John Burke (rugby league, born 1948)

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For the rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s for Wigan, and Workington Town, see John Burke (rugby league, born 1957).

John Burke
Personal information
Full nameJohn Burke
Born(1948-01-10)10 January 1948
Wakefield, England
Died9 June 2013(2013-06-09) (aged 65)
Wakefield, England
Playing information
PositionProp
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1964–72 Leeds
1972–76 Keighley 103 8 0 1 25
1976 South Sydney 10 0 0 0 0
1976–78 Castleford 12 2 0 0 6
1978–79 Wakefield Trinity 24 1 0 0 3
Total 149 11 0 1 34
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1979 Great Britain 9 0 0 0 0
Source: [1][2]

John Burke (10 January 1948 – 9 June 2013) was an English professional

Normanton, Leeds, Keighley, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Castleford and Wakefield Trinity, as a prop.[1][3][4][5]

Background

John Burke was born in Wakefield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. He worked as a plumber, and he died aged 65 in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England.[6]

Playing career

Leeds

John was a Normanton boy and his career took him to Leeds, Keighley, South Sydney and Castleford before arriving at Belle Vue in 1978. His

1971 Challenge Cup
Final on Saturday 15 May 1971, in front of a crowd of 85,514.

Keighley and Castleford

In 1972 he moved to Keighley, making his début in an 11-16 home defeat by Hull KR on 1 September. He played a total of 103 games for Keighley between 1972 and 1976 which saw him score eight tries and a drop goal (a left foot effort at York in a 1975 Yorkshire Cup tie). His time at Lawkholme Lane also saw him close to Wembley again, with a 1976 semi-final defeat (4-5 v St Helens).

After a brief retirement he arrived at Castleford in 1976. His notorious reputation caught up with him here with numerous suspensions. In-between Keighley and Castleford, he also had the 1976 season with the South Sydney Rabbitohs where he played ten first-team games.

Wakefield Trinity

When John signed for

1979 Challenge Cup Final on Saturday 5 May 1979, in front of a crowd of a crowd of 94,218.[7] He came second in the press vote for the Lance Todd Trophy behind David Topliss
.

His successful season earned him the Trinity Supporters' Player of the Year for 1978-79, followed by a late call up to the Great Britain tour squad. The Lions were already ‘Down Under’ when John earned his call-up following injuries and although did not feature in the Test line up he played in nine tour games before throwing his boots into Auckland Harbour and never playing again. He waited until returning home in August 1979 before officially announcing his shock retirement but his powerful runs, strong defence and deft handling skills were to be lost to the club. He played a total of twenty four first team games, scoring one try. In his retirement he became an accomplished runner and he could be seen running many half marathons around the city. He was also a successful plumber and resided in Durkar before his illness.

International honours

John Burke was selected for Great Britain while at Wakefield Trinity for the 1979 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand. He played nine times for the GB team whilst on tour in 1979, but no test matches

References

  1. ^ a b "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  2. ^ "Player Summary: John Burke". Rugby League Records. Rugby League Record Keepers Club. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  3. ISBN 978-0752418957
  4. ^ "Castleford RLFC A to Z Player List (All Time)". 31 December 2013. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  5. ^ "Statistics at thecastlefordtigers.co.uk". 31 December 2013. Archived from the original on 15 June 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  6. ^ "Tributes to former Wakefield Trinity, Castleford, Normanton and Leeds rugby league player John Burke". Wakefield Express. 11 June 2013. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  7. ISBN 1-85983-429-9

External links
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