Bernie Purcell

Bernie Purcell was an Australian rugby league footballer and coahc. He was a goal-kicking second-row forward of the 1950s for the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Australian national representative side.

Club career

He played 178 games with South Sydney between 1949 and 1960, scoring 36 tries and 509 goals for a total of 1,126 points. A Souths junior, he was the first forward in the game to score over 1,000 career points. He played in the 1950-1951 and 1954-1955 victorious Rabbitohs Grand Final teams.

Representative career

Purcell represented for Australia in one Test matches (1950) and appeared four times for New South Wales (1951-1956). Purcell's sole test appearance was in the third test against Great Britain in 1950. This was the famous 5-2 victory that gave Australia the Ashes for the first time in 30 years. Purcell also touried Great Britain with the 1956-57 Australian Kangaroos, playing 7 matches against English sides but no tests.

Coaching career

Purcell coached the Rabbitohs (1962-1966) after his retirement as a player, the highlight being the 1965 Grand Final against St. George played at the Sydney Cricket Ground in front of a record crowd of 78,056. Souths lost a hard fought encounter 12-8 against the then nine-times champions.

ources

* "The Encyclopaedia of Rugby League Players - South Sydney Rabbitohs", Alan Whiticker & Glen Hudson, Bas Publishing, 2005.