11 Facts About Graeme West

1.

Graeme Leonard West was born on 5 December 1953 and is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer and coach.

2.

Graeme West was selected to play for the New Zealand national team in the 1975 World Cup tournament.

3.

Graeme West was actually 29 when he signed, though Wigan believed him to be 2 years younger.

4.

Graeme West became captain in 1984, leading Wigan to Wembley for the 1984 Challenge Cup Final, which was lost to Widnes.

5.

Graeme West captained Wigan to victory in the 1985 Challenge Cup Final.

6.

Graeme West was a non playing substitute for defending champions Wigan in their 1987 World Club Challenge victory against the visiting Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.

7.

Graeme West retired from the first team in 1989 to lead the reserve 'A' Team as player-coach, but made a late appearance against Castleford in 1991 due to injuries and a fixture pile up, scoring a try late in the game that gained a standing ovation.

8.

In 1994, following the sacking of John Dorahy, Graeme West was appointed as coach of Wigan, after fans petitioned for him to get the job.

9.

Graeme West stayed on in that position until February 1997 when, following an early exit from the Challenge Cup in 2 consecutive years, he was replaced by Eric Hughes.

10.

In 2008 Graeme West was named in the Taranaki Rugby League Team of the Century.

11.

Graeme West still lived and worked in Wigan up to the early 2010s, but then returned to his native New Zealand.