Michael Joseph Dore (1 July 1883 – 13 August 1910) was an Australian representative rugby union and rugby league footballer - a dual-code international. He was one of the founding fathers of rugby league in Queensland. Along with Dally Messenger, Denis Lutge, Doug McLean snr and John Rosewell he was one of the inaugural five Australian dual code rugby internationals who having earlier represented at rugby union, debuted in international rugby league in Sydney on 9 May 1908 in the first ever Australian league Test against New Zealand.

Rugby union career

Dore was selected as scrum-half for the Australia national rugby union team against New Zealand, at Dunedin, on 2 September 1905. His elder brother Edmund had also represented Australia against the 1904 British Isles tourists.

Rugby league career

Dore's decision to switch codes in 1907 influenced many other Queensland union players including his brother, to join the Rugby League ranks. He was a member of the inaugural committee of the Queensland Rugby Football Association and was a foundation Australian selector. Along with two other of the five inaugural selectors (

Arthur Hennessy Arthur Stephen "Ash" Hennessy (24 September 1876 – 19 September 1959) was an Australian pioneer rugby league identity. He was a seminal figure in the creation of the South Sydney Rabbitohs for whom he played and later coached. He was a state an ...

& Lutge) Dore picked himself in 1908 for the first two rugby league internationals against New Zealand. He played in the first ever trans-Tasman test, which was the debut match of the

Australia national rugby league team The Australian National Rugby League Team, the Kangaroos, have represented Australia in senior men's rugby league football competition since the establishment of Rugby league in Australia, the 'Northern Union game' in Australia in 1908. Admin ...

. He is listed on the ''Australian Players Register'' as Kangaroo No.5.ARL Annual Report 2005, page 52 Dore was unable to get leave of absence from his job to attend the 1908–09 Kangaroo tour of England and made his 3rd and final rugby league Test appearance against New Zealand in Sydney in 1909. Altogether he played three Tests for the Australian national team as Half-Back.

References

Sources

* Whiticker, Alan (2004) ''Captaining the Kangaroos'', New Holland, Sydney * Andrews, Malcolm (2006) ''The ABC of Rugby League'', Austn Broadcasting Corpn, Sydney {{DEFAULTSORT:Dore, Micky 1883 births Australian rugby union players Australia international rugby union players Dual-code rugby internationals Australian rugby league players Australia national rugby league team players Queensland rugby league team players Burials at Nudgee Cemetery 1910 deaths Rugby union players from Brisbane Rugby union scrum-halves