starting positions and four interchange players. [cite news|author=Todd Balym|publisher="Fox Sports Australia"|title=Johns, Meninga among Immortals |url=http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,23557351-23214,00.html |accessdate=2008-04-17|date=2008-04-17] [cite web|publisher="NRL & ARL"|title=Team of the Century Announced |url=http://www.centenaryofrugbyleague.com.au/site/news--reviews/media-releases/team-of-the-century-announced.aspx |accessdate=2008-04-17|date=2008-04-17]

The man and his playing style

At 93kg and equally effective anywhere in the forwards from lock to prop, he had the speed of a back to complement his strength and an anticipation that made him a support player without peer. He was a teetotaller who was way ahead of his time in observing a strict diet, he used coaching concepts familiar in modern sports psychology and upheld an all-year training regime that continued right through the long Sydney summer off-season.

The Heads/Middleton reference quotes his colleague and former

ee also

*Burge Family

References

ources

* Andrews, Malcolm (2006) "The ABC of Rugby League", Austn Broadcasting Corpn, Sydney
* Whiticker, Alan (2004) "Captaining the Kangaroos", New Holland, Sydney
* Whiticker, Alan & Hudson, Glen (2006) "The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players", Gavin Allen Publishing, Sydney
* Whiticker, Alan & Collis, Ian (2006) "The History of Rugby League Clubs", New Holland, Sydney
* Heads, Ian & Middleton, David (2008) "A Centenary of Rugby League", MacMillan, Sydney.
* Howell, Max (2005) "Born to Lead: Wallaby Test Captains", Celebrity Books, Auckland, NZ.

External links

* [http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A130337b.htm Frank Burge at the Online Dictionary of Australian BiographIes]
* [http://www.sahof.org.au/hallOfFame/memberProfile/index.php?memberID=347&memberType=athlete Frank Burge biography at Sport Australia Hall of Fame]
* [http://www.qrl.com.au/qrl_history/qld_rep_b.php Queensland Representatives at qrl.com.au]