Mick Madsen
Encyclopedia
Peter "Mick" Madsen was an Australia
n rugby league
player. He was a front-row forward for the Australian national team. He played in 9 Tests between 1929 and 1936 as captain on 1 occasion and has since been named as one of the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century.
he attended Toowoomba Grammar School
and played rugby league there. He was a seasonal labourer in country Queensland when at age 20 he played in a game against the visiting Toowoomba Brothers club who signed him up.
He first represented for Queensland
at age 27 and then consistently for the next 9 years making a then record of 34 appearances against New South Wales
as well as 5 appearances against touring international sides.
He made his Test debut against England in the first Test of the 1929 Kangaroo Tour
. He played in the 2nd Test loss and 17 tour matches before a broken jaw rule him out of further appearances.
He played in all three Tests of the 1932 Ashes
series in Australia.
He made his 2nd Kangaroo Tour
of England in 1933-34 and played in 25 tour matches and three Tests. He made his sole appearance as captain of the Kangaroos
in the 2nd Test at Headingley in November 1933 following injury to tour captain Frank McMillan. Australia lost the game 7-5 in front of a crowd of 30,000 with all of Australia's points scored by the 1930s point scoring sensation Dave Brown
.
At 34 years of age Madsen was recalled to the 1936 Australian side in the Third Test against England in Sydney. A late call up, Madsen was the first Australian player to fly to a Test match.
His last first grade game was at age 38. In retirement he remained a notable Toowoomba identity. In February 2008, Madsen was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) which was commissioned by the NRL
and ARL
to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia. In June 2008, he was chosen in the Queensland Rugby League's Team of the Century
at prop-forward.
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. He was a front-row forward for the Australian national team. He played in 9 Tests between 1929 and 1936 as captain on 1 occasion and has since been named as one of the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century.
Early life
Born in Tannymorel near Warwick, QueenslandWarwick, Queensland
Warwick is a town in Queensland, Australia, lying south-west of Brisbane. It is the administrative centre of the Southern Downs Local Government Area. In 2006 the town of Warwick had a population of 12,562....
he attended Toowoomba Grammar School
Toowoomba Grammar School
Toowoomba Grammar School is an independent, non-denominational, day and boarding grammar school for boys, in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia....
and played rugby league there. He was a seasonal labourer in country Queensland when at age 20 he played in a game against the visiting Toowoomba Brothers club who signed him up.
Club career
Madsen played his entire first grade career of 17 seasons with the Brothers club.Representative career
Queensland rugby league team
The Queensland rugby league team have represented the Australian state of Queensland in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1908...
at age 27 and then consistently for the next 9 years making a then record of 34 appearances against New South Wales
New South Wales Rugby League team
The New South Wales rugby league team has represented the Australian state of New South Wales in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1907. Administered by the New South Wales Rugby League, the team competes in the annual State of Origin series against arch-rivals, the...
as well as 5 appearances against touring international sides.
Kangaroo Tour
Kangaroo Tour is the name given to Australian national rugby league team tours of Great Britain and France. The first Kangaroo Tour was in 1908. Traditionally, Kangaroo Tours took place every four years and involved a three-Test Ashes series against Great Britain and a number of tour matches...
. He played in the 2nd Test loss and 17 tour matches before a broken jaw rule him out of further appearances.
He played in all three Tests of the 1932 Ashes
Rugby League Ashes
The Ashes is the name given to the trophy awarded to the winner of a best-of-three series of rugby league football test series between Great Britain and Australia...
series in Australia.
He made his 2nd Kangaroo Tour
Kangaroo Tour
Kangaroo Tour is the name given to Australian national rugby league team tours of Great Britain and France. The first Kangaroo Tour was in 1908. Traditionally, Kangaroo Tours took place every four years and involved a three-Test Ashes series against Great Britain and a number of tour matches...
of England in 1933-34 and played in 25 tour matches and three Tests. He made his sole appearance as captain of the Kangaroos
Australian national rugby league team
The Australian national rugby league team have represented Australia in senior men's rugby league football competition since the establishment of the game in Australia in 1908. Administered by the Australian Rugby League, the Kangaroos' are ranked number one in the RLIF World Rankings...
in the 2nd Test at Headingley in November 1933 following injury to tour captain Frank McMillan. Australia lost the game 7-5 in front of a crowd of 30,000 with all of Australia's points scored by the 1930s point scoring sensation Dave Brown
Dave Brown (rugby league footballer Easts)
David Michael Brown born Kogarah, New South Wales, died on 23 February 1974 in Sydney) was one of Australia's greatest rugby league footballers....
.
At 34 years of age Madsen was recalled to the 1936 Australian side in the Third Test against England in Sydney. A late call up, Madsen was the first Australian player to fly to a Test match.
His last first grade game was at age 38. In retirement he remained a notable Toowoomba identity. In February 2008, Madsen was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) which was commissioned by the NRL
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
and ARL
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia. In June 2008, he was chosen in the Queensland Rugby League's Team of the Century
Queensland Rugby League's Team of the Century
The Queensland Rugby League Team of the Century is a hypothetical team comprising the best players who have played for Queensland to form a team for 1909 until 2008. Rugby league in Queensland was initiated in 1909 with the Queensland Rugby Football League competition, which evolved into the...
at prop-forward.
Representative statistics
| Team | Matches | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Queensland | 39 | 1928–1937 |
| Australia | 9 | 1929–1936 |
Sources
- Whiticker, Alan (2004) Captaining the Kangaroos, New Holland, Sydney
- Andrews, Malcolm (2006) The ABC of Rugby League Austn Broadcasting Corpn, Sydney
- Queensland Team of the Century named - article at nz.leagueunlimited.com