Norm Provan
Encyclopedia
Norm "Sticks" Provan is an Australian former rugby league
footballer and coach. A giant of a man, he was a second-row forward with the St. George Dragons
during their 11-year consecutive premiership-winning run from 1956 to 1966. Named amongst the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century, he was a representative in the Australian national team from 1954 to 1960 earning 14 Test and 2 World Cup
caps.
. Provan was member of the Dragons side that lost the 1953 final to South Sydney
– the two clubs would battle head-to-head on many more occasions in Provan's illustrious career.
After the retirement of Ken Kearney
in 1962 from the playing arena, and given the Dragons administrators' preference for a player-coach, he took over as captain-coach and the club's dominant run continued. Provan holds the club record of 284 games for St George achieved between 1951 and 1965. He played in the first ten of their run of premiership victories – as captain-coach for four - and made 30 finals appearances for the club. His last game before retirement was a victory in the 1965 Grand Final where the Dragons beat the Rabbitohs
12–8.
and that same year made his Test debut, playing in all three matches of the 1954 series against the visiting Great Britain side commencing a representative second-row partnership with Wests
Kel O'Shea that would continue for a number of years.
Provan was selected for the 1956 Kangaroo tour
. Due to injury he missed the Ashes
series against Great Britain but appeared in three Tests against France at the end of the tour. He appeared in 15 other minor matches on the tour. In 1957 he was a member of Australia's victorious World Cup
squad.
He continued his Test pairing with Kel O'Shea in all three games of the domestic 1958 series against Great Britain and in 1959 featured in all three Tests against the visiting Kiwis
. Family priorities and business commitments caused him to cut short his representative career starting with the 1959 Kangaroo tour
and he made his final national appearance in the 1960 series against France.
were immortalised one of the most memorable sporting images ever captured in Australia, John O'Gready's award winning photo 'The Gladiators' which later became the model for the NSWRL premiership
Winfield Cup trophies from 1982 to 1995 the NRL
trophy since 1998.
The 1963 NSW Rugby League Premiership Grand Final between long term rivals Western Suburbs
and St George was played in a torrential downpour on Saturday, 24 August. This, combined with the centre cricket pitch area of Sydney Cricket Ground
being notoriously muddy in such conditions, ensured that the players were saturated and caked in mud from head to toe. At the conclusion of the hard fought match won by St George, the captains of the teams, the towering Provan and more diminutive Summons, embraced in appreciation of each other's stoic efforts. The moment, captured by a newspaper photographer John O'Gready and published in the following day's Sun-Herald
captured an essential element of rugby league wherein a little man can evenly compete against a bigger man and the sporting respect and camaraderie that follows epic struggle. Subsequently the image won several awards and became known as The Gladiators.
for a single season in 1975. Under his stewardship the Eels won the Pre-Season Cup (Wills Cup), the club's maiden first-grade title, and fell one game short of making their first Grand Final appearance.
He had two seasons coaching the Cronulla Sharks
in 1978 and 1979 taking them to a 1978 Grand Final loss to Manly.
His brother Peter Provan
played alongside him at St George in the 1958
and 1959
Grand Finals and later captained the Balmain Tigers
to their 1969
Grand Final victory. Together Norm and Peter are the only brothers to have led differing Australian first-grade rugby league side to premiership victory.
. In 2007 he was selected by a panel of experts at second-row in an Australian 'Team of the 50s'.
In February 2008, Provan 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. Provan went on to be named in the second-row in Australian rugby league's Team of the Century
. Announced on 17 April 2008, the team is the panel's majority choice for each of the thirteen starting positions and four interchange players. In 2008 New South Wales announced their rugby league team of the century also and Provan was again named at second-row.
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...
footballer and coach. A giant of a man, he was a second-row forward with the St. George Dragons
St. George Dragons
The St George Dragons was an Australian Rugby league football club in St George, Sydney, New South Wales that played in Australia's top-level Rugby league competition from New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1921 until 1998; in 1999 they formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers,...
during their 11-year consecutive premiership-winning run from 1956 to 1966. Named amongst the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century, he was a representative in the Australian national team from 1954 to 1960 earning 14 Test and 2 World Cup
Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...
caps.
Club career
A St George junior and Sutherland local, Provan's junior football was played with the Sutherland Woronora Juniors. He was graded by St George in 1950 after being turned down by EastsSydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
. Provan was member of the Dragons side that lost the 1953 final to South Sydney
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
– the two clubs would battle head-to-head on many more occasions in Provan's illustrious career.
After the retirement of Ken Kearney
Ken Kearney
Ken "Killer" Kearney was an Australian rugby footballer – a dual-code international player – and a rugby league coach. He represented the Wallabies in seven Tests and the Kangaroos in thirty-one Test matches and World Cup games. He captained Australia in nine rugby league Test matches in 1956 and...
in 1962 from the playing arena, and given the Dragons administrators' preference for a player-coach, he took over as captain-coach and the club's dominant run continued. Provan holds the club record of 284 games for St George achieved between 1951 and 1965. He played in the first ten of their run of premiership victories – as captain-coach for four - and made 30 finals appearances for the club. His last game before retirement was a victory in the 1965 Grand Final where the Dragons beat the Rabbitohs
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
12–8.
Representative career
In 1954 Provan first represented for New South WalesNew 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...
and that same year made his Test debut, playing in all three matches of the 1954 series against the visiting Great Britain side commencing a representative second-row partnership with Wests
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...
Kel O'Shea that would continue for a number of years.
Provan was selected for the 1956 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...
. Due to injury he missed the 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 against Great Britain but appeared in three Tests against France at the end of the tour. He appeared in 15 other minor matches on the tour. In 1957 he was a member of Australia's victorious World Cup
Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...
squad.
He continued his Test pairing with Kel O'Shea in all three games of the domestic 1958 series against Great Britain and in 1959 featured in all three Tests against the visiting Kiwis
New Zealand national rugby league team
The New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
. Family priorities and business commitments caused him to cut short his representative career starting with the 1959 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...
and he made his final national appearance in the 1960 series against France.
The Gladiators
In 1963 Provan and Arthur SummonsArthur Summons
Arthur Summons is a former Australian representative rugby union and rugby league player, a dual-code rugby international fly-half or five-eighth...
were immortalised one of the most memorable sporting images ever captured in Australia, John O'Gready's award winning photo 'The Gladiators' which later became the model for the NSWRL 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...
Winfield Cup trophies from 1982 to 1995 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...
trophy since 1998.
The 1963 NSW Rugby League Premiership Grand Final between long term rivals Western Suburbs
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...
and St George was played in a torrential downpour on Saturday, 24 August. This, combined with the centre cricket pitch area of Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
being notoriously muddy in such conditions, ensured that the players were saturated and caked in mud from head to toe. At the conclusion of the hard fought match won by St George, the captains of the teams, the towering Provan and more diminutive Summons, embraced in appreciation of each other's stoic efforts. The moment, captured by a newspaper photographer John O'Gready and published in the following day's Sun-Herald
The Sun-Herald
The Sun-Herald is an Australian tabloid newspaper published on Sundays in Sydney by Fairfax Media. It is the Sunday counterpart of The Sydney Morning Herald. In the 6 months to September 2005, The Sun-Herald had a circulation of 515,000...
captured an essential element of rugby league wherein a little man can evenly compete against a bigger man and the sporting respect and camaraderie that follows epic struggle. Subsequently the image won several awards and became known as The Gladiators.
Coaching
After retiring from playing he went on to coach. He was a non-playing coach for St George for a season in 1968 and with the Parramatta EelsParramatta Eels
The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League...
for a single season in 1975. Under his stewardship the Eels won the Pre-Season Cup (Wills Cup), the club's maiden first-grade title, and fell one game short of making their first Grand Final appearance.
He had two seasons coaching the Cronulla Sharks
Cronulla Sharks
The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales...
in 1978 and 1979 taking them to a 1978 Grand Final loss to Manly.
Records
His appearance in eleven Grand Finals is an Australian rugby league record. His victory statistic of ten consecutive first-grade premierships is a world record in rugby league and arguably a world class statistic in top-grade team sport.His brother Peter Provan
Peter Provan
Peter Provan was an Australian professional rugby league footballer for St. George Dragons, Balmain Tigers and Australia....
played alongside him at St George in the 1958
New South Wales Rugby Football League season 1958
1958's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fifty-first season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney. Ten teams from across the city competed for the J. J. Giltinan Shield during the season, which culminated in a grand final between St...
and 1959
New South Wales Rugby Football League season 1959
1959's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fifty-second season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney. Ten teams from across the city competed for the J. J. Giltinan Shield during the season, which culminated in a grand final between St. George and Manly-Warringah.-...
Grand Finals and later captained the Balmain Tigers
Balmain Tigers
The Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles...
to their 1969
New South Wales Rugby Football League season 1969
The 1969 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the sixty-second season of Sydney's professional rugby league football competition, Australia's first...
Grand Final victory. Together Norm and Peter are the only brothers to have led differing Australian first-grade rugby league side to premiership victory.
Accolades
In 2004 Provan was admitted into the Australian Rugby League Hall of FameAustralian Rugby League Hall of Fame
The Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame honors players who have shown exceptional skill at rugby league, all-time great coaches and referees, and other major contributors to the game who are Australian...
. In 2007 he was selected by a panel of experts at second-row in an Australian 'Team of the 50s'.
In February 2008, Provan 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. Provan went on to be named in the second-row in Australian rugby league's Team of the Century
Australian Rugby League's Team of the Century
In late 2007, the Australian Rugby League and National Rugby League commissioned a college of 130 experts to select the 100 best rugby league players in the game's 100-year history in Australia...
. Announced on 17 April 2008, the team is the panel's majority choice for each of the thirteen starting positions and four interchange players. In 2008 New South Wales announced their rugby league team of the century also and Provan was again named at second-row.
Reflections
Provan wrote the introduction to the Haddan book "The Finals - 100 Years" and reflected upon the dressing room mood before the momentuous 1965 Grand Final:External links
- Norm Provan at eraofthebiff.com
- "Immortal designate: Raper pushes for Provan ahead of Andrew Johns" BY BRAD FORREST 12 Feb 2008 (Fairfax Digital)