Tom Gleeson (rugby league) explained

Tom Gleeson
Fullname:Thomas Patrick Gleeson
Birth Date:1889
Birth Place:Kempsey, New South Wales
Death Date:27 Jun 1931
Death Place:drowned at La Perouse, New South Wales
Retired:yes
Club1:Glebe
Year1start:1911
Year1end:12
Appearances1:28
Tries1:17
Goals1:0
Fieldgoals1:0
Points1:51
Club2:Huddersfield
Year2start:1914
Year2end:22
Points:0
Club3:Glebe
Year3start:1923
Appearances3:1
Tries3:1
Goals3:0
Fieldgoals3:0
Points3:3
Teama:New South Wales
Yearastart:1912
Appearancesa:3
Triesa:5
Goalsa:0
Fieldgoalsa:0
Pointsa:15
Teamb:Metropolis
Yearbstart:1912
Appearancesb:1
Triesb:0
Goalsb:0
Fieldgoalsb:0
Pointsb:0
Source:[1]
Updated:24 Sep 2020

Thomas Patrick Gleeson (1889-1931) was an Australian rugby league footballer from the 1910s.

Former Glebe centre Tom Gleeson also had a long career with Huddersfield Giants in England where he partnered the legendary Albert Rosenfeld. "Australian Tommy Gleeson, signed in November 1912 from the Glebe club in Sydney, just three months before protests from the New South Wales Rugby League resulted in a ban on overseas players - a ban which was effective for fourteen years."[2]

He did not return to Australia until after the first world war and played one final season with Glebe in 1923. [3] [4]

Tragic death

Tom Gleeson died in very tragic circumstances when he dived in the ocean from rocks near La Perouse, New South Wales to save his son Martin (aged 12) who had already been washed off the rocks while fishing. Tom Gleeson drowned soon after, and his son also drowned .[5] [6] [7]

Notes and References

  1. Whiticker/Hudson
  2. Web site: TEAM OF ALL TALENTS - Huddersfield Rugby League Heritage. www.huddersfieldrlheritage.co.uk.
  3. Alan Whiticker/Glen Hudson: Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players. 1995.
  4. TOM GLEESON RETURNS Referee(Sydney) 4/10/1922 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/127926067?searchTerm=%22tom%20gleeson%22
  5. Rugby League News (Trove) 4 July 1931. page 18 "Passing of League Pioneer" https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-627272716/view?sectionId=nla.obj-639327227&partId=nla.obj-627291118#page/n17/mode/1up
  6. Sydney Morning Herald - Death Notice 3 July 1931
  7. Sydney Morning Herald - 29//06/1931 Page 9, "Fatality Feared" https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16789578?searchTerm=%22gleeson%22