Continuing our search for the winner of the Alphabet Cup, we come to the W team.

So many great hookers, but also an extremely tough front row and a skilful pack with some strike on the flanks.

1. Laurie Ward

Honours: Hunter Region Sporting Hall of Fame
Years active: 1930 to 1937
Clubs: NSW Country, Eastern Suburbs, North Sydney
Club games (NSWRL): 23 (3 tries)
Representative career: Tests: 10. NSW 14

Laurie Ward was a fast and elusive fullback who primarily played in NSW Country during the 1930s, as he moved around for his teaching job.

He played in Sydney twice – for Easts in 1933 and Norths in 1937, as captain-coach of the Shoremen – playing in a preliminary final for the Tricolours. He was fullback for Country in the first ever City-Country clash in 1934 while playing in Maitland.

Over his career, Ward represented Newcastle (defeating England, the first Newcastle team to do so), Southern Division (against NZ), Northern Division, Group 9, NSW Country, NSW City Firsts and Seconds, NSW Probables, Northern NSW, Australia Probables, Australia Possibles, as well as his state and country.

Ward toured NZ with Australia in 1935 and again in 1937 before playing all five Tests on the 1937 Kangaroo Tour, and 27 matches on tour. He also played four interstate series against Queensland but retired in 1938 to pursue his teaching career.

2. Benny Wearing (goalkicker)

Honours: ARL Hall of Fame
Years active: 1921 to 1933
Clubs: Souths Sydney
All games: 228 (186 tries, 1088 points)
Representative career: Tests: 1. NSW: 23

Benny Wearing was a prolific try-scorer during Souths’ golden run of seven premierships from eight attempts between 1925 and 1932.

Despite representing NSW 23 times and scoring 144 tries for the Rabbitohs in only 172 games – a record that stood for over 80 years – Wearing amazingly only ever played a single Test match.

This match was the third Test against England in 1928 after Australia had lost the first two matches. This was even more bizarre considering he scored two tries and kicked three goals in a famous victory.

During that series, Wearing was overlooked in favour of Cecil Aynsley (Queensland), Eric Freestone (Easts), Hugh Byrne (St George) and Pat Maher (Souths). And then he was overlooked for the 1928 Kangaroo Tour with the selectors going with Bill Spencer (Queensland) and Bill Shankland (Glebe).

To be fair, some of these guys have pretty good records. And during this era, Queensland was stronger than NSW. Wearing only played in one winning series for NSW in six attempts.

A master of the kick-and-regather, Wearing was on the end of a brilliant Souths back line that beat all comers (except Toowoomba) during a wonderful era for the club.

In 13 years at the club, Wearing topped their try-scoring charts 11 times and became only the third player in premiership history to score more than 100 career tries. He was top try-scorer for the entire competition for three years in a row from 1925 to 1927 and was top points scorer twice, finishing with over 800 points for the Rabbitohs.

Unfortunately, Wearing was also part of one of Souths’ lowest moments, dropping the ball with the line wide open in the 1924 decider, won 3-0 by the Tigers.

In 1923 Wearing won a sprint race, beating all-time greats Cec Blinkhorn and Harold Horder to decide the game’s fastest man.

3. Harry Wells

Honours: ARL Hall of Fame, Australian Sports Hall of Fame, NSW Sports Hall of Fame, Team of the 1950s, NSWRL Player of the Year 1957, Wests Magpies Team of the Century, Illawarra Team of the Century
Years active: 1950 to 1972
Clubs: Wollongong (NSW), South Sydney, Western Suburbs, NSW Country
All games: 208 (83 tries)
Representative career: Tests: 33. NSW: 23

Harry Wells was one of the greatest centres to ever play the game. He formed one of the great rivalries and also great partnerships with Reg Gasnier at club and national level.

Wells was a more robust centre, complementing Gasnier’s speed and evasive skills, similar to later pairings Mick Cronin and Steve Rogers plus Mal Meninga and Brett Kenny.

However, Wells could sniff out a try himself and once scored seven in a first grade match in Wollongong in 1955.

Wells won the 1951 premiership with Souths before heading back to Wollongong for a few years. He was lured to Wests in 1956 and played the next six years at the club during one of their great eras. During that period, Wests lost two grand finals to the champion St George side – they would lose another two after Wells left the club.

Wells went on two Kangaroo Tours and played in three World Cups in the 1950s, winning in 1957. He also played a match against Italy in 1960 and against the Rest of the World – this was played in 1957 because Australia had won all its pool matches in the World Cup so a final was not considered necessary.

In 1954, Wells played the third Test of the home Ashes and scored the try that won the series for Australia.

At state level, Wells played in ten straight interstate series from 1952 to 1961 and also captained NSW against the touring British in 1958.

As a great aside, the announcement of the 1959 Kangaroo Tour squad lists the players, their age, weight, height, clubs and positions… and their day jobs. How times have changed.

For example, Keith Barnes was a bank officer, Ken Irvine a plumber, Reg Gasnier a factory supervisor, Harry Wells a salesman, Noel Kelly a butcher, and Ian Walsh a farmhand.

After returning to country football, Wells continued playing right up until 1972 when he was 40 years old – a 22-year career that almost spanned four decades.

Reg Gasnier from the NRL Hall of Fame: “Wells was fantastic in England – on the heavy grounds he was unstoppable.”

4. Alex Watson

Years active: 1950 to 1957
Clubs: Wests Brisbane (QLD), Sarina (QLD)
Representative career: Tests: 19. QLD: 20

Alex Watson played 19 Tests between 1954 and 1957 and he should be comfortable in this team as he spent much of that time partnering Harry Wells.

Watson appeared in a home Ashes series and a Kangaroo Tour, two World Cups and home series against France and NZ.

He took a liking to NZ, scoring six tries in four Tests against the Kiwis. This included a 40-metre effort in 1956 at the Gabba (the last Test ever played there) to hand the Australians their first series win at home over the Kiwis since 1909.

At state level, Watson appeared in almost every interstate match between 1953 and 1957 playing 20 times in all.

Watson was a star of the Brisbane competition in the 1950s, with Wests winning premierships in 1952 and 1954 and being runners-up twice more. In the latter year, Watson scored a hat trick of tries in the major semi-final and then scored another two in the grand final to be name man of the match, despite leaving the field after 50 minutes with a broken collarbone.

Watson was sent off in the 1956 major semi-final, along with team-mate Duncan Hall. Wests refused to play on in protest and forfeited the game. The suspensions were later overturned resulting in Brisbane referees going on strike.

In 1957, Watson was refused a clearance from his Brisbane club to take 800 pounds a season plus a suitable job from the Wests Magpies to move to Sydney.

In 1958, Watson left Brisbane and moved to North Queensland, playing a season in Sarina but a knee injury forced his retirement.

In 1953, Alex Watson at 19 years old played as a fill-in for the American All Stars against NSW, along with rep players Dennis Flannery and Ken McCaffery. That year he also won the BRL sprint title as the fastest player in the competition.

5. Rod Wishart

Honours: Dally M Winger of the Year 1991, Illawarra Team of the Century.
Years active: 1989 to 1999
Clubs: Illawarra, St George Illawarra
Club games: 177 (78 tries, 390 goals)
Representative career: Tests: 17. NSW: 22

Rod Wishart was a hard-running, goal-kicking winger from Gerringong and one of Illawarra’s favourite sons.

After playing for Country Firsts in 1998 from Gerringong, Wishart burst onto the scene for Illawarra in 1989, being the Steelers’ top point-scorer that year.

By 1990, Wishart was playing in the first of nine consecutive Origin series, losing only two. Injury prevented his selection in the 1990 Kangaroo Tour but he debuted the following year against NZ.

Wishart played 17 Tests between 1991 and 1995, scoring in his first four appearances as well as his last – the 1995 World Cup final win over Great Britain. He also often was the goal-kicker for state and country.

Wishart also toured with the 1994 Kangaroos, playing two Tests against England and one against France and finishing as the tour’s leading point-scorer.

Wishart played for Illawarra for a decade and had one final year after the merger with St George. He scored 78 tries and over 1000 points for the clubs. His final game was from the bench in the joint venture’s 1999 grand final loss to Melbourne.

6. Eric Weissel

Honours: ARL Hall of Fame, NSW Sports Hall of Fame.
Years active: 1921 to 1939
Clubs: NSW Country – Cootamundra, Temorah, Barmedman, Narrandera, Wagga Wagga Magpies
Representative career: Tests: 8. NSW: 6

Eric Weissel played his entire career in Country NSW and became a rugby league legend, an unthinkable circumstance in today’s game.

A Kangaroo tourist in 1929 – when he set a tour points scoring record of 127 points – as well as playing in the home Ashes series of 1928 and 1932, he is best remembered for a stunning run from his own half on a broken ankle in the famous Battle of Brisbane Test against Great Britain in 1928.

He was pulled down just short of the line but Australia scored from the ensuing ruck to win the match 15-6, despite injuries reducing the side to 11 men in a time of no replacements. Amazingly, Weissel played in the third Test a month later.

Weissel played all his football in the Riverina and was a legend of the Maher Cup fought by clubs in the area since 1921, where he led Cootamundra to back-to-back undefeated titles in 1923 and 1924.

Despite spending his entire career away from Sydney, he was widely considered to be the greatest player of his time.

The Sunday Guardian named Weissel ”the greatest all-round exponent of rugby league football since Dally Messenger”, while English halfback and captain Johnny Parkin said simply that he was the greatest player he ever saw.

From the NRL Hall of Fame, Tom Goodman described him as a “complete five-eighth”.

Weissel also played in five matches for NSW against Queensland, never losing a game.

Country football was strong at the time with Weissel captaining Country to four victories from seven attempts over City from 1928 to 1932.

Earlier, in 1925, he had played for a Group Nine team that defeated the touring NZ side with Weissel landing a 45-metre penalty with three minutes to go to secure the one-point victory.

Weissel also captained South-West NSW to a draw with the touring British in 1928, Southern Division to a win over Eastern Suburbs that same year and Group 9 to a win over Western Suburbs in 1931.

In another odd situation, Temora paid Weissel 100 pounds a season for his services between 1927 and 1934 and as a result often denied him permission to play representative football.

For example, he did not play any rep games in 1931 and once in 1930 he was only given permission for play for NSW against Queensland if the NSWRL promised to drive him back to Temora to play against Cootamundra the next day!

Weissel was also a fair cricketer and caught and bowled a young Don Bradman for 43 in his first appearance at the SCG during a country cricket carnival. The two were selected to represent Country against City that year. Weissel also represented his district in tennis, Australian rules football and soccer.

7. Kevin Walters

Honours: Nominated for ARL Hall of Fame 2018. Queensland Sports Hall of Fame. Brisbane Broncos Hall of Fame.
Years active: 1985 to 2001
Clubs: Norths Brisbane (QLD), Canberra, Brisbane, Warrington (UK)
Club games (excluding Norths Brisbane): 296 (74 tries)
Representative career: Tests: 11. QLD: 23

The current Queensland Origin coach is one third of the famous Walters boys who represented Queensland and Australia, and along with Alan Langer, were part of the Ipswich Connection that brought success to Brisbane.

After a couple of years in the Brisbane competition, Walters moved to Canberra to join his older brother Steve, where he was on the bench for the club’s 1987 and 1989 grand finals, winning in 1989.

That year he also got his first taste of representative football, being select on the bench for Origin Game 3.

Walters moved to Brisbane in 1990, replacing Wally Lewis at five-eighth, and struck up a famous partnership with Allan Langer, winning back-to-back premierships in 1992 and 1993 and again in 1997 and 1998.

Walters played in every Origin series (apart from Super League-related absences) from 1990 to 1999 and captained his state in his final game.

In 2000, after Langer’s retirement, Walters assumed the Broncos’ halfback position and the captaincy. He excelled at both, with the club winning their fifth premiership of the decade and Walters winning the Dally M Captain of the Year.

At national level, Walters toured with the Kangaroos in 1990 but did not play a Test. He debuted the following year and in 1992 came of the bench to throw the pass for a Steve Renouf try to win the World Cup final against England. His utility value saw Walters make his second Kangaroo Tour in 1994, again not playing a Test.

After a four-year gap – due to a combination of Super League, Brad Fittler and Laurie Daley – Walters played his final Test in 1998 against NZ, starting for only the second time and scoring a try in Australia’s victory.

In 1991, Kevin and his brother Kerrod became the first twins to represent Australia. By 1992, the addition of Steve made them the first set of three brothers to play for Australia and all three were selected for the 1992 World Cup.

8. Shane Webcke

Honours: ARL Hall of Fame, Dally M Prop of the Year 2000 to 2002
Years active: 1993 to 2006
Clubs: Brisbane Brothers (QLD), Brisbane
All games: 315 (26 tries)
Representative career: Tests: 27. QLD 24

Shane Webcke was arguably the best prop in the game in the early 2000s and was the cornerstone for four Broncos premierships between 1997 and 2006.

Webcke was as tough as they come and a leader of men. He first came to prominence in 1997, helping the Broncos to a premiership and backing it up in 1998.

From 1998 to 2004, Webcke played every Origin match – 21 games straight. He also played all six matches of Australia’s 2000 World Cup victory, plus a warm-up. This was especially remarkable because he broke his arm just six weeks before appearing for Brisbane in their preliminary final and grand final victories that year.

Renowned for his ability to play through injury, in 2004, Webcke also played a semi-final a week after an arthroscopy on an injured knee.

Webcke played 25 Tests between 1998 and 2004 before retiring from representative football, losing just two games. After more than 250 games for Brisbane he got the ideal send off in 2006, winning a fourth premiership with the club in his last ever game.

Darren Lockyer, from the NRL Hall of Fame: “He always put the team first and that is what made him the player he was. He was always willing to pay the price for his team-mates.”

9. Ian Walsh (captain)

Honours: ARL Hall of Fame, NSWRL Player of the Year 1964, Clive Churchill Medal (retrospective) 1962, NSW Country Team of the Century
Years active: 1950 to 1967
Clubs: Condobolin, Parkes, Forbes, Eugowra (NSW Country), St George
All games: 228 (11 tries, 35 points)
Representative career: Tests: 25. NSW: 19

What a group I had to choose from here: Steve Walters, Kerrod Walters, Elwyn Walters. But Ian Walsh takes the spot.

Walsh is famous for being the captain-coach as the St George juggernaut completed its 11 straight premierships, but before he joined the Dragons, Walsh had already enjoyed an accomplished career in Country NSW.

When only 17, Walsh represented Western Division against the touring French in 1951, over a decade before joining the Dragons. He later captained that side against Great Britain in 1958. He represented NSW Country, NSW and Australia in 1959 and played all six Tests on the 1959 Kangaroo Tour.

In 1961, Walsh was part of the Country team that defeated City and he was lured to the Dragons in 1962, starting in reserve grade before playing for Australia in the home Ashes that year.

He went on the 1963 Ashes and took over as captain after an injury to Arthur Summons. Australia won the Ashes in England for the first time in over 50 years.

Walsh suffered two broken arms in 1963 and 1964 and missed St George’s 1964 grand final.

By 1965, Walsh was captain-coach of the Dragons and the national side as they successfully retained the Ashes at home in 1966.

Walsh played in four of St George’s grand final victories and finally retired in 1967 after they lost their preliminary final to Canterbury.

John Raper told the Sydney Morning Herald: “He was one of the toughest blokes you would ever meet but also one of the most intelligent. Whenever he spoke about the game of rugby league it was worth listening to. He is among the best to have played the game, no doubt about it.”

10. Billy Wilson

Years active: 1948 to 1967
Clubs: St George, NSW Country, North Sydney
Club games (NSWRL): 236 (20 tries, 1 goal, 1 field goal)
Representative career: Tests: 12. NSW: 5

After two unremarkable years as a centre/lock, Wilson moved to Picton and then Baradine to captain-coach in the country. While at Picton, Wilson played against the touring British.

On his return to St George, Wilson established a reputation for blood and thunder – his own and the opposition’s. He was sent off in the Dragons 1953 grand final loss and the following finished a semi-final with a gashed eye, a broken arm and three broken ribs. In fact, he broke his arm three times in his career and played out the match each time.

The excellent Era of the Biff website records the following legend concerning Wilson. In the 1954 semi-final, Wilson came off with blood pouring out of his eye, was patched up and went back out.

After the game, a Dragons official congratulated him on playing out the game and asked him how the eye was feeling. “It’s not bad,” Wilson said, adding casually, “but I broke my arm when I went back on and that’s hurting a bit.”

Wilson went to win six premierships with St George and by the end was a rough front-rower. Again, from Era of the Biff: “I didn’t want any truck with the front row but Kearney (St George coach) finally won through,” Wilson said years later. “Once I tried it, I found I loved the physical contact and, if I had my time over again, I wouldn’t have wasted all those years in other positions.”

Wilson captained St George in the 1962 grand final after Norm Provan was knocked unconscious but was sent off soon after half time for laying out Provan’s attacker. He is the only player to have been sent off in two deciders.

Wilson was first selected for Australia in 1959 against NZ and he was selected for the 1959 Kangaroo Tour, playing five Tests. He captained NSW in 1963 and then captained Australia for two Tests against NZ that year.

Although in the twilight of his career, Wilson moved to Norths in 1963 and continued on for another four seasons. He then came out of retirement in 1967 for a few matches, still playing at 40 after 20 years of top-level football.

11. Sonny Bill Williams

Years active: 2004 to 2014
Clubs: Canterbury, Sydney Roosters
Club games: 120 (42 tries)
Representative career: Tests: 12 (NZ)

Anthony Watmough could consider himself unlucky but the remarkable talents of Sonny Bill Williams demand a place be found for him. Williams had a dynamic running game, a brilliant offload and, in the shoulder charge era, could seriously hit.

Williams burst onto the scene as a teenager in 2004 and won the RLPA and RLIF Rookie of the Year awards as the Bulldogs powered to a premiership. Williams and Johnathan Thurston probably made this the best bench of all time.

After an injury-plagued 2005, Williams helped the club make the finals for the next two years by which time he was widely considered one of the best players in the world.

Such was Williams’ class that he was selected for NZ after just five NRL games and was their youngest ever player. He played four Tests in 2004 but was injured for most of 2005 and for the 2006 Tri Series and 2007 Great Britain tour. He played in the annual Anzac Test each year from 2006 to 2008.

And then all hell broke loose. Williams was contracted to the Bulldogs until 2012, but in 2008 effectively fled the country to play rugby union in France. Williams stayed in rugby until 2012, winning a World Cup and Super Rugby championship and being the first NZ player since the 1920s to represent the country in league and then union.

Williams returned to rugby league in 2013 with the Sydney Roosters and showed he had lost none of his impact, playing a key role in the club winning the premiership that year. He also represented NZ at the 2013 World Cup as the Kiwis lost the final to Australia. Williams was named RLIF Player of the Year, effectively being recognised as the best player in the world.

Williams’ return to league was short-lived. After the Roosters made a preliminary final in 2014, Williams returned to rugby union and was part of the 2015 All Blacks side that won the World Cup. He has played over 50 games for the All Blacks.

In amongst this, Williams has also pursued a professional boxing career, his record standing at seven wins and no losses.

Darren Lockyer wrote in the Courier Mail: “In 2013, Sonny Bill Williams drove the Roosters to glory with the skill, footwork and defensive weaponry that makes him arguably the most complete back-rower the code has seen.”

12. Ruben Wiki

Honours: Nominated for ARL Hall of Fame 2018, NZ Team of the Century, NZ Sports Hall of Fame, NZ Order of Merit
Years active: 1991 to 2008
Clubs: Otahuhu (NZ), Canberra, NZ Warriors
Club games (NRL): 311 (72 tries)
Representative career: Tests: 55 (NZ)

Ruben Wiki came to the NRL as a centre, and after 311 games and a world record 55 Test matches (including 18 as captain), left as one of the game’s best and most intimidating forwards.

Wiki started as Mal Meninga’s centre partner as the Raiders won the 1994 grand final, scoring 15 tries for the season. Wiki stuck with the Raiders over the next 11 years but the club never reached the same heights, appearing in six finals campaigns but never making another grand final. By 1999, Wiki had moved into the second row.

In 2005, Wiki moved to the Warriors and appeared in their 2007 and 2008 finals campaigns. He became the first NZ player to play more than 300 NRL games. His Warriors team-mates all grew beards for his final game as a mark of respect.

Wiki appeared for NZ every year from 1994 to 2006 and he was present at every milestone for the Kiwis. Highlights included a clean sweep against Great Britain in 1996 and another series win in 1998, and wins over Australia in the 1998 Anzac Test, the 1999 Tri Series and again in the 2003 end-of-year Test.

His international career culminated in being captain and man of the match as NZ thrashed Australia 24-0 in the 2005 Tri-Nations final. His final Test was the 2006 Tri-Nations final, lost to the Australians in golden point.

During his long career, Wiki also played for NZ Maori and for the All Golds in their Centenary tour of Great Britain in 2008. Since retiring, Wiki has become a body builder.

Wiki told the Raiders’ website: “I would always apologise to my teammates pre-season. ‘If I take you out at training, I apologise now.’ They knew what they were in for when I was at training.”

13. Jack Watkins

Honours: Nominated for ARL Hall of Fame 2018
Years active: 1913 to 1926
Clubs: Eastern Suburbs
Club games: 129 (25 tries)
Representative career: Tests: 7. NSW: 13

‘Bluey’ Watkins was a brilliant cover-defending lock forward during the early years of rugby league. Watkins won two premierships with the Tricolours a decade apart and would likely have played more representative football if not for World War One.

Watkins debuted in 1913 and played as Easts won their third consecutive premiership. He debuted for Australia in the following year against the touring Great Britain side. He did not get the chance again until 1919 when he toured NZ, playing four Tests.

Watkins was selected for the 1921 Kangaroo Tour and played two Tests, being highly rated by the local press. He also played 13 times for NSW between 1914 and 1924.

Watkins won a second premiership with Easts in 1923 as well as a hat trick of City Cup titles from 1914 to 1916 – the knock out competition at the time that ran concurrently to the premiership.

He played for the club until 1926 and would have notched up more than his 112 games but served in the war in 1917 and 1918. He also had a season with Tumut in country NSW in 1925.

While serving in the Australian Imperial Forces as a gunner, Watkins played in a series of rugby union matches against England and New Zealand. The AIF were the only side to beat the NZXV. Watkins was reportedly not a fan of the conservative style of play in rugby union.

His son Paul wrote the following on the National Rugby League Museum Facebook page.

“One match where Bluey, playing in the centres, was unhappy about his five eighth’s continual kicking of the ball when there were chances to put it through the hands and play a running game. At half time he had a little discussion with the pivot and gave him a kick in the shins, promising more if he continued to give the ball away. The point having been made, the back line went on to score four tries in the second half and easily won the game!”

Bench

14. Steve Walters (Canberra, North Queensland, Newcastle) – 1986 to 1999. Tests: 18. QLD: 17

Hooker. Hall of Fame, three-time Dally M Hooker of the Year and three-time premiership winner for Canberra, revolutionised dummy-half running play. Very unlucky and maybe the best player on the bench of any side.

15. Elwyn Walters (South Sydney, Eastern Suburbs, Manly) – 1967 to 1977. Tests: 20. NSW: 11

Another hooker. Nominated for the ARL Hall of Fame in 2018. Two-time Kangaroo tourist and five-time premiership winner with Souths and Easts. Another unlucky to miss out.

16. Craig Wing (South Sydney, Eastern Suburbs) – 1998 to 2009. Tests: 17. NSW: 12

Utility. A brilliant impact player with great acceleration and ball skills. Won a premiership with the Roosters and was a key player in the NSW Origin hat trick of series wins from 2003 to 2005. Has represented Japan in rugby union 11 times.

17. Aaron Woods (Wests Tigers, Canterbury, Cronulla) – 2011 to present. Tests: 18. NSW: 14

Prop. Sometimes maligned metre-eating forward for NSW and Australia. Two-time Dally M Prop of the Year.

Honourable mentions

Kerrod Walters (another hooker, eight Tests), John Wittenberg (prop, ten Tests), Dennis Ward (halfback, six Tests), Anthony Watmough (second row, 16 Tests).

And there you have the W team. Some star backs and a tough pack and they won’t be short of dummy halves.

Next time we look at the Ys, one of the more challenging teams to pick.