37 Facts About Ellery Hanley

Cuthwyn Ellery Hanley was born on 27 March 1961 and is an English former rugby league player and coach.

Ellery Hanley won 36 caps for Great Britain, captaining the team from 1988 to 1992, and 2 for England.

Ellery Hanley was awarded the MBE in January 1990 for services to the game.

Ellery Hanley is the father of Umyla Hanley, who currently plays in Super League for the Leigh Leopards.

In 1978, Ellery Hanley signed for Bradford Northern from the junior club Corpus Christi.

Ellery Hanley scored a remarkable 55 tries in only 37 appearances, an achievement made even more remarkable as he switched between the positions of wing, centre and stand-off.

In total, Ellery Hanley made 126 appearances for the club, scoring 89 tries.

Ellery Hanley finished his first season for the club with 35 tries.

Ellery Hanley played in Wigan's 1987 World Club Challenge victory against the visiting Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.

Ellery Hanley holds the record for the most tries in a Regal Trophy Final with 3 tries.

In 1988, Ellery Hanley was in dispute with Wigan and was stripped of the captaincy.

Ellery Hanley was awarded the Lance Todd Trophy for the man of the match.

Ellery Hanley led Wigan to another two League and Cup doubles.

Ellery Hanley was voted Man of Steel twice as a Wigan player.

Ellery Hanley was inducted into the Wigan Hall of Fame in 2007.

Ellery Hanley hit the ground in an awkward position and was concussed.

Ellery Hanley played a total of thirteen games, scoring four tries for a total of sixteen points in his one and only season for the club.

Ellery Hanley scored two tries to put the club back on the big stage for the first time in sixteen years.

In 1996 and well past his prime, Ellery Hanley returned to the Australian club Balmain for his second spell with the club.

Ellery Hanley won caps for England while at Bradford Northern in 1984 against Wales, while at Leeds in 1992 against Wales.

Ellery Hanley made his Great Britain debut as a substitute, whilst still a Bradford Northern player, in January 1984 against France in Avignon.

Ellery Hanley was selected for the 1984 Great Britain Lions tour to Australia and was one of the stars of the 1984 Ashes series, scoring a remarkable twelve tries playing mostly on the wing.

Ellery Hanley was then selected as captain for the 1988 Great Britain Lions tour.

Ellery Hanley toured Australia in 1992 for the Ashes series, but despite being captain of the squad, on the field he made only one appearance and played less than fifteen minutes in a minor tour match against Newcastle.

Ellery Hanley played in Great Britain's defeat by Australia in the 1992 Rugby League World Cup final at Wembley.

In 1994, following Mal Reilly's decision to step down as both Great Britain and Halifax coach to become coach of Australian club the Newcastle Knights, Ellery Hanley was appointed coach of the Great Britain Lions during the Ashes series against Australia during the 1994 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France.

Ellery Hanley's appointment meant he had become the first black person to coach or manage a major national team in Great Britain.

Also, Ellery Hanley had signed with the Australian Rugby League during the Super League war which began in 1995 while the RFL were aligned with the Super League.

Ellery Hanley switched to rugby union coaching and took up posts with Bristol Rugby, and in the England national set-up.

Ellery Hanley got involved in the sport of squash before returning to rugby league as a coaching consultant with Castleford Tigers in 2004.

Ellery Hanley worked with Cas for just two months before leaving.

On 14 December 2007 Ellery Hanley was unveiled as the coach of National League Two Club Doncaster.

Ellery Hanley resigned from that role on 28 September 2008, following Doncaster's successful promotion play-off campaign.

Ellery Hanley is widely considered to be one of the greatest players in rugby league history.

Whilst playing for Wigan, Ellery Hanley had a try out in the World League of American football with the London Monarchs in March 1991.

In 2009, Ellery Hanley was one of thirteen celebrities taking part in Dancing on Ice, partnered with Frankie Poultney.

Ellery Hanley was the sixth person to be eliminated from the show.