20 Facts About John Ribot

1.

Once a Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative, Ribot was the 1980 NSWRFL season's equal top try-scorer.

2.

John Ribot has since taken up a position at the Queensland Rugby League.

3.

John Ribot played club football in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership for Western Suburbs and Fortitude Valley.

4.

John Ribot played in Wests' 1976 BRL grand final victory and gained selection for Queensland as well.

5.

John Ribot moved south to play in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership for the Newtown Jets, the Western Suburbs Magpies and the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.

6.

John Ribot later returned to the Brisbane Rugby League premiership for the Redcliffe Dolphins.

7.

John Ribot went on to represent Queensland in 8 State of Origin matches between 1982 and 1985.

8.

John Ribot is thus one of the rare foundation Origin representatives whose NSW appearances were bookended by selections for Queensland.

9.

John Ribot was selected for the Brisbane representative team in 1984 and Australia from 1981 until 1985, playing in 9 test matches, including the 1982 Invincibles tour.

10.

Also in 1982 John Ribot set the record for most tries for Australia in an international with four in Australia's first ever test against Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby.

11.

John Ribot was the winner of the Queensland Rugby League Press Writers' Player of the Year Award in 1985.

12.

John Ribot was later named as a winger in the Western Suburbs Team of the Eighties.

13.

John Ribot argued that having the Grand Final in Brisbane had the potential to attract more fans to the game and bring Grand Final crowds to the same level that had previously been seen at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

14.

An exponent of national and even international expansion of rugby league, John Ribot found News Ltd a willing participant in forming an elite, rival competition in the mid-1990s.

15.

John Ribot partially realised his 'vision' in getting the competition up and running in 1997 then resigned as Super League chief executive on 24 June to help facilitate a peace deal being reached with the ARL.

16.

John Ribot secured the franchise to form a club in Melbourne for the re-united competition in 1998.

17.

In 2000 John Ribot was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his contribution to Australia's international standing in rugby league.

18.

John Ribot's single-minded battle for acceptance in an Aussie rules-dominated city saw the Storm part company with premiership-winning coach Chris Anderson in 2001.

19.

In 2004, John Ribot extended his sports administration portfolio into football, becoming Chairman of the Queensland Roar FC in the Football Federation Australia's A-League competition.

20.

John Ribot-de-Bresac is a Director of ASX listed company iSonea.