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Australian Rugby has been saddened by the death of one of its oldest Wallabies – former Queensland forward Fabian McCarthy.
Born in Roma on 24 June 1919, McCarthy toured New Zealand with the triumphant 1949 Wallabies who returned as the first Australian team to ever win a series against the All Blacks on Kiwi soil.
The Wallabies won both Tests and finished with an overall record of 11 wins from 12 matches.
McCarthy made his Test debut the following year against the British Isles in Brisbane, where the Lions won 19-6.
It proved to be McCarthy’s one and only Test. At the end of the same year he retired from the game at the age of 31.
One critic had written earlier in 1950 that McCarthy was “the finest tight forward playing in Australia today”.
It was a stunning compliment given the talent in the Australian pack at the time, including Nicholas Shehadie, Rex Mossop, and Nev Cottrell.
McCarthy passed away in Toowoomba last Friday, aged 89.
His funeral was held on Monday afternoon at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Toowoomba.
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