Harry Alfred Finch (1907–1949) was a professional

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 in Australia's leading competition – the

New South Wales Rugby Football 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 ...

in the 1920s and 1930s. Finch was also an Australian international who played for both the Eastern Suburbs and South Sydney clubs.

Playing career

Born

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 ...

, Australia and educated at Marist Brothers High School at

Darlinghurst Darlinghurst is an inner-city suburb in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district (CBD) and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the Ci ...

, Harry Finch, a , made his first grade debut with Eastern Suburbs in the year

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as an 18-year-old. He played 16 matches with Easts' in the years (1925-6). In his second year at the club Finch, was selected to make his state debut for the

New South Wales rugby league team The New South Wales rugby league team has represented the Australian state of New South Wales in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1907. Also known as the Blues due to their sky blue jerseys, the team competes in the an ...

in the interstate series against

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 ...

. The following season, 1927, Finch transferred to the South Sydney club where he played 62 matches in the years (1927–30) and (1933–34). Said to be an outstanding winger, Finch was a member of Souths' premiership winning teams in

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the BBC, British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, John Reith becomes the first ...

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...

. Finch made his Australian debut after being selected for the

1929–30 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain The 1929–30 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain was the fourth Kangaroo tour, and took the Australia national rugby league team all around England and also into Wales. The tour featured the ninth Ashes series which comprised four Test matches ...

. He is listed on the ''Australian Players Register'' as Kangaroo No. 157. On the tour, Finch didn't play in a Test but did represent Australia in 10 of the minor matches. Finch is recognized as Eastern Suburbs' 151st player and South Sydney's 143rd player.

Coaching career

After retiring from Sydney football, Finch successfully captain-coached Cessnock to a premiership.

Death

He died suddenly at his home in

Pagewood, New South Wales Pagewood is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 8 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district. It is part of the Bayside Council. Pagewood has a mixture of residential and industri ...

on 23 May 1949, aged only 42.''The Sun'' (Sydney) 24 March 1949 "League Star Dies" https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/229778087?searchTerm=harry%20finch&searchLimits=l-state=New+South+Wales, , , l-decade=194, , , l-year=1949

References

Sources

* Australian rugby league players Sydney Roosters players Australia national rugby league team players New South Wales rugby league team players City New South Wales rugby league team players South Sydney Rabbitohs players 1907 births 1949 deaths Rugby league wingers Rugby league centres Rugby league players from Sydney 20th-century Australian sportsmen {{Australia-rugbyleague-bio-1900s-stub