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Reg Gasnier was the greatest rugby league centre I ever had the privilege to see in action. But more importantly, he was one of the greatest blokes I’ve ever known.
He was a St George man all his life – born in Mortdale, and died in Miranda. a day short of his 75th birthday.
“Puff the Magic Dragon” said it all. As opponents will keep telling you, one minute an opposition defender had Reg all lined up, and “puff” he was gone, invariably for a try, or setting up a support player for a try.
Reg played in seven of the Dragons’ world record 11 premierships in succession, and it goes without saying he was an integral part of that all-consuming success, as he was for NSW and Australia.
His try-scoring feats are well documented:
St George – 125 games, 127 tries.
NSW – 16 games, 15 tries.
Australia – 39 games, 26 tries.
Rugby league was lucky Reg chose the 13-man code. As a freak athlete, in the nicest meaning of the word, Reg could so easily have repped in cricket, tennis, track, and baseball.
Little did baseball fans at the time realise that two names in the NSW Schoolboys team would become such rugby league superstars – Reg Gasnier, and the flying winger Kenny Irvine.
But everything Reg touched turned to gold on and off the field.
He was rightfully revered across the board, there was never a bad word said about him, and nor should there have been, and I never heard him say a bad word about anyone else.
His close friendship with another original Immortal and Saints teammate Johnny Raper lasted a lifetime.
The two of them were the forward and back leaders of a champion team in an era of unlimited tackles.
During that 11-year domination, St George virtually “owned” the football, and lived at the SCG as the Saturday match of the day whoever they were playing, so “Gaz” and “Chook” had plenty of opportunity to shine.
And shine they did. They glowed brightly very week.
But they were the first to admit those teammates around them made life a breeze.
The Dragons during that period were virtually a Kangaroo side with Ken Kearney, Ian Walsh, Norm Provan, Peter Provan, Kevin Ryan, Harry Bath, Monty Porter, and Kevin Ryan – plus Johnny Raper of course.
While out the back Reg played alongside Graeme Langlands, Poppa Clay, Bobby Bugden, Billy Smith, Eddie Lumsden, and Johnny King
They were great days, with Reg Gasnier the greatest of them all.
Awarded an AM, inducted into both the Australian and ARL Halls of Fame, selected as a centre in the Australian rugby league “Team of the Century”, with a magnificent bronze statue at the SCG making sure the legend of Reg Gasnier lives forever.
As it should be.