Wayne Pearce
Encyclopedia
Wayne John Pearce OAM
(born 29 March 1960 in Balmain, New South Wales
) is an Australian former rugby league
footballer and coach. An athletic Lock Forward for the Balmain Tigers
, he was affectionately known as 'Junior'. Pearce represented New South Wales
in the State of Origin Series
as well as the Australian national rugby league team
.
Pearce was captain of the Balmain Tigers
rugby league club from 1982–1990. A local junior from the Balmain Police Boys club, he made his debut in 1980 and was quickly marked as a future star. By his retirement in 1990, Pearce was credited as a player who changed the face of rugby league through a great dedication to fitness and match preparation. He is heralded as the player most responsible for Rugby Leagues evolution into the current professional era. During his career his athleticism and staying power overcame his oft-noted lack of natural ability for rugby league.
Pearce's son, Mitchell
is a half-back for the Sydney Roosters
and New South Wales Blues
.
, Pearce nonetheless became so good at lock forward with Balmain by the time of the 1982 Kangaroo tour that he was an automatic selection even with Ray Price having a monopoly on the Test lock position. On the tour, Pearce was moved into the second row to accommodate Price, but took over the lock position permanently after Price retired from international rugby league in 1984. Pearce was awarded the only official performance accolade of the tour when he was voted "players player" of the 1982 Kangaroo Touring Party.
Pearce continued to excel at Representative level and in 1984 he won the Harry Sunderland Medal as Player of the Test Match Series against Great Britain.
, Benny Elias
and later Paul Sironen
. Along with fullback Garry Jack
, they drove Balmain to the semi-finals in 1983 and every year from 1985 to Pearce's retirement. Pearce won the Rothman's Medal for the best-and-fairest player in 1985, but missed out on the Kangaroo tour the following year after controversially failing a fitness test (he felt himself fit enough to tour).
In 1986 Pearce captained the New South Wales Blues
to their first ever State of Origin
clean-sweep, but in the following two years there was to be a rapid decline, with Queensland easily winning every match in 1988. After this, Pearce stood down from representative rugby league, despite pressure for him to return after Queensland won even more easily in 1989. In 1988 he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia
"for service to rugby league". Pearce was also the inaugural winner of the Ken Stephens Medal for Community Service by a Rugby League player.
Pearce also made an appearance the 1988 Australian television movie The First Kangaroos
, which depicted the 1908-09 Kangaroo tour.
Pearce captained the Balmain Tigers to two successive grand finals in 1988 and 1989, both of which they lost. In 1990, Pearce could not play a full match until the seventeenth round, but for the rest of the season he was at his best, seen clearly in the play-off for fifth with Newcastle, when he scored a crucial try from a bomb and carted the ball forward as fearlessly as ever. The following week, though, proved to be his last match as Balmain lost 0–16, sparking a major decline in the club's fortunes after Pearce's retirement.
and ARL
to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia.
coach Alan Jones
at the end of 1993 after three disappointing seasons. Owing to the clubs significant financial problems, Pearce was never able to bring Balmain back to prominence, and as a result of the pressure resulting from the Super League war
between 1995 and 1997, they were forced to merge with Wests after the 1999 season. Pearce coached the Wests Tigers through their inaugural year, but unfortunately, the stress involved led him to stand down from club coaching commitments.
Pearce also coached NSW, and in 2000 the Blues beat Queensland 3-0 which included the largest ever win in State of Origin history in Game 3 of the 2000 series, which NSW won 56-16. This resulted in Pearce becoming the only person to ever Captain and Coach a 3-0 series whitewash.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born 29 March 1960 in Balmain, New South Wales
Balmain, New South Wales
Balmain is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Balmain is located slightly west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt....
) is an Australian former 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 athletic Lock Forward for 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...
, he was affectionately known as 'Junior'. Pearce represented 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...
in the State of Origin Series
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...
as well as the Australian national rugby league team
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...
.
Pearce was captain of 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...
rugby league club from 1982–1990. A local junior from the Balmain Police Boys club, he made his debut in 1980 and was quickly marked as a future star. By his retirement in 1990, Pearce was credited as a player who changed the face of rugby league through a great dedication to fitness and match preparation. He is heralded as the player most responsible for Rugby Leagues evolution into the current professional era. During his career his athleticism and staying power overcame his oft-noted lack of natural ability for rugby league.
Pearce's son, Mitchell
Mitchell Pearce
Mitchell Pearce is an Australian rugby league footballer currently playing for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League...
is a half-back for the Sydney Roosters
Sydney 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...
and New South Wales Blues
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...
.
Representative career
Not heavily framed for a league forward at only 89 kgKilogram
The kilogram or kilogramme , also known as the kilo, is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units and is defined as being equal to the mass of the International Prototype Kilogram , which is almost exactly equal to the mass of one liter of water...
, Pearce nonetheless became so good at lock forward with Balmain by the time of the 1982 Kangaroo tour that he was an automatic selection even with Ray Price having a monopoly on the Test lock position. On the tour, Pearce was moved into the second row to accommodate Price, but took over the lock position permanently after Price retired from international rugby league in 1984. Pearce was awarded the only official performance accolade of the tour when he was voted "players player" of the 1982 Kangaroo Touring Party.
Pearce continued to excel at Representative level and in 1984 he won the Harry Sunderland Medal as Player of the Test Match Series against Great Britain.
Captaincy
Pearce's captaincy proved critical in elevating Balmain from also-rans to a force of the 1980s, in concert with Steve RoachSteve Roach (rugby league footballer)
Stephen David "Blocker" Roach - is an Australian former rugby league prop forward of the 1980s and early 1990s. He made thirty-nine representative appearances for the Australian national team in Tests, World Cup and New South Wales State of Origin matches between 1985 and 1991...
, Benny Elias
Benny Elias
Benjamin Elias is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. He played primarily as a hooker for Balmain in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership. He was one of the leading hookers from the mid 1980s until his retirement at the end of the 1994 season...
and later Paul Sironen
Paul Sironen
Paul Sironen is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who was a prominent second rower for the Balmain Tigers during the late 1980s and early 1990s...
. Along with fullback Garry Jack
Garry Jack
Garry Jack is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He was a representative in the Australian national team and star player with the Balmain Tigers. Jack was a for the Tigers during the late 1980s and early 1990s, under the captaincy of Wayne Pearce and the coaching of Warren Ryan...
, they drove Balmain to the semi-finals in 1983 and every year from 1985 to Pearce's retirement. Pearce won the Rothman's Medal for the best-and-fairest player in 1985, but missed out on the Kangaroo tour the following year after controversially failing a fitness test (he felt himself fit enough to tour).
In 1986 Pearce captained the New South Wales Blues
New South Wales Blues
The New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
to their first ever 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...
clean-sweep, but in the following two years there was to be a rapid decline, with Queensland easily winning every match in 1988. After this, Pearce stood down from representative rugby league, despite pressure for him to return after Queensland won even more easily in 1989. In 1988 he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
"for service to rugby league". Pearce was also the inaugural winner of the Ken Stephens Medal for Community Service by a Rugby League player.
Pearce also made an appearance the 1988 Australian television movie The First Kangaroos
The First Kangaroos
The First Kangaroos is a 1988 British–Australian made for TV sports film directed by Frank Cvitanovich and starring Dennis Waterman, Chris Haywood and Dominic Sweeney. It depicts the first-ever rugby league tour of England by the Australian national team, the 1908-09 Kangaroos...
, which depicted the 1908-09 Kangaroo tour.
Pearce captained the Balmain Tigers to two successive grand finals in 1988 and 1989, both of which they lost. In 1990, Pearce could not play a full match until the seventeenth round, but for the rest of the season he was at his best, seen clearly in the play-off for fifth with Newcastle, when he scored a crucial try from a bomb and carted the ball forward as fearlessly as ever. The following week, though, proved to be his last match as Balmain lost 0–16, sparking a major decline in the club's fortunes after Pearce's retirement.
Accolades
In February 2008, Pearce was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) which was commissioned by the NRLNational 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.
Coaching
There was always speculation Pearce would coach Balmain after his retirement, and he did so after the sacking of controversially appointed former unionRugby 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...
coach Alan Jones
Alan Jones (radio broadcaster)
Alan Belford Jones AO is an Australian radio broadcaster, former rugby union and rugby league coach and administrator.Jones hosts Sydney's most popular breakfast radio program, on radio station 2GB...
at the end of 1993 after three disappointing seasons. Owing to the clubs significant financial problems, Pearce was never able to bring Balmain back to prominence, and as a result of the pressure resulting from the Super League war
Super League war
The Super League war is the common name given to the corporate dispute that was fought in and out of court during the mid-1990s between the Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation-backed Super League and the Kerry Packer and Optus Vision-backed Australian Rugby League organisations over broadcasting...
between 1995 and 1997, they were forced to merge with Wests after the 1999 season. Pearce coached the Wests Tigers through their inaugural year, but unfortunately, the stress involved led him to stand down from club coaching commitments.
Pearce also coached NSW, and in 2000 the Blues beat Queensland 3-0 which included the largest ever win in State of Origin history in Game 3 of the 2000 series, which NSW won 56-16. This resulted in Pearce becoming the only person to ever Captain and Coach a 3-0 series whitewash.