24 Facts About Bob McCarthy

Robert James McCarthy MBE was born on 5 August 1946 and is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach.

Bob McCarthy played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, New South Wales and for the Australian national side.

Bob McCarthy later coached in Brisbane, taking Souths Magpies to a premiership in 1981 and coaching the Gold Coast-Tweed Giants upon their entry to the Winfield Cup.

Bob McCarthy made the 1973 Kangaroo Tour and two tours of New Zealand.

Bob McCarthy played 211 first grade games for Souths, scoring 100 tries.

Bob McCarthy played in three grand final victories and in two losing grand finals.

One of the most spectacular tries in Grand Final history came from such positional play when just before halftime in the 1967 decider against Canterbury Bob McCarthy intercepted a pass out wide from Canterbury hooker Col Brown and ran the length of the field to score and to take the Rabbitohs to a two-point lead which they didn't give up by game's end.

Bob McCarthy missed Souths 1968 Grand Final victory, played in the 1969 loss to the Balmain Tigers and was a member of the 1970 and 1971 premiership sides.

In 1975 Bob McCarthy became only the second forward in the history of the game after Frank Burge to surpass the 100 career try tally.

Bob McCarthy moved to Canterbury for the 1976 and 1977 seasons where he played at Prop forward and played 37 games for the club helping them to the semi-finals in 1976.

Bob McCarthy returned to the Rabbitohs in 1978 to finish his career in a brief five-game season ended by injury.

Bobby McCarthy first tasted representative football in 1964 scoring two tries for a New South Wales Colts side against a touring French team.

Bob McCarthy had to wait until the 1969 tour of New Zealand before he made a national senior squad but thereafter, for the next five years barring injury, he was one of the first players selected for Test and World Cup squads.

Bob McCarthy played in both Tests of the 1969 New Zealand tour.

Bob McCarthy was named as vice-captain to Graeme Langlands on the '73 Kangaroo Tour and his sole honour as Australia's Test captain was in the vital second Test in Leeds which the Kangaroos needed to win to keep the series alive.

Bob McCarthy scored a try early in the second half to help win the game but on the frozen ground he dislocated his shoulder in the process and his tour was over.

Bob McCarthy scored three tries in his two Test and 4 minor tour match appearances but had played a pivotal role in Australia's successful Ashes campaign.

In 1974 Test series at home against Great Britain, Bob McCarthy was selected in the deciding 3rd game in a veteran pack including his old Souths teammates Coote, Stevens, and John O'Neill and captained and coached by Langlands.

Bob McCarthy was honoured with his MBE in 1977 for services to rugby league, only the second player after Langlands to be so honoured while still playing.

In February 2008, Bob McCarthy was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players which was commissioned by the NRL and ARL to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia.

Bob McCarthy commenced coaching with Brisbane Souths in 1980 taking them to the Brisbane Rugby League Grand Final that year and to premiership victory in 1981.

Bob McCarthy coached the Brisbane rugby league team to victory in the 1984 Panasonic Cup.

Bob McCarthy was the inaugural coach of the Gold Coast Seagulls in 1988 and for that club's first three seasons.

Bob McCarthy coached Souths to their upset 1994 Tooheys Challenge Cup final victory over Brisbane.