From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Denis Donoghue was a rugby league footballer who played for South Sydney during the years of 1948-1957.
South Sydney (1948-1957) 171 games
New South Wales (1950-1954) 10 games
Australia (1951) 2 Tests
One of the toughest and most brutal players to ever play the game, Donoghue was also one of the best front rowers in the code. A rock solid defender and strong runner of the ball, his speciality was scrummaging. He is regarded as one of Australia's greatest ever scrummager. He was also peerless as an enforcer.
He debuted for Australia in 1951 against the touring French side, and was selected for the Kangaroo Tour in 1952. Unfortunatley he broke his leg on the first trial and miss all 6 Test matches. He stood down from Test representative duties following it.
He was the backbone of a South Sydney pack that participated in 7 consecutive Grand Finals; winning 6 of them.
After his career, he coached and later became president of the South Sydney club during 1962-1972.
Donoghue died in 1994 in a battle against illness.
