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| Full name | William Keith Barnes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1934-10-30)30 October 1934 Port Talbot, Wales, United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 7 April 2024(2024-04-07) (aged 89)[note 1] Randwick, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 11 st 10 lb (74 kg)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Fullback | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Relatives | Gwyl Barnes (cousin) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
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William Keith BarnesAM (30 October 1934 – 7 April 2024),[note 1] also known by thenickname of "Golden Boots", was a Welsh-born Australianrugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s, andcoached in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He was afullback for theAustralian national team and for theBalmain Tigers. He played in 14 tests between 1959 and 1966, as national captain on 12 occasions. He was known as "Golden Boots" due to his exceptional goal-kicking ability. After his playing days he became a referee and later co-commentated on theAmco Cup onNetwork Ten withRay Warren in the 1970s. He is considered one of the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century.[6]
Barnes was born inPort Talbot, Wales on 30 October 1934.
Barnes was 15 when his family emigrated to Australia in 1950 toWollongong where Barnes learnt the game at Wollongong High School. He was graded by the Wollongong club at age 19 as a half-back and in 1954 represented for Country and in a Southern Districts side against the touringGreat Britain Lions.[7]
In 1955 he was signed byNorm "Latchem" Robinson to join theBalmain Tigers and moved to the district and straight into first grade, never playing a single lower grade game in the following 14 seasons.[8] The following year he played in the first of threeGrand Finals against theSt George Dragons at the beginning of their long premiership reign. On three occasions1956,1964 and1966 Keith Barnes would experience defeat in a premiership decider – the last two as captain.
Barnes quickly became known for his deadly accurate goal-kicking and would often kick penalties from the further side of the 50-yard line. He once kicked eleven goals in a club match.
In 1966 he overtookRon Willey's record for the most points scored in anNSWRFL career (1,288); Barnes' eventual total of 1,519 stood as the new career record for seven seasons until it was bettered byEric Simms in 1973. Barnes' tally of 1,519 points for Balmain placed him (as of 2017) 19th on the all-time list of club pointscorers.
In his final playing year with Balmain in 1967, Barnes was captain-coach. He returned briefly for some match appearances in 1968 when the club's playing roster was depleted by injury.
Barnes made his debut forNew South Wales in 1956. His international debut was in the 1957World Cup. He broke his cheekbone in the opening match of the series but stayed on field to kick five goals.
Barnes made his test debut againstNew Zealand in Brisbane in the second test of the 1959 trans-Tasman series enjoying the rare distinction of captaining his country in his first Test appearance. He kicked seven goals in that outing and stayed on as fullback, goal kicker and captain for the third test. He was then selected as captain for the 1959Kangaroo tour and played ascaptain in all six Test matches and sixteen minor tour matches, kicking 101 goals on the tour. At the tail-end of the trip he appeared in two promotional games against Italy.
In 1960, Barnes led Australia in all three tests of a domestic series against France. He enjoys the record of six career test appearances against France, all as captain, for four wins, 1 draw and a loss. In the Brisbane second test 55–6 victory Barnes kicked a test record of 10 goals. He was then selected as captain-coach of the 1960World Cup squad played in England. He appeared in Australia's second and third matches of the tournament with his representative rivalBrian Carlson doing the goal-kicking.
Barnes returned to national honours in the second test of the 1962 domestic series against Great Britain, his final test as captain. Thereafter Australian selectors enjoyed a surfeit of talented young fullbacks to choose from andKen Thornett andLes Johns were regularly selected untilGraeme Langlands later became the incumbent. In 1966 however Barnes made two final representative appearances in the first and second tests of the domestic Ashes series. He scored all of Australia's points in the second test victory. Injury saw Les Johns take Barnes' spot for the third and he would not regain it.
Barnes retired from competitive rugby league in 1968 having made seventeen appearances for his adopted country and 234 appearances for the Tigers in which he averaged four goals per game. After three unsuccessful Grand Final outings during his time, the Tigers ironically won their first premiership in twenty-one years in Barnes' first year after retirement –1969.
Barnes continued an active role in rugby league and in 1976 became Secretary-Manager of the Balmain Leagues Club and in 1984 took up the role of Chief Executive of the football club. Barnes was the first ex-Kangaroo captain to manage the Australian side on the 1990Kangaroo tour. At the turn of the century Barnes was honoured with selection in the Balmain's 'Team of the Century' and in theWests Tigers' 'Team of the Century'.[1] The yearly award for the best back at theWests Tigers club is named the Keith Barnes Medal in his honour.[9]
In 2007 he was inducted into theAustralian Rugby League Hall of Fame.[10] In February 2008, Barnes 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.[11]
In the1996 Australia Day Honours, he was appointed aMember of the Order of Australia (AM) in "recognition of service to rugby league as a player and administrator".[12] On 24 October 2000, he was awarded theAustralian Sports Medal for his rugby league achievements.[13]
In 2009 Barnes was honoured with the naming of the Keith Barnes Stand atLeichhardt Oval, the Balmain Tigers' home ground.[14] He died on 7 April 2024, at the age of 89.[15][16]
| Team | Matches | Years | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 12 | 1959–1963 | 114 |
| Australia (tests) | 14 | 1957–1966 | 108 |
| Australia (World Cup) | 3 | 1957&1960 | 10 |
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Clive Churchill 1959–1960 | Coach Australia 1960 | Succeeded by Brian Carlson 1961 |
| Preceded by | Captain Australia 1959–1962 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Ron Willey 1962 | Record-holder Most points in anNSWRFL career[1] 1966 (1,289) – 1973 (1,519) | Succeeded by Eric Simms 1973 |
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