 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Walter Joseph Prigg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1908-10-17)17 October 1908 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 8 September 1980(1980-09-08) (aged 71) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Five-eighth, Lock | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Fred Woolley (uncle) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wally Prigg (1908–1980) was an Australianrugby league footballer. He was alock for theAustralian national rugby league team. He played nineteen Tests for the Kangaroos between 1929 and 1938, seven as captain and was the first Australian player to make three tours to Great Britain with theAustralian national rugby league team.[1] He has been named amongst the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century.
Wally Prigg was one of the great forwards in the history of rugby league. He spent his whole career as a Newcastle Wests and Central Charlestown player.[1] He was the firstNew South Wales country based player to captain theAustralian national rugby league team.[1]
He made his first appearance for New South Wales at the age of 20. Between 1929 and 1939 he made 32 appearances for New South Wales, a record at the time. He scored twelve tries, thirty-six points for New South Wales. During his career he revolutionized the position oflock. His game was based around short passing and close support play.
Prigg was selected to make the1929–30 and the1933–34 tours of Great Britain. He toured with the Australia on their tours of New Zealand in 1935 and 1937 and the on theKangaroo Tour of England in 1937–1938 when he was tour captain.[1] He played in all five Tests of that tour as captain and in 24 minor matches. He was the first man to be picked for threeKangaroo tours.[1] His leadership style and skills were respected by English fans. His final Test match for Australia was the first ever between Australia and France in 1938. Prigg retired with the record for most Test caps for the Kangaroos, breaking the record set byoriginal Kangaroo touristSid Pearce, Prigg played 19 Tests for Australia between 1929 and 1938. He scored a total of four tries (twelve 12 points) for Australia.
Post football Prigg operated a general store in the Newcastle suburb of Hamilton.[1] He died in 1980 at the age of 71. In 2003 he was admitted into theAustralian Rugby LeagueHall of Fame.[2] In February 2008, Prigg 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.[3][4]
In 2008 Prigg was named in New South Wales' rugby league team of the century.[5]
| Preceded by | Australian national rugby league captain 1937-38 | Succeeded by |