Eric Weissel

Infobox rugby league biography
playername = Eric Weissel
fullname = Eric Weissel


caption =
dateofbirth =
placeofbirth =
countryofbirth =
height =
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position = Rlp|FE
club1 = Cootamundra
year1start = 1921
year1end = 26
appearances1 =
tries1 =
goals1 =
fieldgoals1 =
points1 =
club2 = Temora
year2start = 1927
year2end = 34
appearances2 =
tries2 =
goals2 =
fieldgoals2 =
points2 =
club3 = Bardmedman
year3start = 1935
year3end = 36
appearances3 =
tries3 =
goals3 =
fieldgoals3 =
points3 =
club4 = Narrandera
year4start = 1937
year4end =
appearances4 =
tries4 =
goals4 =
fieldgoals4 =
points4 =
club5 = Wagga Wagga Magpies
year5start = 1938
year5end = 39
appearances5 =
tries5 =
goals5 =
fieldgoals5 =
points5 =
teamA = New South Wales
yearAstart = 1928
yearAend =
appearancesA =
triesA =
goalsA =
fieldgoalsA =
pointsA =
teamB = Australia
yearBstart = 1928
yearBend = 1930
appearancesB = 8
triesB =
goalsB =
fieldgoalsB =
pointsB = 8
updated =
source =
new = yes

Eric Weissel was an Australian rugby league footballer, a state and national representative goal-kicking five-eighth. He played his club career in country New South Wales and is considered one of the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century. [ [http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2008/02/22/Controversy_reigns_as_NRL_releases_top_100_players Century's Top 100 Players] ]

Club career

Weissel played his entire club football career in his home area of the Riverina in southern New South Wales. He turned out with five different clubs during - Cootamundra, Temora, Bardmedman, Narrandera and Wagga Wagga. With Cootamundra he was captain during two years when they retained the regional Maher cup with an unbeaten record.

Representative career

After being selected for New South Wales in 1928, Weissel made his international representative debut against a touring British side that same year, featuring in two Tests. He made the Kangaroo tour squad of 1929-30 playing in three Tests and 17 tour matches. He topped the tour scoring tally with five tries and fifty-six goals on the tour. In the First Test at Hull, Weissel featured in the 31-8 Australian victory scoring a try and kicking five goals.

He played in three Tests of the 1932 Domestic Ashes series against Great Britain, including the brutal 'Battle of Brisbane' Test where a battered and bruised Australian team lost the fight to to a thuggish English side, but won the match 15-6.

Cricketer

Sean Fagan's rl1908.com site quotes a Donald Bradman biography which records that Weissel was playing for a Riverina representative side on 22 November 1926 at the Sydney Cricket Ground against a Southern Districts side in which Bradman was making his SCG debut. Weissel dismissed "the Don" for 43. [ [http://www.rl1908.com/blog/bradman.htm rl1908.com Blog mentioning Bradman and Weissel] ]

=Accolades= Since 1976 the Eric Weissel medal has been awarded to the best and fairest player of the season in the Riverina regional country rugby league competition.

The Eric Weissel Oval , a 10,000 seater stadium in Wagga Wagga was named in his honour.

In February 2008, Weissel 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]

See also

* Eric Weissel Oval

Sources

* Whiticker, Alan & Hudson, Glen (2006) "The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players", Gavin Allen Publishing, Sydney
* Andrews, Malcolm (2006) "The ABC of Rugby League" Austn Broadcasting Corpn, Sydney

References