_2.jpg) Lyons in 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Clifford Raymond Lyons | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1961-10-19)19 October 1961 (age 63) Narrandera,New South Wales,Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 89 kg (14 st 0 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Five-eighth, Lock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 8 June 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cliff Lyons (born 19 October 1961) is an indigenous Australian former internationalrugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. AClive Churchill Medallist and two-timeDally M Medallist, he made 309 first-grade appearances with theManly Warringah Sea Eagles, winning grand finals with them in1987 and1996. Lyons also representedNew South Wales andAustralia, being part of the successful1990 Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain and France.
Lyons, known asNapper orCliffy to his mates, started his rugby league career playingLock forward, but was often moved into theFive-eighth role which is where he was considered to be at his best. It was at five-eighth thatManly Warringah Sea Eagles coachBob Fulton started playing Lyons on a permanent basis. Lyons' success with the Sea Eagles, winning premierships in 1987 and 1996, saw him selected in theManly Sea Eagles 60th Anniversary Dream Team in 2006, being named on the bench of the 17-man line-up. He was notable for his elusive cross-field runs, creating doubt in the minds of defenders and setting up gaps for support players, most famously second-rowerSteve Menzies, to run back into.
Born inNarrandera, New South Wales on 19 October 1961, Lyons played junior rugby league withGundagai Tigers. As a teenager he moved to theCronulla district as a boarder fromTregear nearMount Druitt. Lyons was graded as a second rower with theCronulla-Sutherland Sharks in 1981. He played with theGundagai Tigers in theGroup 9 competition for three seasons, from where he representedRiverina againstNew Zealand in 1982 and againstGreat Britain in 1984.
Lyons entered theNSWRFL Premiership for the first time with theNorth Sydney Bears midway through 1984, following his Riverina coachGreg Hawick. He made his first grade début for the Bears in Round 2 of the1985 NSWRL season, playingfive-eighth, and contributing a field goal in a 15–10 win over theIllawarra Steelers at theWollongong Showground. He then played in England in the Australian off-season with stays withLeeds (1985–86) andSheffield Eagles (1986–87).
Lyons moved to the neighbouring team, theBob Fulton-coachedManly-Warringah Sea Eagles for the1986 NSWRL season, though he mostly played at lock forward that year due to a broken arm suffered by regular lock and team captainPaul Vautin. This saw Fulton play former WallabyMitchell Cox at five-eighth for most of the season with mixed results. Manly finished 4th at the end of the minor round with 14 wins, 9 losses, a draw (plus 2 byes) and were bundled out in a 29–22 loss toBalmain in the Minor Preliminary Semi-final.
With Vautin fully recovered by the start of the1987 season, Lyons became the Sea Eagles' first choice five-eighth alongside speedyAustralian Kangaroos test half backDes Hasler. Lyons made hisState of Origin début forNew South Wales in Game 2 of1987 State of Origin series on a wet and muddySydney Cricket Ground, beating outCanterbury-Bankstown pivot and 1986 Kangaroo touristTerry Lamb as the Blues' five-eighth at the end of the representative career ofBrett Kenny, and playing opposite the King of Origin football, Australian andQueensland captainWally Lewis. Lyons also played in 1987's exhibition state of Origin match inLos Angeles. Manly went on to record a new club record of 12 straight wins during the season which culminated in the 1987 Grand Final against theCanberra Raiders. Lyons scored the only try of the first half against the Raiders after a strong 25m run from a scrum win, but it was his damaging runs that cut holes in the Raiders defence that saw him win theClive Churchill Medal as man of the match. Following the grand final victory he travelled with Manly to England for the1987 World Club Challenge against the 1986–87 English champions,Wigan. In front of an official 36,895 fans atWigan'sCentral Park (though many in attendance believe the crowd to be closer to 50,000), Wigan stunned theWinfield Cup premiers 8–2 in a try-less game.
Despite being born and bred in the country, Lyons made the first of three appearances forCity Origin in 1988 in the annualCity vs Country Origin game. He appeared in two games of the1988 State of Origin series, vying for the five-eighth position with Terry Lamb. At the end of the1988 NSWRL season, Lyons made his international début when he was selected on the bench for a Rest of the World team that narrowly lost 30–28 toGreat Britain atHeadingley inLeeds, England. Joining Lyons in the side were his Manly teammatesDale Shearer (Fullback),Michael O'Connor (Centre) andNoel "Crusher" Cleal (Second-row), as well as fellow AustraliansSteve Ella (5/8),Allan Langer (Halfback) andSam Backo (Prop). During the1988–89 Rugby Football League season Lyons played atstand-off, and was awarded theWhite Rose Trophy asman of the match inLeeds' 33–12 victory overCastleford in the1988 Yorkshire Cup Final atElland Road,Leeds on Sunday 16 October 1988.
Lyons' ability to set up tries for his support players with his unpredictable weaving runs saw him consistently win player awards, culminating in his 'breakthrough' season in1990, age 29. After winning the coveted Gold 'Dally M' award for Player of the Year in the regular club season he received his call-up to the Australian team on the1990 Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain and France. Australia lost the first Test 19–14 atWembley Stadium (the Kangaroos first loss on English soil since1978), and Lyons was thrust into the second Test side atOld Trafford. He repaid the faith shown in him by his former club coach Fulton by finishing one of the best team tries ever seen in a Test as Australia keptThe Ashes alive with 14–10 win over Great Britain. Lyons then produced a solid display in the third Test as Australia retained The Ashes with a resounding 14–0 win atElland Road.[3] He then went on to play in both winning Tests againstFrance, being named man-of-the-match for the 34-10 second test win at theStade Gilbert Brutus inPerpignan.
Lyons again played for NSW in the1991 State of Origin series, but lost histest place to a returningWally Lewis for the first test of the1991 Trans-Tasman Test series againstNew Zealand, and then was passed over in favour of North Sydney pivotPeter Jackson for the final two tests. At the end of the1991 NSWRL season Manly finished in 2nd place behind eventual premiersPenrith in the minor round, but bombed out in straight sets in the finals with losses to North Sydney and Canberra. Lyons was then selected for the Australian national team for the1991 Kangaroo tour of Papua New Guinea, regaining his test spot due to an injury to Jackson. On tour he played in both test matches for Australia against thePapua New Guinea Kumuls, scoring a try in the first test inGoroka in which he partnered Manly teammateGeoff Toovey in the halves, but was relegated to the bench for the final test against the Kumuls inPort Moresby.
Cliff Lyons was particularly in his element inrugby league sevens competitions, winning the 'Player of the Competition' during Manly's 1994 Sevens' win and captaining an Aboriginal 'Dream Team' in the 1996 competition. Despite winning his second Gold 'Dally M' award in1994, as well as becoming Manly's firstRugby League Week "Player of the Year" since his coach Bob Fulton had won in1975 (and the club's last as of2016), he missed selection for that year's Kangaroo tour at the age of 33 in favour of younger players.
Lyons resisted a lucrative offer from theWestern Reds to stay with the Sea Eagles in1995, and went on to play in three consecutive grand finals from 1995 to 1997, winning his second premiership in1996 with a 20–8 win overSt. George. At the end of the1998 season, in which he was mainly used off the bench, Lyons reluctantly retired after not being offered a contract.
In January 1999 Lyons was playing for Warringah in arugby sevens competition, but following the Sea Eagles' disastrous start to the1999 NRL season, he made a comeback with the club, passing the 300 first-grade game mark late in the season. He became the oldest player in the NRL at 37 years and 313 days,[4] and also retired with Manly's club record for most first-grade appearances.[5] At the end of the year, Lyons was named Aboriginal Sportsman of the Year (tied withNicky Winmar) and captained Australian Aborigines in an unofficial 'test' againstPapua New Guinea inCairns.
In the year 2000, Lyons was awarded theAustralian Sports Medal for his contribution to Australia's international standing in rugby league. Cut from the newly formedNorthern Eagles at year's end, he signed with Umina and captain-coached the Central Coast club in 2001, the year he celebrated his 40th birthday.
Lyons made a cameo appearance in the 2006 film,Footy Legends.[6]
Lyons' 309 first grade games for Manly is the club record. Into his 40s Cliff's career continued with theHornsby Lions, and more recently theNarraweena Hawks.
In 2018, Lyons was inducted in theNational Rugby League Hall of Fame.[7]
Having coached Narraweena to consecutive premierships in the Manly A-Grade competition, Lyons joined moved into theNSW Cup as coach of theManly-Warringah Sea Eagles side just before the 2012 season.[8]
After leading Manly to a 6th-place finish in the 2012 NSW Cup season, Lyons was replaced as Manly's NSW Cup coach for the 2013 season by former Sea EagleLuke Williamson.