From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bernie Purcell was an Australian rugby league player, a goal-kicking second-row forward of the 1950s for the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Australian national representative side.
[edit] Club career
He played 178 games with South Sydney between 1949 and 1960, scoring 36 tries and 509 goals for a total of 1,126 points. A Souths junior, he was the first forward in the game to score over 1,000 career points. He played in the 1950-1951 and 1954-1955 victorious Rabbitohs Grand Final teams.
[edit] Representative career
Purcell represented for Australia in one Test matches (1950) and appeared four times for New South Wales (1951-1956). Purcell's sole test appearance was in the third test against Great Britain in 1950. This was the famous 5-2 victory that gave Australia the Ashes for the first time in 30 years. Purcell also touried Great Britain with the 1956-57 Australian Kangaroos, playing 7 matches against English sides but no tests.
[edit] Coaching career
Purcell coached the Rabbitohs (1962-1966) after his retirement as a player, the highlight being the 1965 Grand Final against St. George played at the Sydney Cricket Ground in front of a record crowd of 78,056. Souths lost a hard fought encounter 12-8 against the then nine-times champions.
[edit] Sources
- The Encyclopaedia of Rugby League Players - South Sydney Rabbitohs, Alan Whiticker & Glen Hudson, Bas Publishing, 2005.
