Jim Abercrombie
Encyclopedia
Jim Abercrombie was an Australia
n rugby league
player for the Wests Magpies
in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership
competition, he also played rugby union
for North Sydney and Glebe. His position of choice was at lock forward though his versatility meant he could play anywhere in the forwards and he often goal kicked.
. He was also controversially a member of the first touring Australian national side to Great Britain
after he was originally left out of the squad though after a public outcry over his omission he was called in, thus making him the first international player to come from the Western Suburbs club.
In 2008 the Western Suburbs Magpies celebrated their centenary by inducting six inaugural members into the club's Hall of Fame. These six included Jim Abercrombie.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
player for the Wests Magpies
Western Suburbs Magpies
The Western Suburbs Magpies are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly referred to, were one of the nine foundation clubs of the first New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia...
in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership
New South Wales Rugby League premiership
The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League from 1908 until 1994, the premiership was the state's and later the country's elite rugby league competition...
competition, he also played rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
for North Sydney and Glebe. His position of choice was at lock forward though his versatility meant he could play anywhere in the forwards and he often goal kicked.
Career
He originally played rugby union prior to the formation of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership in 1908 and was one of the original players to make the switch to the newly formed code. He attended the founding meeting of the Western Suburbs rugby league club and was elected to the inaugural committee. Abercrombie played in Wests' very first match against Balmain and scored Wests' very first goals in First Grade in the following match against Souths. He played all nine matches of the inaugural season and was also apart of the first national side that played against the visiting New Zealand All GoldsAll Golds
The All Golds could mean;*The touring party of New Zealand players in the 1907–1908 New Zealand rugby tour of Australia and Great Britain*The New Zealand national rugby league team itself*The 2007 All Golds Tour in celebration of the original tour...
. He was also controversially a member of the first touring Australian national side to Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
after he was originally left out of the squad though after a public outcry over his omission he was called in, thus making him the first international player to come from the Western Suburbs club.
In 2008 the Western Suburbs Magpies celebrated their centenary by inducting six inaugural members into the club's Hall of Fame. These six included Jim Abercrombie.