34 Facts About Dally Messenger

Dally Messenger played for New South Wales in the first match run by the newly created New South Wales Rugby Football League, which had just split away from the established New South Wales Rugby Football Union.

Dally Messenger was a teetotaller and non-smoker during his career and other than breakfast, Messenger would rarely eat before a match.

Dally Messenger was born in the Sydney waterfront suburb of Balmain, New South Wales, and grew up in another of Sydney's waterfront suburbs, Double Bay, where his father, Charles Amos Dally Messenger, a champion sculler, owned a boat shed.

Dally Messenger spent some time living with an aunt in South Melbourne, Victoria where he attended the Albert Park Public School.

Dally Messenger credited skills he learned at Albert Park as contributing to his later success at Rugby Union and Rugby League.

In Sydney, Dally Messenger attended Double Bay Public School in the city's eastern suburbs.

Dally Messenger first took up competitive rugby in 1900, playing for a local rugby union club called the Warrigals in a semi-social club competition.

Dally Messenger decided to spend this year working for the Messenger family boatbuilding business in Double Bay.

In 1905 Dally Messenger began playing for Easts in the club's second-grade team, but showed sufficient promise to earn promotion to the first-grade side on two occasions that season.

Dally Messenger began the 1906 season in first grade with Easts as a 'standoff'.

Dally Messenger swiftly won a following amongst the club's supporters due to his mesmeric ball skills, cheeky tricks, blistering acceleration and accurate short- and long-kicking game off either foot.

Dally Messenger moved to what would become his customary position of centre following his selection there for the New South Wales team in 1906.

Dally Messenger said that Messenger "never became a slave to copybook practices" because his "instinct enabled him to see and take an opening in that operative second which is all-important".

When talk of a professional rugby competition, or a Rugby League, was being aired, Dally Messenger was instantly interested by the development.

Dally Messenger was approached by a consortium that included Test cricketer, Victor Trumper with friend JJ Giltinan, who knew getting Messenger on board would be a major boost for the new code.

Dally Messenger signed on with the new professional code on Sunday 11 August 1907.

Dally Messenger played in the rebel series against a professional New Zealand team, the 'All Golds' as they were referred to, and was invited to tour England with the New Zealand professional side.

Dally Messenger's popularity helped showcase the new game and the NSWRFL took full advantage of this.

Dally Messenger was selected to play in the first ever trans-Tasman test, which was the debut match of the Australia national rugby league team.

In rugby league's first year, besides playing for his club, Dally Messenger made representative appearances for Metropolis, New South Wales and Australia as well as for New Zealand and, in one case, Queensland, he represented Australasia.

Towards the end of the 1908 season Dally Messenger was again selected to tour England, this time with the first Kangaroos, or 'Pioneers'.

Dally Messenger is listed on the Australian Players Register as Kangaroo No 10.

Dally Messenger was offered contracts by leading soccer clubs, including Glasgow Celtic, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, but refused them.

Dally Messenger captained Australia in the first two tests of the tour, missing the third through a knee injury incurred after regular field goal attempts.

On tour Dally Messenger was credited with numerous goals from the other side of half way, including one from the sideline on his own 25-yard line that appeared in earlier versions of the 'Guinness Book of World Records' as measuring over 80 yards.

Dally Messenger rejected an offer to play with English club, Warrington, during the Australian off-season that year.

Dally Messenger was captain of Australia when they hosted the 1910 Great Britain Lions tourists.

Dally Messenger amassed a total of 72 points for the three match series.

Dally Messenger became the first captain to lead a Rugby League side onto the SCG as he led his team onto this holy ground.

Dally Messenger was awarded Life Membership of the New South Wales Rugby League in 1914.

In July 1914, just before the World War I began, Dally Messenger was persuaded to come out of retirement to enter "The Kicking championship of the Commonwealth" sponsored by the Australian Rules administrators.

Dally Messenger later worked as a carpenter in the NSW Department of Public Works.

Dally Messenger went on to be named in Australian rugby league's Team of the Century.

Dally Messenger was immortalised in 2008 by a life-size bronze sculpture created by artist Cathy Weiszmann and erected outside the Sydney Football Stadium.