Robin Edward Gourley (19 November 1935 – 19 July 2021) was a Northern Irish-Australian 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 ...

and

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. A New South Wales representative front row forward, he played in the

NSWRFL 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 ...

for Sydney club

St George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the R ...

with which he won the

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

and

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

grand final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Synonymous with a championship game in North Ameri ...

Early career

Gourley was born in

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. Its county town is Omagh. Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the cou ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

, on 19 November 1935. After initially playing

in his native country, he moved to Australia in 1958 when he was 23 years of age, taking up

football. While living and playing in

Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 57,003 as of 2021, it is an important agricultural, m ...

, New South Wales, Gourley was selected to play 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 ...

. This brought him to the attention of

Frank Facer Francis Henry Facer (8 August 1919 – 16 January 1978) was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and 1950s at North Sydney and St George. After he retired from playing, he became a noted sports administrator at St George ...

, administrator for Sydney club

, who signed Gourley to the premiers for the following season.

St. George Dragons career

Gourley temporarily ended his career as a farmer and moved to Sydney, where he played from 1963 to 1966 as a front-row forward for St George, including the team's

wins in

and

. He also won a Reserve Grade premiership with

St. George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...

in his first year in grade in 1963. Gourley returned to country farmer and while playing for his local

Narrabri, New South Wales Narrabri ( ) is a locality and seat of Narrabri Shire local government area in the North West Slopes, New South Wales, Australia on the Namoi River, northwest of Sydney. It sits on the junction of the Kamilaroi Highway and the Newell Highway. ...

, rugby league club in 1967 he also represented the Country New South Wales team.Alan Whiticker/Glen Hudson: Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players. 1995 () Gourley is the father of fellow past Dragon, Scott Gourley and the grandfather of Australian representative rower Laura Gourley.

References

External links

Robin Gourley at stats.rleague.comArticles at theland.farmonline.com.au
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gourley, Robin 1935 births 2021 deaths 20th-century sportsmen from Northern Ireland Country New South Wales rugby league team players Emigrants from Northern Ireland to Australia Irish rugby league players Irish rugby union players New South Wales rugby league team players Rugby league players from County Tyrone Rugby league props St. George Dragons players