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Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | Herbert Richmond Gilbert (1888-09-18)18 September 1888[1] Gulgong, New South Wales[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 5 January 1972(1972-01-05) (aged 83)[1] Bexley, New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 182 cm (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 13 st 7 lb (86 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | wing,[1]Centre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby league | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Coaching information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 10 April 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Railways | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | Herb Gilbert, Jack Gilbert, Bob Gilbert | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Sam Gilbert (great grandson) Larry Davidson (great grandson) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Herbert R. Gilbert (18 September 1888 – 5 January 1972) was an Australianrugby league andrugby union player – adual-code international. He represented theWallabies in three Tests in 1910 and theKangaroos in seven Tests from 1911 to 1920, his last two as captain. The captain-coach of theSt. George Dragons club in Sydney in their inaugural season, he is considered one of Australia's finest footballers of the 20th century.[2] His sons,Herb Gilbert, Jr andJack Gilbert were also notable rugby league footballers.
Gilbert was born inGulgong, New South Wales and moved to Sydney, playing rugby union in the South Sydney district.[3] Tall and powerful for his era, Gilbert stood at 6 ft (182 cm), weighed13 st 7 lb (86 kg), and reputedly played his best football in the biggest games. Gilbert learnt his rugby in the South Sydney district and went into the NSW and Australian teams in 1910 afterDally Messenger defected to league. The pro-rugby union press boasted that Gilbert was a greater asset to the union than Dally Messenger had ever been.[3]
He was first selected forNew South Wales in 1910 againstQueensland and then theNew Zealand Māori. That same year he made hisWallaby Test début playing in the three Test series against theAll Blacks in 1910. The series was played over only eight days at theSydney Cricket Ground and won by theAll Blacks by two games to one. Gilbert scored two tries in the second Test and another in the third.[3]
Later in the same year he'd made his rugby union representative debut, he crossed over to the professional code, joining theSouth Sydney Club in 1910 as their first grade player number 42.[4] He represented forNew South Wales in 1911 and was chosen for the1911–12 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain. Gilbert made his international league début in the first Test at Newcastle in November 1911, becoming the 16th ever Australian dual code international. He played in all three Tests on tour, heading the tour's try-scoring list with 20 tries.[3]
From 1912 to 1915 he played in England forHull FC, where he played atcentre, wearing number 4, and wascaptain inHull FC's 6–0 victory overWakefield Trinity in the1914 Challenge Cup Final during the1913–14 season atThrum Hall,Halifax, played in front of a crowd of 19,000.[3]
After the outbreak ofWorld War I, thethree-quarter returned to Australia, where he rejoined South Sydney. In 1916, Gilbert joinedEastern Suburbs. He was a member of that club'sCity Cup winning side before joining theWestern Suburbs Magpies in 1917. He played with them until 1920, helping to mould them from a struggling side to a competitive outfit.[3]
In 1921 aged 33, Gilbert signed on as foundation captain-coach of the newly formedSt. George club. He retired as a player at the end of that season but coached the club until 1924.[3]
Gilbert returned to the Australian Test team as captain in the 2nd Test of theLions' 1920 tour of Australia. All four of Australia's illustrious three-quarter line ofDick Vest,Harold Horder,Viv Farnsworth and Gilbert scored tries in Australia's 21–8 victory. Withthe Ashes already won, Australia lost to Great Britain in the 3rd Test of the series with Gilbert captaining his country for his second and final time.[3]
Gilbert was awarded Life Membership of theSt. George Dragons club in 1938. He was a state and national selector from 1925 to 1937; his working career was with the New South Wales Railways; in his later years he was doorman at theSydney Cricket Ground.[3] Herb died in 1972 – aged 83.
In 2004 he was named by Souths in theirSouth Sydney Dream Team,[5] consisting of 17 players and a coach representing the club from1908 through to2004. In February 2008, Gilbert was named in the list of Australia's100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) which was commissioned by theNRL andARL to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia.[6]
Three of Gilbert's sons all played for St. George withHerb Junior andJack playing in the Dragons' maiden Grand Final victory in1941.[3] Another son,Bob also played with theSt. George Dragons in first grade in 1945.[3] Two great grandsons were professional sportsmen –Sam Gilbert playedAFL withSt Kilda andLarry Davidson, was a basketballer who played in theNBL for theWollongong Hawks.
| Sporting positions | ||
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| Preceded by Club founded | Coach St George 1921–1924 | Succeeded by Frank Burge 1927–1930 |
| Preceded by | Captain Australia 1920 | Succeeded by |