Bill Mullins

William 'Bill' Mullins (Sydney, Australia) was a rugby league footballer in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership, the major rugby league competition in Australia at the time.

A former professional runner, Mullins played his junior football with the
Canterbury Bankstown club before joining Eastern Suburbs in 1968 where he played 190 first grade matches in the years until 1978. At the time of his retirement, he was the club's leading try-scorer with 104 tries.

A tall, powerfully built winger, Mullins played in some of the great Easts sides of the seventies, winning premierships in 1974 and 1975, and finishing runners up in 1972 Grand Final. He also won pre-season cups in 1974 and 1977, mid-week cups in 1975 and 1978, as well as the World Club Challenge with the Roosters in 1976.

Mullins was a representative of Sydney and New South Wales, though injuries suffered at the wrong times during his career prevented him from representing his country. In a trial for World Cup selection in 1971, Mullins suffered a broken jaw and again, in 1973 had his jaw broken at a critical time in his career.

At the end of the 1978 season Mullins moved to the rural NSW town of Young where he played for the Young Cherry Pickers, but further injuries brought about an end to his rugby league career.

Mullins, who for many years owned a fish and chip shop in Sydney’s Charing Cross. According to Eastern Suburbs secretary of the time (equivalent to today's CEO), Bob Seabrook:

"The only problem with the fish and chip shop was that the Charing Cross hotel was on the other corner."

Seabrook said in reference to Bill's then legendary love of a schooner.

The burly winger has been included in a side made up of East’s greatest ever players. He has also been named in the Young Cherry Pickers best side since its inception in the 1950’s.

Brothers Russell and Terry Mullins played for Sydney’s Western Suburbs Magpies against Bill and his son Brett Mullins is an Australian representative who has won premierships with Canberra and Eastern Suburbs.