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| Full name | Franklin McMillan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1899-12-14)14 December 1899 Menindee, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 26 December 1966(1966-12-26) (aged 67) Taree, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Fullback | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Frank McMillan (14 December 1899 – 26 December 1966) was an Australianrugby league footballer and coach. He was a full-back for theAustralian national team and played in nine Tests between 1929 and 1934, two as captain. McMillan has since been named amongst the nation's finest players of the 20th century.
McMillan was born inMenindee, New South Wales and was graded with theWestern Suburbs Magpies in 1921. He played fourteen seasons of first grade rugby league all with Wests, aside from the 1925 season which he spent playing for theBalmain Tigers.[1]
During McMillan's long career Wests were premiers inseason 1930 and 1934 and runners-up in1932. He was captain-coach of Wests inseason 1934.
He made hisNew South Wales representative debut in 1922 and 12 years later he was still the state's preferred fullback. He made 22 New South Wales appearances.
His debut national selection was for the1929–30 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain. He played in four Tests and 22 minor tour matches. He was the first Australian international representative to come from the Parramatta juniors.
In 1932 he played in all three Tests of the domesticAshes series.
For the1933–34 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain McMillan was named as captain-coach followingHerb Steinohrt's withdrawal. Australia lost the series 3–0 with McMillan captaining the side in the 1st and 3rd Tests and in 19 minor tour matches including a demonstration match in Paris which introduced rugby league football to France.
Frank McMillan is listed on the Australian Players Register as Kangaroo No.154.[2]
McMillan's opposing captain and fullback for the 1933 series was British rugby league legendJim Sullivan. Both players ended their representative careers in the 3rd Test at Swinton. The Andrews' reference reports that when the two had met earlier in the four Tests of the 1929 series some critics rated McMillan's performances as superior to those of the extraordinary Sullivan.[3]
Whiticker's reference suggests that McMillan revolutionised Australian fullback play and quotes rugby league scribe Tom Goodman:.[4]
McMillan began the era of the 'running' fullback. If not the pioneer of attacking play, then certainly the most exciting crowds had seen. He would make daring bursts from his own goal-line, he exploited the "scissors" move with team-mates, he used the punt sparingly but skillfully, and although he is not rated in the same heights asChurchill, as a fullback, whose defence equalled his brilliant attack, he made many gallant tackles of big men
In September 2004 McMillan was named at fullback in the Western Suburbs Magpies team of the century.[5] In February 2008, McMillan 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][7]
He coached Western Suburbs in 1936, and again in 1945, replacingHenry Bolewski. In 1947 he was the foundation coach of the newly introducedParramatta Eels.
| Team | Matches | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Wests | 148 | 1921–24 & 1926–35 |
| Balmain | 12 | 1925 |
| New South Wales | 22 | 1922–1934 |
| Australia | 9 | 1929–1934 |
| Sporting positions | ||
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| Preceded by | Captain Australia 1933 | Succeeded by |