Peter Jackson (rugby league)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Peter Jackson (rugby union).

Peter Jackson
Personal information
Born(1964-05-19)19 May 1964
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
PositionCentre, Five-eighth
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1981–86 Souths Magpies
1987–88 Canberra Raiders 43 15 6 2 72
1987–88 Leeds 21 5 20
1989–90 Brisbane Broncos 29 5 0 0 20
1991–93 North Sydney Bears 31 3 0 2 14
Total 124 28 6 4 126
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1986–92 Queensland 17 2 1 0 10
1988–92 Australia 9 4 0 0 16
Source: [1]

Peter Jackson (19 May 1964 – 5 November 1997) was an Australian professional

Souths Magpies, before moving to the New South Wales Rugby League and playing for the Canberra Raiders, Brisbane Broncos and North Sydney Bears. He also played in the Rugby Football League for English club Leeds
. Jackson worked in the media following his retirement in 1993, and died as the result of a drug overdose in 1997.

Playing career

1980s

In 1980, Jackson played

NSWRL premiership
, where he re-linked with Meninga and Belcher, who had moved there at the end of 1985.

Jackson later signed for the English rugby league club

John Player Special Trophy Final during the 1987–88 season at Central Park, Wigan
on 9 January 1988.

Jackson also played in the centres at Canberra, appearing in the Raiders'

Papua New Guinea. At the end of this season, Jackson departed Canberra to sign with the Brisbane Broncos
for the next two years, once again under the coaching of Bennett.

1990s

Jackson joined the North Sydney Bears in 1991 and his arrival, along with the addition of veteran forward Mario Fenech, and goal-kicking winger Daryl Halligan, saw the club's fortunes turn around as they went from being easybeats (not having won a premiership since 1922) to being title contenders. Playing at five-eighth, Jackson was the focal point of the team's attack during their successful 1991 season where they finished just one game shy of qualifying for the club's first Grand Final appearance since 1943, losing the preliminary final 30–14 to defending premiers Canberra.

After being overlooked for a Test return in the first match of the 1991 Trans-Tasman series against New Zealand in favour of former Test captain Wally Lewis, Jackson's form for the North Sydney Bears earned him a recall for the second Test in Sydney after Australia's shock 24–8 loss to the Kiwis in Melbourne. His international return quickly turned sour, though, as he was sent off midway through the first half of the game, which Australia's new-look team won 44–0. Despite his send-off, Jackson retained his place for the deciding Test at Lang Park in Brisbane, where Australia won again, 40–12.

At the end of the 1991 season, Jackson toured Papua New Guinea on Australia's short, two-Test tour against the Kumuls in October. The 1992 season saw his form continue for both the North Sydney Bears and for Queensland in the

1992 Australasian tour
, however Jackson's Test career came to an end when Australia suffered a 33–10 loss to Great Britain in the second Test in Melbourne.

Also in 1992, Jackson released a book of "rugby league facts, funnies and argument starters" called Whatd'ya Reckon!.[3]

Death

It would later be revealed that, as a fifteen-year-old, Jackson had been sexually abused by his (Southport) football coach, Hugh Michael "Ossie" McNamara (1935-), a former Roman Catholic Marist Brother (his clerical name was "Brother Oswald") who was later convicted and jailed (in 1995) for indecently dealing with a boy at Marist Brothers' College Ashgrove, Queensland.[4] McNamara had molested boys at St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill in Sydney while he was a brother at the school during the 1970s. It has been alleged that McNamara was let go by St Josephs but was never actually charged. McNamara then started working at The Southport School where he sexually abused a number of the 1980 1st XV Rugby team, including Jackson.[5]

The trauma caused by this abuse led Jackson to suffer from depression and to use drugs and alcohol throughout his life to try to combat it. In November 1997, Jackson shocked the Australian rugby league community when he died, alone in a Sydney hotel room,

Lang Park
in Brisbane.

Jackson's death went on to be used as a powerful image in 2000 in a radio and television campaign to raise awareness of an anti-child abuse campaign.[7] Since 2003, the Peter Jackson Memorial Trophy has been awarded to the person, whether a player or member of the support staff, who makes the greatest contribution to the Queensland State of Origin team each year.

References

  1. ^ Rugby League Project
  2. ^ Scortis, Con. "Remembering the enigmatic Maroon, Peter 'Jacko' Jackson". theroar.com.au. The Roar. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  3. ISBN 9781875471218
    .
  4. ^ Black Collar Crime (to December 2015): Section A: Criminal Cases, Researched by Broken Rites: 152. Br "Ossie" McNamara, BRA: Broken Rites Australia - researching the Catholic cover-up.
  5. ^ Weston, Paul, "Move by Anglican Diocese to Refund Parents Extend to Cases like footballer Peter Jackson", The Gold Coast Bulletin, Tuesday, 8 December 2015.
  6. ^ The Independent, 16 November 1997
  7. ^ Thompson, John (17 July 2000). "Campaign urges victims to speak out against child abuse". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 5 July 2010.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Peter_Jackson_(rugby_league)&oldid=1219709812"