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George Menzies

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George Menzies
Personal information
Born30 September 1930[1][failed verification]
Died (aged 85)
Greymouth, New Zealand
Playing information
PositionStand-off
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
Runanga (WCRL)
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
West Coast
1949–62 South Island
1951–61 New Zealand 29 4 0 0 12
1960 Rest of the World 1 3 0 0 9
Coaching information
Representative
Years Team Gms W D L W%
West Coast
1974–75 New Zealand 11 3 2 6 27
Source: [2]

George Menzies (30 September 1930 – 16 March 2016) was a New Zealand rugby league player and coach who represented New Zealand at three World Cups and coached New Zealand at another World Cup.[2] In 2007 he was named the greatest stand-off New Zealand had ever produced.

Playing career

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Menzies was a New Zealand schoolboys representative in 1946.[3]

A Runanga club player, Menzies was a West Coast and South Island representative. Menzies played in 69 games, including twenty-nine test matches for the New Zealand national rugby league team, participating in three World Cups.[4]

Menzies was selected to go on the 1955–56 New Zealand rugby tour of Great Britain and France.[citation needed]

He captained the Kiwis in a test during the 1956 tour to Australia before retiring from international football in 1961 after withdrawing from the 1961 New Zealand rugby league tour of Great Britain and France.[3]

Coaching career

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At the end of his test career, in 1963, Menzies became a player-coach for Harden-Murrumburrah, a New South Wales country team.[5] Before returning to New Zealand to coach the West Coast.[3]

In 1974 and 1975 he was the coach of the Kiwis, taking the team to the 1975 World Cup.

Legacy

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His son, Chris, played for the Junior Kiwis and also represented the West Coast.[3]

In 1989 Menzies was named as the West Coast Rugby League's best ever stand-off half.[6]

Menzies was named one of New Zealand Rugby League's "Legends of League" in 1995.[7]

In 2009 Menzies was named in the NZRL's team of the century.[8]

Menzies died in Greymouth on 16 March 2016, aged 85.[9]

References

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  1. ^ "General". www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz.
  2. ^ a b "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d RIP George Menzies Kiwi 326[permanent dead link] nzrl.co.nz, 17 March 2016
  4. ^ Top Players Archived 17 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine West Coast Rugby Football League
  5. ^ Goodman, Tom (9 June 1963). "Hands off the Kiwis". The Sun-Herald. Australia. p. 44. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
  6. ^ Top Players Archived 17 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine, sportingpulse.com
  7. ^ Legends of League NZRL
  8. ^ "Graham is best in 100 years". The Sunday Star-Times. 17 February 2009. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  9. ^ "George Menzies death notice". The Press. 19 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.