Les Mead

Australian RL coach and former Australia international rugby league footballer

Les Mead
Personal information
Full nameLeslie Edward Huon Mead
Born(1909-06-09)9 June 1909
Mosman, New South Wales
Died21 October 1996(1996-10-21) (aged 87)
Killarney Vale, New South Wales
Playing information
PositionHalfback
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1930 Western Suburbs 5 3 3 0 15
1931 Wauchope
1932–37 Western Suburbs 70 27 169 0 419
1938–40 Wauchope
1941 Western Suburbs 2 0 0 0 0
Total 77 30 172 0 434
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1933–35 New South Wales 3 0 4 0 8
1933 Australia 1 0 0 0 0
Coaching information
Club
Years Team Gms W D L W%
1941 Western Suburbs 14 6 0 8 43
Source: [1][2]

Les Mead (1909–1996) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1930s. A New South Wales interstate and Australian international representative goal-kicking half back, he played his club football in the New South Wales Rugby Football League Premiership with Western Suburbs.

Playing career

Son of Sydney's Western Suburbs' club pioneer Ted Mead, Mead started his career in Sydney before playing as captain-coach of Wauchope on New South Wales' North Coast in 1931 but returned to Wests the following year.[3] With Western Suburbs he formed an effective partnership in the halves with Vic Hey. Mead was the top point-scorer of the 1932 NSWRFL season with 104 points (10 tries and 37 goals).[4] In 1933 he was selected to represent New South Wales and later that year went on the 1933–34 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain. In August 1933, while in England, Mead played for Australia against England in a novel 7-a-side match.[5] He played several matches while on tour but only one Test match.[6] He is listed on the Australian Players Register as Kangaroo No. 186.[7] The following year Mead kicked two goals in Wests' premiership final victory.

In 1935 Mead was named captain of Western Suburbs. That season he also scored a club record 27 points in a premiership match and made his final appearance for New South Wales. After the 1937 NSWRFL season he returned to Wauchope, but went back to Wests to end his career with them in 1941[8] as captain-coach.

References

  1. ^ Rugby League Project
  2. ^ Rugby League Project Coaches
  3. ^ Player profile – Les Mead Archived 9 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine at yesterdayshero.com.au
  4. ^ Les Mead Archived 19 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine at stats.rleague.com
  5. ^ Sean Fagan "When the Kangaroos Played 7s" at rl1908.com
  6. ^ Les Mead at rugbyleagueproject.com
  7. ^ ARL Annual Report, 2005. Page 53
  8. ^ Les Mead Archived 4 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine at nrlstats.com
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Merv Gray
1940
 Coach

Western Suburbs
1941 		Succeeded by
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National Rugby League season top points scorers
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Western Suburbs squad - 1934 NSWRFL premiers (2nd title)