William Mullins (born 30 January 1948 in Campsie,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

) is an Australian former

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

footballer who played during the 1960s and 1970s in the

New South Wales Rugby League premiership The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia and contributor to today's National Rugby League. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League (initially named the New Sout ...

, the major rugby league competition in Australia at the time.

Career

Eastern Suburbs Roosters

A former professional runner, Mullins played his junior football with the Canterbury-Bankstown club before joining Eastern Suburbs in

1968 The year was highlighted by Protests of 1968, protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechos ...

where he played 190 first grade matches in the years until

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd government). * January 6 – ...

. At the time of his retirement, he was the club's leading try-scorer with 104 tries. Roosters flyer Anthony Minichiello wants to surpass Bill Mullins' effort of 105 tries for the Chooks
/ref> A tall, powerfully built , Mullins played in some of the great

Easts Easts may refer to: * Sydney Roosters, an Australian rugby league football team in the NRL, formerly known as "Eastern Suburbs" or "Easts" for short. * Eastern Suburbs Tigers, an Australian rugby league football club * Eastern Suburbs AFC, a New Zea ...

sides of the seventies, winning premierships in

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of President of the United States, United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom K ...

and

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, and finishing runners up in

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

Grand Final. He also won pre-season cups in 1974 and

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrati ...

, mid-week cups in 1975 and

. Mullins was a representative of City Firsts and

, though injuries suffered at the wrong times during his career prevented him from representing his country. In a trial for

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

selection in 1971, Mullins suffered a broken jaw and again, in 1973 when he was 'king hit' in a game against Manly-Warringah costing him any chance of being selected to the 1973 Kangaroo tour. During the 1976 NSWRFL season, Mullins played as a for Eastern Suburbs in their unofficial

1976 World Club Challenge The 1976 World Club Challenge was an unofficial trial of what would later become the World Club Challenge concept, with the 1975 NSWRFL season's premiers, Eastern Suburbs hosting the 1975–76 Northern Rugby Football League season's Premiersh ...

match against British champions St. Helens in Sydney.

Young Cherry Pickers

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 a series of broken legs brought about an end to his rugby league career.

Personal life

Mullins for many years owned a fish and chip shop in Sydney's

Charing Cross Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Clockwise from north these are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road; the Strand leading to the City; ...

. 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 1950s. Brothers Russell and Terry Mullins played for Sydney's

Western Suburbs Magpies The Western Suburbs Magpies (legal name: Western Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club Ltd) are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly r ...

against Bill and his son Brett Mullins is an Australian representative who has won premierships with Canberra and

Sydney Roosters The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional Rugby league, Rugby League Football Club based in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) and parts of inner Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. The Roosters have won ...

. Mullins is the grandfather of the rugby league footballer for the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs; Jack Hetherington and

Canberra Raiders The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby ...

outside back James Schiller.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mullins, Bill 1948 births Living people Australian rugby league players New South Wales rugby league team players Rugby league players from Campsie, New South Wales Rugby league wingers Sydney Roosters players