Wallaby Hall of Fame inductees
Wallaby Hall of Fame inductees
July 23, 2007 - 10:33pm
Story by: ARU
Tom Lawton Senior, Mark Loane and David Campese AM have tonight been unveiled as the three latest inductees to the Wallaby Hall of Fame.
The announcement and presentations were made at the annual John Eales Medal Awards Dinner at the Convention Centre in Brisbane.
Each Hall of Fame trophy is etched with the recipient’s face, their name, their years as a Wallaby and the date they were inducted into the Wallaby Hall of Fame.
These details have been reproduced on a permanent glass panel housed at the ARU’s headquarters at St Leonards.
To be eligible for inclusion in the Wallaby Hall of Fame, a player must have:
· Played at least one Test for Australia
· Been retired from Rugby for at least 10 years
· Made a major contribution to the game of Rugby
· Demonstrated outstanding ability, sportsmanship, commitment, character and personal contribution to their team and the game in their era.
While consideration is given to a players’ on-field career, induction is not based on statistical achievement alone.
TOM LAWTON SNR
The late Tom Lawton Senior, born in Queensland in 1899, was a brilliant all-round sportsman, but it was as a rugby fly half that he would become famous.
Tom Lawton Senior played for both Queensland and NSW before captaining Australia to a famous three Test whitewash of the All Blacks in 1929.
Nicknamed “the Loping Ghost” because of his ability to avoid tackles, Tom Lawton Senior earned 14 Test caps and captained his country in six.
Tom Lawton Senior was also a Rhodes Scholar and played Rugby for Oxford University.
His Grandsons Robert and Tom Junior would also become Wallabies.
MARK LOANE
Australia, 1973-1982
POSITION: Number 8
BORN: Sunday, 11th July 1954. Ipswich, Queensland
INTERNATIONAL DEBUT: Saturday, 23rd June 1973 v Tonga (Sydney) won 30-12 (Aged: 18)
FINAL APPEARANCE: 10/7/1982 v Scotland (Sydney) won 33-9
TOTAL CAPS: 28
Another Queenslander, Mark Loane is regarded as one of the finest Rugby players ever to emerge from the Sunshine State.
Australian Rugby supporters have the fact that Mark Loane was sent to Brisbane’s Nudgee College to thank for his later becoming a Wallaby, rather than following his father into Rugby League.
The big number eight played 28 Tests for Australia between 1973 and 1982.
Mark Loane successfully captained the Wallabies in his final year in the famous gold jersey.
Known for his punishing defense and momentum in attack, Mark Loane once described number 8 as the supreme position in the team, with seven players in front and seven behind.
DAVID CAMPESE AM
Australia, 1982-1996
POSITION: Winger
BORN: Sunday, 21st October 1962. Queanbeyan, Australia
INTERNATIONAL DEBUT: Saturday, 14th August 1982 v New Zealand (Christchurch) lost 23-16 (Aged: 19)
FINAL APPEARANCE: 1/12/1996 v Wales (Cardiff) won 28-19
TOTAL CAPS: 101
The last of the 2007 Wallaby Hall of Fame inductees to play for his country, David Campese was the world’s most capped international at the time of his retirement in 1996.
Playing at wing or fullback, Campese would thrill crowds with his ability to dazzle his opponents.
Among his playing honours was being voted Player of the Tournament in the Wallaby’s World Cup-winning campaign in 1991.
Once described by an Irish International as the ‘Pele of the Rugby world’, the Queenbeyan-born speedster would score 64 tries in his 101 Tests.
