Albert Burge Explained

Albert Burge
Birth Name:Albert Bentley Burge[1]
Birth Date:4 June 1889
Birth Place:Penrith, New South Wales
Death Place:Hornsby, New South Wales[2]
Ru Position:lock
Repyears1:1907–1908
Repteam1:Wallabies
Repcaps1:2
Reppoints1:0
Module:
Embed:yes
Position:Prop/Second Row
Year1start:1910
Year2start:1911
Year2end:1919
Club1:South Sydney
Club2:Glebe

Albert Bentley "Son" Burge (4 June 1889 – 4 January 1943)[1] was an Australian rugby union lock who played with the Souths rugby union club in Sydney and at the age of nineteen was selected for the Australian national team in two Tests against New Zealand in 1907.

Rugby union career

He made the Wallaby tour of Great Britain of 1908, called up as a squad replacement for his brother Peter who broke his leg. Alby appeared in a Test match against Wales. He was sent off for kicking in that match and did not make another rugby international appearance. Despite his sending off, Burge continued to be selected for the invitational matches against club opposition during the tour. Two weeks after the Wales match, Burge was part of the Australian team that faced Cardiff, and was again sent from the pitch by referee Gil Evans after 'brutally' kicking Dai Westacott while the player was prone on the ground.[3]

Rugby league career

'Alby' Burge switched to rugby league football initially joining South Sydney but then in 1911 he joined his brother Frank at Glebe. Albert was the captain of the Glebe side that lost the 1911 New South Wales Rugby League premiership final to Easts and captained the side.

He and his brother Frank, continued to captain Glebe until his retirement after the 1919 NSWRFL season. He also had a brief stint with the North Sydney Bears in 1913.

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Scrum.com player profile of Son Burge. Scrum.com. 12 July 2010.
  2. Sydney Morning Herald: Death Notice 06/01/1943
  3. Book: Davies, D.E.. Cardiff Rugby Club, History and Statistics 1876-1975. 1975. The Starling Press. Risca. 0-9504421-0-0. 63.