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| Full name | David John Topliss | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1949-12-29)29 December 1949 Wakefield, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 16 June 2008(2008-06-16) (aged 58) Crofton,Wakefield, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Stand-off | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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David Topliss (29 December 1949 – 16 June 2008) was an EnglishWorld Cup winning professionalrugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, andcoached in the 1980s and 1990s. He played at representative level forGreat Britain,England andYorkshire, at club level forWakefield Trinity (two spells) (captain),Penrith Panthers,Balmain Tigers,Hull FC (captain) andOldham, as astand-off.[1] and coached at club level for Wakefield Trinity.[4]
David Topliss was born inWakefield,West Riding of Yorkshire, England, and he died aged 58 after suffering aheart attack during afive-a-side football game atCrofton Community Centre, inCrofton,Wakefield,West Yorkshire, England.[6]
David Topliss' playing career started atNormanton Juniors ARLFC before spending thirteen seasons with Wakefield Trinity from 1968–81, he played on thewing and he made his début for Wakefield Trinity againstHalifax atThrum Hall,Halifax on Monday 2 September 1968, and won theLance Todd Trophy as man of the match in the 1979Challenge Cup Final even though he was on the losing side.
Topliss joined Hull F.C. at age 31 for a fee of £15,000. He captained them to six finals in his four years at the club including when they won the Challenge Cup in 1982.[7] He wascaptain of Hull during the1981–82,1982–83,1983–84 and1984–85 seasons.[8]
Topliss played in Australian season of1976 for thePenrith Panthers and in1977 for theBalmain Tigers. In the latter season he achieved the rare feat of scoring five tries in a match — mostly by backing up fellow EnglishmanBrian Lockwood[9] — against an admittedly extremely weakNewtown team. Topliss would prove the last player to score five tries in one NSWRFL/NSWRL match untilAndrew Ettingshausen did so more than twelve years later.[10] He remains the only five-eighth or halfback to ever achieve this feat, and alongsideFrank Burge, Peter Langmack andNathan Merritt, one of only four players playing outside the three-quarter line to do so.
David Topliss woncaps for England while at Wakefield Trinity in 1975 against France,[2] and woncaps for Great Britain while at Wakefield Trinity in 1973 against Australia (2 matches), in 1979 against Australia, and while at Hull F.C. in 1982 against Australia.[3]
David Topliss was selected for Great Britain Squad while at Wakefield Trinity for the1972 Rugby League World Cup in France. However, David Topliss did not participate in any of the four matches.
He went on the 1974 and 1979 Ashes tours of Australia, playing twice on the 1974 tour, and once on the 1979 tour, and whilst at Hull he captained Great Britain against the Kangaroos in 1982.[11]
David Topliss playedstand-off in Great Britain's 7–8 defeat byFrance in thefriendly atStadio Pier Luigi Penzo, Venice on Saturday 31 July 1982.
He left Hull in 1985 and finished his playing career with Oldham (1985–87). During his time at the side he became synonymous with local supporters, earning the chant and slogan 'Go Topliss!'. At one game against Wrexham Topliss decided to remove his rugby shirt playfully in response to the chant, which resulted in him being banned from the game for 1 year
David Topliss woncap(s) forYorkshire while at Wakefield Trinity.
David Topliss playedstand-off, wascaptain, and won theLance Todd Trophy in Wakefield Trinity's 3–12 defeat byWidnes in the1978–79 Challenge Cup Final during the1978–79 season atWembley Stadium, London on Saturday 5 May 1979, in front of a crowd of a crowd of 94,218.[12] playedstand-off in Hull F.C.'s 14–14 draw with Widnes in the1981–82 Challenge Cup Final during the1981–82 season at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 1 May 1982, in front of a crowd of 92,147, and playedstand-off, and scored twotries in the 18-9 victory over Widnes in the1981–82 Challenge Cup Finalreplay during the 1981–82 season atElland Road,Leeds on Wednesday 19 May 1982, in front of a crowd of 41,171.[13]
David Topliss playedstand-off in Wakefield Trinity's 2–7 defeat byLeeds in the1973–74 Yorkshire Cup Final during the1973–74 season atHeadingley, Leeds on Saturday 20 October 1973, playedstand-off in the 13–16 defeat byHull Kingston Rovers in the1974–75 Yorkshire County Cup Final during the1974–75 season at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds on Saturday 26 October 1974, playedstand-off in Hull F.C.'s 18–7 victory overBradford Northern in the1982–83 Yorkshire County Cup Final during the1982–83 season at Elland Road, Leeds on Saturday 2 October 1982, playedstand-off in Hull F.C.'s 13–2 victory overCastleford in the1983–84 Yorkshire County Cup Final during the1983–84 season at Elland Road, Leeds on Saturday 15 October 1983, was asubstitute inHull FC's 29–12 victory overHull Kingston Rovers in the1984–85 Yorkshire County Cup Final during the1984–85 season at Elland Road, Leeds on Saturday 27 October 1984, and playedstand-off inOldham's 6–27 defeat byWigan in the1986–87 Lancashire Cup County Cup Final during the1986–87 season atKnowsley Road,St. Helens on Sunday 19 October 1986.[14]
David Topliss playedstand-off, and scored atry in Wakefield Trinity's 11–22 defeat byHalifax in the1971–72 Player's No.6 Trophy Final during the1971–72 season atOdsal Stadium,Bradford on Saturday 22 January 1972, and playedstand-off, and wascaptain in Hull F.C.'s 0–12 defeat byHull Kingston Rovers in the1984–85 John Player Special Trophy Final during the1984–85 season atBoothferry Park,Kingston upon Hull on Saturday 26 January 1985 in front of a crowd of 25,326.
David Topliss appears to have scored twelve drop-goals (or field-goals as they are currently known in Australasia) for Wakefield Trinity, but prior to the1974–75 season all goals, whether;conversions,penalties, ordrop-goals, scored two points, consequently prior to this date drop-goals were often not explicitly documented.
David Topliss'Testimonial match atWakefield Trinity took place in 1980.
Topliss coached Wakefield Trinity from 1987–94 and also had a spell in charge of Great Britain under-21s in 1989. In his first season with Trinity, he guided them to promotion back into the old First Division, retiring as a player after the last match of the season. He remained at Wakefield as coach until 1994 when he stepped down to concentrate on his business.[1]
David Topliss was the coach in Wakefield Trinity's 8–11 defeat byCastleford in the1990–91 Yorkshire County Cup Final during the1990–91 season at Elland Road, Leeds on Sunday 23 September 1990, and was the coach in the 29–16 victory overSheffield Eagles in the1992–93 Yorkshire County Cup Final during the1992–93 season at Elland Road, Leeds on Sunday 18 October 1992.
Arriva Yorkshire honoured 13 rugby league footballers on Thursday 20 August 2009, at a ceremony atThe Jungle, the home of theCastleford Tigers. A fleet of new buses were named after the 'Arriva Yorkshire Rugby League Dream Team'. Members of the public nominated the best ever rugby league footballers to have played in West Yorkshire, supported by local rugby league journalists;James Deighton from BBC Leeds, and Tim Butcher, editor ofRugby League World. The 'Arriva Yorkshire Rugby League Dream Team' is;Trevor FosterMBE,Neil FoxMBE,Albert Goldthorpe,Alan Hardisty,Stan Kielty,Lewis Jones,Roger MillwardMBE,Malcolm Reilly,Garry Schofield,Keith Senior, David Topliss,Dave Valentine andAdrian Vowles.[15]
| Sporting positions | ||
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| Preceded by Trevor Bailey 1986-1987 | Coach Wakefield Trinity 1987-1994 | Succeeded by David Hobbs 1994-1995 |
