Peter Mulholland
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | c. 1953 Camden, New South Wales, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | (aged 68)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Hooker | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Coaching information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Rugby League Project | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Peter Mulholland (c. 1953 – 16 December 2021) was an Australian[2] rugby league football coach. He coached ARL premiership expansion club Western Reds in their first two seasons before moving to France to take up the coaching position of Super League expansion team, Paris Saint-Germain. Before moving to the Bulldogs, Mulholland was Assistant Coach from 1999 to 2001 and Director of Recruitment (2002–2008) at the Penrith Panthers.
Playing career
A clever hooker with an uncanny knack for winning scrum possession, Mulholland had a brief stint for the Canterbury-Bankstown club in 1973. Playing in the
Schoolboy coaching career
While playing in Group 6, Mulholland cut his coaching teeth under the watchful eye of Brother Silverius at St Gregory's College, Campbelltown. Over a period of 14 years from 1979 to 1993, Mulholland would establish 'St Gregs' as Australia's pre-eminent Rugby League school. Indeed, St Gregory's Campbelltown still hold the record for national schoolboy Rugby League championships with 9 title victories.
Peter Mulholland Schoolboy Rugby League Coaching Record
- 1979
- 1980
- 1981
- 1982
- 1983 Commonwealth Bank Cup Runners-up: Defeated by Patrician Brothers Fairfield 14–2
- 1984 Commonwealth Bank Cup Champions: St Gregory's defeated Christian Brothers Lewisham
- 1985
- 1986 Commonwealth Bank Cup Champions: St Gregory's defeated Christian Brothers Lewisham
- 1987
- 1988 Commonwealth Bank Cup Quarter Finalists (defeated by Parramatta Marist)
- 1989 Commonwealth Bank Cup Champions: St Gregory's d Holy Cross College, Ryde
- 1990 Commonwealth Bank Cup Champions: St Gregory's d St. John's College Woodlawn
- 1991 Commonwealth Bank Cup Champions: St Gregory's d Fairfield Pats
- 1992 Commonwealth Bank Cup Semi Finalists (defeated by Fairfield Pats)
- 1993 Commonwealth Bank Cup Champions: St Gregory's 27 d Wavell College (QLD) 6
Mulholland is still regarded as the doyen of schoolboy Rugby League coaches. St Gregs has waned as a schoolboy Rugby League power since 1993. So immediate was the effect of Mulholland's departure upon the school's fortunes, St Gregory's were defeated by local minnows Eaglevale High in the 1st round of the 1994 Commonwealth Bank Cup, despite boasting a team studded with future NRL players like Trent Barrett, Peter Cusack, Simon Bonetti, Trent Robinson and Russell Richardson.
Schoolboy players coached
During his tenure as head coach of St Gregory's 1st XIII, Mulholland coached future NSWRL stars like Jason Taylor, Ivan Henjak and Michael Potter. Mulholland also oversaw the development of many future 1st Graders like Matt Fuller, Michael Francis, Wayne Evans, Tim Horan and Damien Chapman.
Grade coaching career
Mulholland's unrivalled success as a schoolboy mentor soon brought him to the attention of Sydney clubs competing in the NSWRL. Having fielded offers from Canterbury and Parramatta, Mulholland decided to stay local and assume the reins of the Western Suburbs Magpies U-21 team for the 1988 season, under head coach Laurie Freier.
Mulholland would coach lower grades with the Magpies until the end of the 1992 season, achieving mixed success.
Mulholland was poached by the North Sydney Bears to coach that club's Reserve Grade team for the 1993 season. Mulholland would take the next step with this team, winning the 1993 NSWRL Reserve Grade premiership with a narrow 5–4 victory over an Andrew Johns-led Newcastle Knights team.
The Western Reds
At the conclusion of the 1992 season, the NSWRL announced its intention to admit three new clubs to the 1st Grade competition for 1995- the Western Reds, South Queensland Crushers and North Queensland Cowboys.
Mulholland was soon head-hunted by Reds CEO Gordon Allen to be the Western Reds foundation coach. Agreeing to terms midway through the 1993 season, Mulholland launched an audacious recruitment drive, luring
The Western Reds would win their first ever ARL match with a 28–16 victory over the St George Dragons in front of a sellout crowd at the WACA Ground. Ironically, former St Gregs prodigy Matt Fuller would score the Reds first try. Mulholland would make the famous quote post match: "we had 18 months to prepare for this game. Now we only have 7 days to prepare for the next." The Skull's words would come back to haunt him in Newcastle a week later when David Waite's Knights buckled the Reds by 48–6, in a battle of the schoolboy master coaches.
Recruitment manager
Mulholland worked for
Illness and death
In January 2019, Mulholland was diagnosed with a type of cancer known as Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma.[5] After undergoing therapy, he went into remission before his cancer came back as a rare type of Non-Hodgkin b-cell lymphoma in 2021.[6][7] His death from the illness, aged 68, was announced on 16 December 2021.[7]
References
- ^ Thomson, Doug (3 January 2022). Legendary Rugby League scout and former ARL and Super League coach. Rugby Leaguer & League Express. p. 20.
- ^ Hadfield, Dave (8 May 1997). "Mulholland pays for the failure of Paris". The Independent. Retrieved 12 May 2009.
- ^ AAP (19 August 2011). "Peter Mulholland joins NRL Knights". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
- ^ Rugby League Week. 15 October 2015
- ^ Crawley, Paul (9 March 2019). "Rugby league world rallies around Peter Mulholland during cancer battle". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ Webster, Andrew (26 February 2021). "'I'll just get this poison into me first – then we can talk about rugby league'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ a b "NRL mourns death of legendary rugby league talent scout Peter Mulholland". Australia: ABC News. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.