| Don Manson | |
| Fullname: | Donald Manson |
| Birth Date: | 1919 |
| Weight: | 14st. 2lbs[1] |
| Club1: | South Sydney |
| Year1start: | 1937 |
| Year1end: | 39 |
| Appearances1: | 21 |
| Tries1: | 24 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Fieldgoals1: | 0 |
| Club2: | Eastern Suburbs |
| Year2start: | 1939 |
| Year2end: | 41 |
| Appearances2: | 0 |
| Tries2: | 0 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Fieldgoals2: | 0 |
| Points2: | 0 |
| Teama: | New South Wales |
| Yearastart: | 1938 |
| Yearaend: | 38 |
| Appearancesa: | 1 |
| Triesa: | 0 |
| Goalsa: | 0 |
| Fieldgoalsa: | 0 |
| Pointsa: | 0 |
| Updated: | 14 May 2020 |
Donald Manson (born 1919) was a rugby league player who played for South Sydney on the wing from 1937 to 1939.[2]
He made his debut in round 1 of the 1937 season against University.[2] In his first two matches he scored six tries, the last player to accomplish such a feat till Charlie Staines in 2020.[3] By the start of the 1938 season, he was considered to "be on the up and up".[4] He was the NSWRFL's leading try-scorer for the 1938 season, and that year he appeared for the New South Wales Blues.[5]
During the 1939 season, Manson went on a tour to New Zealand as part of a side coached by Ray Stehr. After his return, South Sydney did not name him in their line-up for either their first, reserves or third side, a decision which was considered surprising by the Daily News.[6] Manson played one further game in the South Sydney reserves, before subsequently leaving the club for Eastern Suburbs at the season's end.[7] Manson retired from the NSWRFL after the 1941 season, and stopped playing league altogether for five years.[8] He has the second best strike rate in the history of the NRL/ARL/NSWRFL, averaging 1.13 tries per game.[9]