At their 60th Anniversary Dinner at the Conca D'ora Event Centre late last month, the Penshurst RSL Kookaburra Rugby League Club announced their best team of the past 60 years.
Sean Willet, the President of the Penshurst RSL Kookaburras, said it was selected by an impartial and independent panel of judges as well as a popular vote run online.
The team chosen has played over 200 seasons combined at Penshurst and almost 1500 First Grade games in the NSWRL, Super League, NRL or equivalent.
Fullback was a contentious position with Glenn Burgess beating out current St George player Matt Dufty and Anthony 'Tony' Quirk. They had played for the St George Dragons at fullback for three seasons between 1975-1977.
The St George Dragons graded Burgess from their local juniors in the early 1980s.
He went on to play five seasons of first grade with the Dragons between 1983-1987, which included playing fullback in the 1985 Grand Final.
Burgess was a talented player and was known for his expertise at catching towering high balls from opposition kickers. He played 61 first grade games for the Dragons.
Dufty was chosen to play at five-eighth.
Col Fraser, who was chosen as the best no 13, said he was very humbled to have been selected at the function in the best Penshurst RSL Team of the last 60 Years.
"I loved to have played with these guys. What a team it is.
"The attack from Goldthorpe Dufty Johns and Whare, wow, and the defence from Burgess, O'Sullivan and Quirk then in the forwards the defence of this group means no one scored an easy try against this team.
1.Glenn Burgess- St George, Gold Coast
2.Tony Quirk- St George
3.Chris Johns- St George, Broncos, Castleford, Barrow, NSW, Australia
4.Dean Whare- Manly, Penrith, Catalans Dragons, New Zealand, Maori Allstars
5.Kevin O'Sullivan- St George
6.Matt Dufty- St George Illawarra
7.Noel Goldthorpe- Western Suburbs, St George, Hunter Mariners, Adelaide Rams, North Queensland
8.Steve Mayoh- North Sydney
9.Shane Flanagan- St George,
10.Craig Stapleton- St George, St George Illawarra, Parramatta, Leigh, Penrith, Cronulla, Salford, South Sydney
11.Tony Grimaldi- St George Canterbury, Gateshead, Hull
12.Vince O'Sullivan- St George
13.Col Fraser- St George, Eastern Suburbs
Coach: Ken Harris
Manager: Kevin O'Brien
John Veage
Thirty five year photographer for Fairfax -former NSW Chief Photographer for FCN and now Photo Journalist for the St George and Sutherland Shire Leader in southern Sydney.Official photographer for Cycling Australia (20 years) Official photographer for Surf Life Saving Australia (30 years) Founding Life Member of Cronulla Boardriders Club and Life Member of Surfing Sutherland Shire among other things.
Thirty five year photographer for Fairfax -former NSW Chief Photographer for FCN and now Photo Journalist for the St George and Sutherland Shire Leader in southern Sydney.Official photographer for Cycling Australia (20 years) Official photographer for Surf Life Saving Australia (30 years) Founding Life Member of Cronulla Boardriders Club and Life Member of Surfing Sutherland Shire among other things.
