Robert Marjoribanks (15 June 1930 – 10 July 2024), known professionally as Bob Banks, was an 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 ...

footballer, a Queensland state and national representative

five-eighth Five-eighth or stand-off is one of the positions in a rugby league football team. Wearing jersey number 6, this player is one of the two half backs in a team, partnering the . Sometimes known as the pivot or second receiver, in a traditional a ...

, who made fourteen Test and nineteen other tour match appearances for the Australian national team between 1953 and 1962. He represented his adopted state of Queensland on twenty-six occasions during his career.

Early life

Banks was born in

Tumut, New South Wales Tumut () is a town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, situated on the banks of the Tumut River. Tumut sits on the north-west foothills of the Snowy Mountains and is located on the traditional lands of the Wiradjuri, Wolgalu ...

but in his childhood, he had relocated to the

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

area, from where his family originated, attending Hamilton Primary and Central High School, Newcastle where he represented in rugby league. He began his senior league career in the

competition before moving to

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

in 1950 where he played with the Eastern Suburbs club.

Playing career

After his first top-grade season with Eastern Suburbs in 1950, Banks moved to

Charters Towers Charters Towers is a rural town in the Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia. It is by road south-west from Townsville on the Flinders Highway. During the last quarter of the 19th century, the town boomed as the rich gold deposits und ...

in Queensland. While there he was selected to represent for Northern Queensland against

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, the first touring French Test side to visit Australia. In 1952 he made his state representative debut for

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 ...

, establishing a place in the team until 1962. Banks was selected for the national

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

team in 1953, touring

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

before playing in the 1954 Ashes series. Banks took part in three Ashes series - 1954, 1956–1957 and 1962 - and he also participated in the inaugural World Cup competition in 1954. In 1959, Banks played in the Queensland victory over New South Wales that attracted 35,261 spectators, smashing Brisbane's previous record for an interstate match of 22,817. Banks captained Queensland for two years, 1959 and 1960. In 1953 he captain-coached Northern Queensland, winning the state competition. He retired in 1963. The Gregory's reference published contemporaneously to his career, reports that he was not a speedy player, but a great field general, ball distributor and grand defender. Whilst equally at home at five-eighth or centre his teammates preferred him to occupy the pivot spot to benefit from his on-field organisational skills. On 24 October 2000, Banks was awarded the

Australian Sports Medal The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, off ...

for his rugby league achievements. 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, Banks was named at five-eighth in the Toowoomba and South West Team of the Century.

Death

Banks died on 10 July 2024, at the age of 94.

References

* *

External links

Bobby Banks at unofficial Foley Shield website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banks, Bobby 1930 births 2024 deaths Australian rugby league players Central Charlestown Butcher Boys players Sydney Roosters players Australia national rugby league team players Queensland rugby league team players Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Waratah Mayfield Cheetahs players Rugby league five-eighths Rugby league centres Rugby league players from Newcastle, New South Wales 20th-century Australian sportsmen