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by Sean Fagan of RL1908.com St George fans tagged him ‘Puff the Magic Dragon'. It was an apt nickname for one of the greatest centres ever to grace a rugby league field. In a career that started with St George in 1958 and ended despairingly in France in 1967, Reg Gasnier was pure magic. He had the speed, flair and dash that no man in his era could match. Gasnier has been recognised as an ‘Immortal' and is truly a player who only comes along once in a lifetime. Gasnier joined St George as a teenager in 1958 after playing his junior football in the Saints district. He was 17 when he turned up at a St George pre-season training session and asked for a trial. He impressed well enough to maintain a spot in the third grade side through 1958 and gained promotion to first grade the following season. In only a handful of first grade appearances Gasnier demonstrated his blistering pace and uncanny anticipation. So impressive was Gasnier, he was selected to play for NSW within weeks and scored three tries on debut. This hurtled Gasnier into the Australian test team for the three game series against the touring Kiwis and by the first week of July he played more rep games than he had games for St George. In the Second Test he scored three tries and had a hand in another five as Australia and Gasnier mauled the New Zealanders. Gasnier sustained a minor injury toward the end of the 1959 season and missed St George's premiership win, but such was the impression he had already left on the selectors (and everyone else) he was chosen to tour Great Britain and France with the 1959-60 Kangaroo tourists. His debut season had already reached enormous heights but it was far from over. His opening match on tour was against Widnes and the very first time he touched the ball he streaked away for a 60 metre run to the tryline. Gasnier followed this up with a blistering Test performance, scoring three slashing tries to be man-of-the-match in Australia's 22-14 win over Great Britain at Swinton (Australia's first test win at that ground in six attempts). Ultimately though, Great Britain retained the Ashes by winning the next two tests in close games. Three years later in the First Test against the visiting British Lions the great centre became the youngest man ever to captain Australia. At the age of 22 years and 28 days, Gasnier was 58 days younger than the previous holder of the mantle Dave Brown. Eric Ashton's Lions were too strong for Australia though and took the series 2-1. Gasnier's domination returned at Test level in successful home series' against South Africa and New Zealand in 1963. Gasnier's second Kangaroo tour of 1963-64 was arguably his best. He scored two tries in a 28-2 First Test victory at Wembley Stadium as he and centre partner Graeme Langlands ran riot. They again cut the Englishmen to pieces in the Second Test which Australia won by an incredible 50 to 12 (the match known as ‘The Swinton Massacre' ) to take the Ashes. Over the years Gasnier also played a major part in St George's unchallengeable 11 year reign over the Sydney premiership. For the majority of the time he had no competition as the best rugby league centre in the world. In 1960 in his first Grand Final for the Dragons he scored two tries as they beat Eastern Suburbs. Gasnier then appeared in St George's next 5 premiership winning teams (1961 to 1965). He missed most of the 1966 season through a career threatening injury as the Dragons gained their 11th title in the record-setting run. Gasnier returned to play in 1967 and he was in St George's team which lost the Final to Canterbury in 1967 to end the Dragons epic title-run - what no one was to know, was that it was also the final game of Gasnier's club career.
On a cold, damp day in Avignon against a French provincial team in front of a few hundred spectators, Gasnier returned to the playing arena. It is generally thought that Gasnier returned too early from injury, but as captain of the tour he felt an obligation to take pressure off his team mates in what is always a difficult part of the tour. Tragically, his leg gave way again and he had to be carried from the field on a stretcher. In a dressing room on the far side of the world, one of Australia's greatest ever players announced his retirement and brought the curtain down on a glorious career. Gasnier was only 28 years old. In a tribute to Gasnier, the chairman of the ARL, Bill Buckley, said: "On his day, he was the greatest rugby league player I have ever seen. Gasnier had an amazing change of pace and great anticipation. He was also particularly unselfish. He was without peer." |
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Gasnier
returned to the test team in 1967 against the Kiwis as captain and after
a successful series was appointed as captain of his third and final
Kangaroo tour. Australia retained the Ashes, but unfortunately Gasnier
was cut down by a severe leg injury in the First Test against Great
Britain. He did not reappear on the field until the tour reached France.
