Ross Strudwick (born 1950) 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 and coach. An Australian international,

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 ...

and

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

representative halfback of the 1970s, he played club football in 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 ...

for

St. George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

and in the

Brisbane Rugby League Premiership The Brisbane Rugby League is a rugby league football competition in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was first held in 1922 and for every year until 1997. The competition was reinstated in 2001, known as the FOGS premiership under the Quee ...

for

Fortitude Valley Fortitude Valley (often called "The Valley" by local residents) is an inner suburb of the City of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. In the , Fortitude Valley had a population of 9,708 people. The suburb features two pedest ...

. Strudwick later embarked on a coaching career in Queensland and England.

Playing

Strudwick started his career in 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 ...

with

St. George Dragons The St. George Dragons is an Australian rugby league football club from St George District in Sydney, New South Wales that played in the top level New South Wales competition and Australian Rugby League competitions from the 1921 until ...

in 1969. He played there until 1972, gaining selection for

during this period. Strudwick was the understudy to the champion Dragons halfback Billy Smith during that period, thus his first grade appearances were irregular. After moving north to play in the

Brisbane Rugby League premiership The Brisbane Rugby League is a rugby league football competition in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was first held in 1922 and for every year until 1997. The competition was reinstated in 2001, known as the FOGS premiership under the Quee ...

with

, Strudwick was selected to represent

several times and also played for Australia in the

1975 World Series The 1975 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1975 season. The 72nd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox and the Natio ...

. He was captain of Valleys when a teenage

Wally Lewis Walter James Lewis Member of the Order of Australia, AM (born 1 December 1959) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, and Coach (sport), coached in the 1980s and 1990s. He became ...

made his first grade debut for the club in 1978 and worked with the youngster to help develop his long passing skills. That year they made the Grand Final but lost to

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 ...

. The following year, with Strudwick as captain-coach, Valleys beat Souths to win the 1979 BRL premiership.

Coaching

Following his retirement from playing, Strudwick continued coaching in Queensland, taking

Brothers A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familial ...

to victory in the 1987 BRL grand final, before moving to England the following year to take up opportunities there. He coached

Halifax Halifax commonly refers to: *Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada * Halifax, West Yorkshire, England *Halifax (bank), a British bank Halifax may also refer to: Places Australia *Halifax, Queensland, a coastal town in the Shire of Hinchinbrook *Halifax ...

during the 1980s but was sacked after a home defeat by

Featherstone Rovers Featherstone Rovers are a professional rugby league club in Featherstone, West Yorkshire, England, who play in the Championship. Featherstone is a former coal mining town with a population of around 16,000 and Rovers are one of the last "small ...

. He also worked as a television match commentator for BBC Grandstand, and coached and managed London Crusaders before being replaced by Darryl van der Velde in 1992. He resigned as general manager of the club in 1993. Strudwick is also the founder and CEO of a sporting goods retail franchise called Struddys, and his son, Nathan has also played rugby league, signing with the

Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club Ltd., commonly referred to as the Broncos, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos play in Australia's elite com ...

club.

References

* Whiticker, Alan & Hudson, Glen (2006) ''The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players'', Gavin Allen Publishing, Sydney

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strudwick, Ross 1950 births Living people Australia national rugby league team players Australian rugby league coaches Australian rugby league players Brisbane rugby league team players Date of birth missing (living people) Fortitude Valley Diehards players Halifax R.L.F.C. coaches London Broncos coaches Past Brothers players Queensland rugby league team players Rugby league halfbacks Rugby league players from Nyngan, New South Wales St. George Dragons players