Ron Hilditch is an Australian former professional 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...

 footballer and coach. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin

Rugby League State of Origin

State of Origin is an annual best of three series of rugby league football matches contested by the Maroons and the Blues, who represent the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales respectively...

 representative forward, he played club football for the Parramatta Eels

Parramatta 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...

 with whom he won the 1981 NSWRFL Premiership.

Playing career

An Australian Kangaroo, Hilditch was selected for three internationals, all against France: once in 1978 and twice in 1981.

Hilditch was selected to represent New South Wales as a front-rower for the only State of Origin

1981 Rugby League State of Origin game

The second ever Australian rugby league State of Origin fixture of 1981 featured a stunning comeback by the Maroons, an all-in-brawl, a 90-metre try by Eric Grothe, Sr...

 game in 1981.

Coaching career

After three years as captain-coach of Mudgee

Group 10 Rugby League

Group 10 is a rugby league competition in the Central West area of New South Wales, run under the auspices of the Country Rugby League. Games in the Competition are usually played on Sundays with some Saturday night matches...

 in the Country Rugby League

New South Wales Country Rugby League

-2011 Tier 2 Championships:-History:Newcastle was the first city outside Sydney to start a league competition, being involved in the Sydney Premiership in 1908-09 and then starting their own competition in 1910....

, Hilditch coached the Illawarra Steelers

Illawarra Steelers

The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club competed in Australia's top-level Rugby League competition from 1982, when they, along with the Canberra Raiders, were admitted into the then New South Wales Rugby Football...

 in 1989 and 1990. In 1994, he succeeded Mick Cronin

Mick Cronin (rugby league)

Michael William "Mick" Cronin OAM is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He was a goal-kicking centre for the Australian national team and a stalwart for the Parramatta Eels club. He played in 22 Tests and 11 World Cup matches between 1973 and 1982...

 at Parramatta but his three years as coach of the club were not particularly successful, with only a 30% win rate. Hilditch was replaced by Brian Smith

Brian Smith (rugby league)

Brian Smith is an Australian coach and former player of rugby league football. He is the current head coach at the Sydney Roosters of the NRL. Smith played for St. George and South Sydney Rabbitohs , appearing in a total of 31 first grade games...

 in 1997.

Hilditch was inducted into the Parramatta Eels Hall of Fame in 2006.

Ron Hilditch is currently a member of the Parramatta Eels Board of Directors.

External links

• Parramatta Eels Honour Roll