Ricky Walford
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Born | (1963-12-08) 8 December 1963 (age 60) Walgett, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Position | Wing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1][2] |
Ricky Walford (born 8 December 1963[3]) is an Indigenous Australian former professional and state representative rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He played for the Sydney Roosters, North Sydney Bears and the St. George Dragons. He was a goal-kicking Winger.
Club career
Born in the northern New South Wales town of Collarenebri, Walford was raised by his grandparents in the larger nearby town of Walgett. He was selected from Walgett as an Australian schoolboy representative and toured New Zealand in 1981.[4]
In 1982 Walford moved to Sydney, joined Eastern Suburbs Roosters and made thirteen appearances for the tri-colours in 1982 and 1983. He made his first grade debut in round 2 of the 1982 season and kicked two goals coming from the bench, going on to score three tries and kicking four goals in seven appearances. Walford played in only six games in 1983 for the Roosters, scoring no tries or goals. He then moved north of Sydney Harbour in 1984 and played 11 games for the North Sydney Bears, scoring eight tries and kicking 21 goals.
In his day Ricky Walford was one of a dying breed of 'toe poke' goalkickers in top-line rugby league. He was an old style direct kicker of the ball rather than using an 'around-the-corner' style that gives the kicker greater accuracy, and has proved popular since Englishman John Gray introduced the style to Australia when he joined the Bears in 1975.
St. George Career
Walford joined the St. George Dragons in 1985 but only played two games for the season and missed out on the Dragons' 6–7 loss to Canterbury-Bankstown in the Grand Final at the Sydney Cricket Ground. He cemented his place on the wing for St. George in the 1986 season and scored nine tries in 17 games to be the club's leading try scorer.
After an injury interrupted 1987 season where he only played 14 of the Dragons' 26 games, Walford enjoyed some of his best form and his best ever points haul in 1988. Playing 22 games he was the club's leading try and point scorer with 15 tries and 52 of 89 goals kicked for a total of 164 points scored. Walford was also a member of the victorious St. George Dragons team that won the 1988 Panasonic Cup.
In an 11-year career with the famous St. George club Walford played 207 games. He scored 104 tries and kicked 229 goals. He played on the wing in both of the 1992 and 1993 Grand Final losses to the Brisbane Broncos at the Sydney Football Stadium and was the NSWRL's leading point scorer in 1989 when he scored 146 points (equal with Balmain's English import Andy Currier). Walford crossed the line for 13 tries and kicked 47 goals from 75 attempts. Walford had his biggest point scoring day in round 19 of 1989 at the Dragons' home ground Kogarah Oval when he crossed for four tries and kicked five goals against Canterbury in a 32-2 romp over the reigning premiers.
Walford's 874 career points for St. George stood in second place behind Graeme Langlands on the club's all-time highest score tally. He retired from St. George at the end of the 1995 season but made himself available to play for the Red V in the 1996 season as a result of troubles during the Super League war. He subsequently retired again at season's end. Walford's final game for the club was their 16-14 upset victory over Canberra in the 1996 qualifying final.
Representative career
During 1989 Walford started to be noticed by the representative selectors and he was selected on the wing for Country Origin and NSW Origin. He played in the first game of the 1990 Origin series before missing games two and three through injury. He also represented an Australian Aboriginal side on a tour of Tonga in 1990 and at the 1990 Pacific Cup.[5]
Walford is now Indigenous Development Manager at the Australian Rugby League.[6]
Post-playing
After retiring, Walford became the Indigenous Program Manager for the Australian Rugby League's development function.[7]
He was awarded Life Membership of the St. George Dragons in 1996.[8]
References
- ^ NRL Stats
- ^ RLP
- ^ Gary Lester, ed. (1983). The Sun Book of Rugby League – 1983. Sydney, New South Wales: John Fairfax Marketing. p. 40. ISBN 0-909558-83-3.
- ^ "Australian Secondary Schools Rugby League". Sporting Pulse. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
- ^ John Coffey, Bernie Wood (2008). 100 years: Māori rugby league, 1908-2008. Huia Publishers. pp. 266–269. ISBN 9781869693312.
- ^ "National Indigenous Sport Development Program". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 28 August 2007.
- ^ ARL (2007). "Australian Rugby Football League Annual Report 2007" (PDF). Australian Rugby League Limited. p. 47. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 September 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Dragons-Our Proud History (website)
- v
- t
- e
- 1908 Horrie Miller
- 1909 Arthur Conlin
- 1910 Dally Messenger
- 1911 Dally Messenger
- 1912 Dally Messenger
- 1913 Harold Horder
- 1914 Harold Horder
- 1915 Wally Messenger
- 1916 Charles Fraser
- 1917 Charles Fraser
- 1918 Harold Horder
- 1919 A McPherson
- 1920 Frank Burge
- 1921 Rex Norman
- 1922 Harold Horder
- 1923 Arthur Oxford
- 1924 Jack Courtney
- 1925 Benny Wearing
- 1926 Jack Courtney
- 1927 Alf Blair
- 1928 Benny Wearing
- 1929 Jim Craig
- 1930 Jim Craig
- 1931 Jack Lynch
- 1932 Les Mead
- 1933 Syd Christensen
- 1934 Dave Brown
- 1935 Dave Brown
- 1936 Syd Christensen
- 1937 Jack Beaton
- 1938 Tom Kirk
- 1939 Neville Smith
- 1940 Tom Kirk
- 1941 Neville Smith
- 1942 Ray Lindwall
- 1943 Tom Kirk
- 1944 Tom Kirk
- 1945 Dick Dunn
- 1946 Tom Kirk
- 1947 Pat Devery
- 1948 Jack Lindwall
- 1949 Bill Keato
- 1950 Bill Keato
- 1951 Ron Rowles
- 1953 Ron Rowles
- 1954 Ron Rowles
- 1955 Doug Fleming
- 1956 Doug Fleming
- 1957 Darcy Russell
- 1958 Harry Bath
- 1959 Darcy Russell
- 1960 Brian Graham
- 1961 Bob Landers
- 1962 Don Parish
- 1963 Fred Griffiths
- 1964 Fred Griffiths
- 1965 Fred Griffiths
- 1966 Bob Lanigan
- 1967 Eric Simms
- 1968 Eric Simms
- 1969 Eric Simms
- 1970 Eric Simms
- 1971 Graeme Langlands
- 1972 Allan McKean
- 1973 Graeme Langlands
- 1974 Graham Eadie
- 1975 Graham Eadie
- 1976 Graham Eadie
- 1977 Michael Cronin
- 1978 Michael Cronin
- 1979 Michael Cronin
- 1980 Steve Gearin
- 1981 Steve Rogers
- 1982 Michael Cronin
- 1983 Michael Eden
- 1984 Steve Gearin
- 1985 Michael Cronin
- 1986 Terry Lamb
- 1987 Ross Conlon
- 1988 Gary Belcher
- 1989 Andy Currier & Ricky Walford
- 1990 Mal Meninga
- 1991 Daryl Halligan
- 1992 Daryl Halligan
- 1993 Daryl Halligan
- 1994 Daryl Halligan
- 1995 Matthew Ridge
- 1996 Jason Taylor
- 1997 Jason Taylor (ARL) Ryan Girdler (SL)
- 1998 Ivan Cleary
- 1999 Matt Geyer
- 2000 Joel Caine
- 2001 Andrew Johns & Ben Walker
- 2002 Hazem El Masri
- 2003 Hazem El Masri
- 2004 Hazem El Masri
- 2005 Brett Hodgson
- 2006 Hazem El Masri
- 2007 Hazem El Masri
- 2008 Luke Covell
- 2009 Hazem El Masri
- 2010 Michael Gordon
- 2011 Benji Marshall
- 2012 Jarrod Croker
- 2013 James Maloney
- 2014 James Maloney & Johnathan Thurston
- 2015 James Maloney
- 2016 Jarrod Croker
- 2017 Nathan Cleary
- 2018 Latrell Mitchell
- 2019 Latrell Mitchell
- 2020 Adam Reynolds
- 2021 Reuben Garrick
- 2022 Valentine Holmes
- 2023 Jamayne Isaako