1908–09 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain

The 1908–09 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain was the first ever such tour for the newly-formed Australia national rugby league team (or 'The Kangaroos'). The tour was to England and Wales and coincided with the first Wallabies Rugby Union tour of Great Britain, which in hindsight put the Kangaroos in a tough position. The game of rugby league was not yet twelve months old in Australia however a New Zealand side had already toured to Britain (the All Golds in 1907), Australia had encountered New Zealand during the 1908 season and the pioneer Australian leaders of the game were keen to match up against the Northern Union founders of the code.

Not to be confused with 1908–09 Australia rugby union tour of Britain.
1908–09 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain
The pioneer Kangaroos squad of 1908–09
Date3 October 1908 – 8 March 1909
ManagerJ. J. Giltinan
Tour captain(s)Denis Lutge
Top point scorer(s)Dally Messenger (155)
Top test try scorer(s)Jim Devereux (3)
Summary
P W D L
Total
45 19 06 20
Test match
03 00 01 02
Opponent
P W D L
 Great Britain
3 0 1 2
Tour chronology
Next tour1911–12

The 1908–09 Kangaroos wore jumpers of sky blue and maroon representing the New South Wales Blues and Queensland Maroons players that comprised the team. The first Kangaroo tour was considered a financial failure, with poor weather and economic conditions contributing to smaller than expected gate takings.[1] Tour promoter James Giltinan was bankrupted as result. However for almost a century afterward, Kangaroo tours took place every four years and involved a three-Test Ashes series against Great Britain (under the name Northern Union) and a number of tour matches. The 1908-09 tour was later depicted in the 1988 Australian television movie The First Kangaroos.[2]

The tour

Itinerary

The Kangaroos sailed for Britain on RMS Macedonia prior to the close of the 1908 NSWRFL season, denying some of the selected players to appear in the inaugural grand final.[3] They worked as stokers to keep their fitness levels up as well as doing daily sessions in the ship's gymnasium and boxing ring. The jerseys were coloured sky blue and maroon, combining the state colours of NSW and Queensland respectively. When tour captain, Lutge was injured early in the tour, Messenger became captain in the 1st and 2nd Test Matches. After he was injured, Alec Burdon assumed the captaincy for the 3rd Test. One of the players Pat Walsh sailed to Britain separately on the ship, Salamis and brought the live Kangaroo mascot with him. Walsh arrived in England for the 5th match of the tour against Salford.The team's live marsupial mascot died before the end of the tour due to the execrable weather.[4]

The Kangaroos scored some memorable victories, including wins against Yorkshire, Lancashire and Hunslet (featuring their fearsome forwards "The Terrible Six"). Rugby league made its first appearance in Scotland in 1909 when Glasgow’s Celtic Park hosted a game between the Northern Rugby Football Union representative side and the touring Australians.[5]

Results

Matches played: 45 Won: 17 Drew: 6 Lost: 22[6]
The Ashes: Great Britain 2-0.
Leading try scorers of the tour were Devereaux 17, Messenger 10, Frawley 10, Walsh 9, Courtney 8.
Dally Messenger was the tourists' leading point-scorer with 160, a full 103 points clear of next highest-scorer.[7]

N°Opposing TeamFADateVenueAttendanceStatus
1 Mid-Rhondda2063 October 1908King George's Field, Tonypandy7,500Tour match
2 Bradford Northern12113 October 1908Valley Parade, Bradford4,000Tour match
3 Rochdale Hornets5010 October 1908Athletic Grounds, Rochdale3,000Tour match
4 York5514 October 1908Clarence Street, York1,781Tour match
5 Salford9917 October 1908The Willows, Salford6,100Tour match
6 Runcorn9721 October 1908Canal Street, Runcorn2,700Tour match
7Cumbria Cumberland521024 October 1908Recreation Ground, Whitehaven4,000Tour match
8 Leigh111428 October 1908Mather Lane, Leigh6,000Tour match
9 Dewsbury01531 October 1908Old Crown Flatt ground, Dewsbury2,000Tour match
10Yorkshire Yorkshire24115 November 1908The Boulevard, Hull3,500Tour match
11 Hunslet12117 November 1908Parkside, Hunslet6,000Tour match
12 Aberdare371010 November 1908Athletic Ground, Aberdare5,000Tour match
13 Warrington31014 November 1908Wilderspool, Warrington5,000Tour match
14 Northern Union XIII10918 November 1908Goodison Park, Liverpool6,000Tour match
15 Hull Kingston Rovers162121 November 1908Craven Street, Hull7,000Tour match
16Lancashire Lancashire20625 November 1908Central Park, Wigan4,000Tour match
17 Barrow21528 November 1908Cavendish Park, Barrow6,500Tour match
18 Halifax8125 December 1908Thrum Hall, Halifax6,000Tour match
19 Swinton1099 December 1908Chorley Road, Swinton1,500Tour match
20United Kingdom Northern Union222212 December 1908Park Royal Ground, London2,000Test match
21 Treherbert6316 December 1908Athletic Ground, Treherbert4,000Tour match
22 Wakefield Trinity132020 December 1908Belle Vue, Wakefield3,000Tour match
23 Leeds141025 December 1908Headingley, Leeds12,000Tour match
24 Oldham51128 December 1908Watersheddings, Oldham11,800Tour match
25 Northern Union XIII9142 January 1909Fartown, Huddersfield7,000Tour match
26 Widnes1326 January 1909Lowerhouse Lane, Widnes1,000Tour match
27 Wigan1579 January 1909Central Park, Wigan4,000Tour match
28 Batley51212 January 1909Mount Pleasant, Batley5,735Tour match
29 Ebbw Vale9818 January 1909Bridge End Field, Ebbw Vale5,000Tour match
30 Wales XIII131419 January 1909Penydarren Park, Merthyr Tydfil6,000Tour match
31 Wigan81620 January 1909Central Park, Wigan9,100Tour match
32United Kingdom Northern Union51523 January 1909St James' Park, Newcastle22,000Test match
33 Keighley8826 January 1909Lawkholme Lane, Keighley1,000Tour match
34 Hull F.C.9830 January 1909The Boulevard, Hull10,000Tour match
35 Northern Union XIII17173 February 1909Celtic Park, Glasgow3,000Tour match
36Cumbria Cumberland2114 February 1909Devonshire Park, Carlisle2,000Tour match
37 Broughton Rangers12146 February 1909Wheater's Field, Broughton, Salford12,000Tour match
38 Warrington888 February 1909Wilderspool, Warrington7,000Tour match
39 St. Helens12146 February 1909Knowsley Road, St. Helens1,500Tour match
40United Kingdom Northern Union5610 February 1909Villa Park, Birmingham9,000Test match
41 Huddersfield5320 February 1909Fartown, Huddersfield9,700Tour match
42 Barrow31122 February 1909Cavendish Park, Barrow6,000Tour match
43 Merthyr Tydfil131527 February 1909Penydarren Park, Merthyr Tydfil4,000Tour match
44 Northern Union XIII7143 March 1909Goodison Park, Liverpool3,000Tour match
45Lancashire Lancashire14198 March 1909Wheater's Field, Broughton, Salford4,000Tour match

Financial difficulties

The seven-month tour proved to be a true test of survival and was almost a disaster due to small gate-takings.[8] A crippling cotton mill strike in northern England made it difficult for many fans to afford their way through the turnstiles and there was criticism of the entry price the Australians wanted to charge. Australian morale ebbed during one of the meanest northern winters on record.[9]

We are having nothing but rain, snow, sleet and cold... why, you cannot feel your hands and feet and the referees are cruel, don't give us anything at all.[10]
James Giltinan, Tour Manager wrote home in 1908

Giltinan as promoter of the tour had borrowed £2,000 to fund the operation and took the full risk. He paid the players a weekly allowance of one pound early in the tour but before long it was cut to ten shillings. Things eventually became so bad that the team would travel on overnight trains to save on accommodation. The players had sailed from Sydney on one-way fares and the Northern Union had to pay the players' fares home. Later, evidence emerged that Giltinan lost £418 on the campaign and was bankrupted on his return to Sydney.[11]

Aftermath

Peter Moir a seminal figure in the foundation of the Glebe club had an unhappy tour and played in only four games and no Tests. At tour's end he wrote a letter home, The team is run by a clique and you are picked by them. I am very disappointed at not getting a game. It is very hard as all my people live here and they keep asking me why I am not playing and I cannot tell them a lie.[12]

Deane, Walsh, Frawley, Devereux, McCabe and Rosenfeld all stayed behind to play in the wintry Northern Union competition when the Australians boarded the RMS Seuvic for the journey home.[11] On the return journey Messenger met and fell in love with Annie Macauley whom he would marry. Also while en route back to Australia, secretary J. J. Giltinan, president Henry Hoyle and treasurer, Victor Trumper, the men who had done most to form the NSWRL, were being voted out of it.[13]

Touring party
A group of the 1908 Kangaroos

Tour management

Tour manager: James Giltinan
Giltinan had borrowed £2,000 to fund the entire tour as promoter. He was one of the founders of the breakaway code's Australian formation in Sydney a year earlier.[11]
Assistant manager: John Fihelly
Fihelly was one of the code's founders in Queensland. He had represented for Queensland in rugby union and in the state's first representative league side in May 1908. He was a state selector that year. He did not play any matches on tour & performed the role of Assistant Manager. He would later referee many matches of the 1909 Brisbane club competition & a 1910 Test match.[14]
Tour secretary: Bill Noble
Selected as a player, Noble the 1908 Newtown club captain was injured early and made only three tour match appearances. He performed the role of Secretary/Treasurer, managing the tour's scarce finances.[11]
Tour captain: Denis Lutge A rugged North Sydney forward North who worked as a stevedore, Lutge was elected Tour Captain by his team-mates shortly after the squad set sail from Sydney. He had captained Australia in the 3rd ever Test match against New Zealand in June 1908. Lutge broke his arm early in the tour and appeared in only five tour matches and no Tests. [11]
Test captains: Dally Messenger & Alex Burdon Lutge's deputy as tour vice-captain, Messenger stepped up to lead Australia in the first two Tests, scoring all of Australian's points in the 2nd. A knee injury from attempting field goals kept him out of the 3rd Test. Burdon was one of the founders of the Glebe club and its first captain. He was a selector on the 1908 tour and selected himself in two Tests and 24 tour matches. He led Australia in the 3rd Test. [11][15]

Touring squad
Name Tests Club Tour Apps Position Pts
Dally Messenger 2 Eastern Suburbs 31 Three-quarter back 155
Jim Devereaux 2 North Sydney 31 Three-quarter back 54
Dan Frawley 2 Eastern Suburbs 24 Three-quarter back 41
Andy Morton 1 North Sydney 24 Three-quarter back 32
Ed "Tedda" Courtney 3 Newtown 31 Forward 30
Albert Conlon 1 Glebe 8 Half-back 27
Pat "Nimmo" Walsh 3 Newcastle Rebels 28 Forward 24
Arthur Butler 2 South Sydney 20 Half-back 22
Sid Deane 2 North Sydney 26 Three-quarter back 21
Albert Rosenfeld 1 Eastern Suburbs 14 Three-quarter back 21
Tom McCabe 1 Glebe 22 Forward 18
Arthur "Pony" Halloway 1 Glebe 31 Half-back 15
Larry O'Malley 3 Eastern Suburbs 34 Forward 15
Jim Abercrombie 2 Western Suburbs 32 Forward 12
Bill Heidke 2 Souths Brisbane (Qld) 26 Three-quarter back 12
Lou Jones 0 Eastern Suburbs 5 Forward 6
Bill "Jerry" Bailey 0 Newcastle Rebels 3 Three-quarter back 9
Mick Bolewski 3 Queensland 33 Three-quarter back 9
Alec Burdon 2 Glebe 26 Forward 9
Billy Cann 0 South Sydney 9 Forward 6
Robert Graves 1 Balmain 23 Forward 6
Peter Moir 0 Glebe 4 Forward 6
Arthur Anlezark 1 Queensland 17 Half-back 3
Sandy Pearce 3 Eastern Suburbs 33 Forward 3
Bill Hardcastle 0 Ipswich 6 Forward 3
Charlie Hedley 1 Glebe 18 Forward 2
Tommy Anderson 0 South Sydney 5 Forward 0
Frank Cheadle 0 Newtown 7 Three-quarter back 0
Jim Davis 0 South Sydney 6 Forward 0
Alf Dobbs 0 Balmain 6 Forward 0
Arthur Hennessy 0 South Sydney 7 Forward 0
Denis Lutge (c) 0 North Sydney 5 Forward 0
Bill Noble 0 Newtown 3 Forward 0
John Rosewell 0 South Sydney 1 Forward 0

Test matches

First Test
12 December 1908
Northern Union United Kingdom 22 – 22  Australia
Tries:
William Batten (2)
Johnny Thomas
Ernie Brooks
George Tyson
Asa Robinson
Goals:
Ernie Brooks (2)
Tries:
Jim Devereux (3)
Arthur Butler



Goals:
Dally Messenger (5)
Park Royal Ground, London
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: J Smith
Northern Union Position Australia
Harry GiffordFBMick Bolewski
William BattenWGBill Heidke
Bert Jenkins (c)CESid Deane
George DickensonCEDally Messenger (c)
George TysonWGJim Devereaux
Ernie BrooksSOArthur Halloway
Johnny ThomasSHArthur Butler
Arthur MannPRLarry O'Malley
John HigsonHKSandy Pearce
William JukesPRAlex Burdon
William LongworthSRJim Abercrombie
Arthur SmithSRTedda Courtney
Asa RobinsonLFPat Walsh

Great Britain led 14-5 at half-time and stretched to 17-5 before Australia began their fightback spearheaded by Devereaux's three ties. They led 22-20 in the dying minutes before Great Britain snatched a draw with a penalty goal.

Second Test
23 January 1909
Northern Union United Kingdom 15 – 5  Australia
Tries:
James Lomas
Johnny Thomas
George Tyson
Goals:
James Lomas (2)
Field Goals:
James Lomas
Tries:
Dally Messenger


Goals:
Dally Messenger (1)
St James' Park, Newcastle
Attendance: 22,000
Referee: William McCutcheon
Northern Union Position Australia
Harry GiffordFBMick Bolewski
George TysonWGDan Frawley
James Lomas (c)CEDally Messenger (c)
Bert JenkinsCEAlbert Rosenfeld
William BattenWGAndy Morton
Ernie BrooksSOArthur Halloway
Johnny ThomasSHArthur Butler
John HigsonPRLarry O'Malley
William JukesHKSandy Pearce
William LongworthPRJim Abercrombie
Arthur SmithSRTom McCabe
Asa RobinsonSRTedda Courtney
Dick SilcockLFPat Walsh

Third Test
10 February 1909
Northern Union United Kingdom 6 – 5  Australia
Tries:
James Lomas
George Tyson
Goals:
Tries:
Dan Frawley

Goals:
Jim Devereaux (1)
Villa Park, Birmingham
Attendance: 9,000
Referee: E Smirk
Northern Union Position Australia
Frank YoungFBCharlie Hedley
William BattenWGBill Heidke
Bert JenkinsCEDan Frawley
James Lomas (c)CEJim Devereaux
George TysonWGMick Bolewski
Ernie BrooksSOSid Deane
Johnny ThomasSHArthur Anlezark
William JukesPRLarry O'Malley
Dick PadburyHKSandy Pearce
Arthur SmithPRAlex Burdon (c)
William LongworthSRRobert Graves
Arthur MannSRTedda Courtney
Frank BoylenLFPat Walsh

A heavy pitch limited scoring opportunities and Great Britain went to the half-time break with a three nil lead. Australia's defence was solid throughout the second half and when Frawley scored for Devereaux to convert they took the lead. However, with Australian centre Bill Heidke off the field having a dislocated shoulder put back in place, Oldham winger George Tyson scored late in the match and secured The Ashes for Great Britain for the first time.[16]

Villa Park, host venue for the third Ashes Test.

References
  1. Cunneen, Chris (2001). The best ever Australian Sports Writing. Australia: Black Inc. p. 318. ISBN 1-86395-266-7. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  2. John Robinson and Garrett Jones (8 June 1988). "Family fights to clear League Hero's Name". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australia. p. 74. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
  3. "Football". The Sydney Mail. 1908-09-02. p. 644. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
  4. The Arrow. April 17, 1909
  5. "Scotland". rlwc2013.com. Rugby League International Federation. Archived from the original on 25 September 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. 1908-09 Kangaroo Tour at Rugby League Project
  7. totalrl.com. "Death of The Master". On this day in history. League Publications Ltd. Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
  8. Cann, W. A. (1946-06-12). "1908-09 Kangaroos blazed R. L. trail". Sydney Morning Herald, The. p. 9. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
  9. Andrews, ABC of Rugby League p299
  10. Baker, Andrew (1995-08-20). "100 years of rugby league: From the great divide to the Super era". Independent, The. independent.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-09-25.
  11. Heads Middleton pp36-37
  12. Heads, Middleton p45
  13. John Coffey, Bernie Wood (2008). 100 years: Māori rugby league, 1908-2008. Huia Publishers. ISBN 978-1-86969-331-2.
  14. Heads Middleton p57
  15. Whiticker p 22
  16. Heads, Middleton p37

Sources
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