Wilhelm Gustaf "Bill" Heidke (1883–1959) was a pioneer Australian

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

player. He was a backline player for the Australian national team. He played in four Tests between 1908 and 1910, once as captain.

Rugby union career

Heidke grew up in

Bundaberg Bundaberg () is the major regional city in the Wide Bay-Burnett region of the state of Queensland, Australia. It is the List of cities in Australia by population, ninth largest city in the state. The Bundaberg central business district is situa ...

in the Wide Bay – Burnett region of

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

where he played rugby union.Whiticker pp39-40 He played for

Souths Magpies The Souths Logan Magpies, more commonly referred to by their former names Southern Suburbs Magpies, or South Brisbane Magpies, or often simply referred to as Souths, are a rugby league football club based in the southern suburbs of Brisbane, Au ...

and represented for Queensland against the professional New Zealand All Golds in June 1908 when that team was on its return from the "rebel" tour to England. Heidke and the other players who breached the amateur code of principal were consequently suspended for life by the Queensland Rugby Union.

Rugby league career

In July 1908 he played for

as a three-quarter in the inaugural interstate game against

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. He switched to half-back for the third game of that series and won selection for the inaugural Kangaroo squad of 1908–09. He played in two Tests of that first tour and in 26 minor games. He played in the first ever Anglo-Australian test at Wembley in December 1908 and in the third test in Birmingham. In June 1909 he was chosen in the Australian side to meet New Zealand in the second test in Brisbane.In those early days of domestic Tests the make up of the side was dependent on whether the game was to be played in Brisbane or Sydney. To save on travel costs and to engender local support the Australian representative sides were often selected with a major hometown bias. In 1910 having not played in the first Sydney test against the visiting Great Britain side Heidke was one of seven Queenslanders selected for the second Test in Brisbane. Heidke was given the captaincy over

Dally Messenger Herbert Henry "Dally" Messenger, (12 April 1883 – 24 November 1959) was an Australian rugby league and rugby union player. One of Australasia's first professional rugby footballers, he is recognised as one of the greatest-ever players in eit ...

. In that game Heidke became Australia's seventh Kangaroo captain, the first Queenslander to do so and the only man to ever captain Australia from the wing in a Test match. Australia lost the day 22–17. In 1932 Bill's son Les "Monty" Heidke also represented for the Kangaroos making Bill and Monty the second ever Australian father-son representative combination one week behind

Sandy Pearce :''Sid Pearce directs here, for his son, the rugby league footballer of the same name, see Joe Pearce (Australian rugby league), Joe Pearce'' Sidney Charles Pearce (born 30 May 1883 and died 14 November 1930 Double Bay, New South Wales), better ...

and his son Joe Pearce. Bill's younger brother Harold also represented for

in rugby league in 1910–11. In 2008,

rugby league in Australia In Australia, rugby league is a popular spectator and participation sport which has been played since 1908. It is the dominant winter football code in the states of New South Wales and Queensland. According to Ausplay in 2024, there were 174, ...

's centenary year, Heidke was named on the wing in the Bundaberg Rugby League's team of the century.

Matches played

References

External links

* Whiticker, Alan (2004) ''Captaining the Kangaroos'', New Holland, Sydney
Queensland representatives at qrl.com.au
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heidke, Bill 1883 births 1959 deaths Australia national rugby league team captains Australia national rugby league team players Australian rugby league players Queensland rugby league team players Rugby league players from Bundaberg Rugby league wingers Souths Logan Magpies players 20th-century Australian sportsmen