John Donnelly (rugby league)
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| Full name | John William Donnelly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 3 September 1954 Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Prop | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 25 January 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
John "Dallas" Donnelly (3 September 1954 – 22 February 1986) was an Australian professional
Playing career
Donnelly who was also commonly known by his
With Wests, Donnelly formed part of one of the most dominant forward packs in Australian Rugby League history under coach
Death
Donnelly returned to Australia in 1986 immediately after his season in England, where he took on a position as captain/coach of the Byron Bay Red Devils in Group 18 of the Country Rugby League. However, Donnelly, who had epilepsy throughout his career, drowned after having a seizure while surfing at Byron Bay before the season began and died at the age of 31.
Accolades
Donnelly was awarded life membership of the Western Suburbs Magpies after his ten-season career with the club. Former Wests coach and player Ron Watson said of Donnelly, "I've seen a lot of players come through this club. I've never known anyone as popular as Dallas."[5] Writer Alan Whiticker described Donnelly's career as being "central to the heart of the Wests club."[3]
In 2004, Donnelly was named at prop in the Western Suburbs Magpies Team of the Century.[6]
References
- ^ "John Donnelly – Career Stats & Summary – Rugby League Project". Rugby League Project.
- ^ Country Rugby League Player of the Year at crlnsw.com.au
- ^ a b Alan Whiticker. "John Donnelly". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ "Western Suburbs Magpies First Grade Players". Wests Magpies.
- ^ John MacDonald (27 February 1986). "A town liked Dallas in 2BC". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 41. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ westsmagpies.net (2008). "Western Suburbs Team of the Century". Wests Archives. Western Suburbs Magpies R.L.F.C. Archived from the original on 21 October 2008. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
External links
- The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players – Alan Whiticker, Glen Hudson
- John Donnelly at eraofthebiff.com
- http://peterflower.tripod.com/player_summaries.htm