View source for Bill Mullins

{{short description|Australian rugby league footballer (b.1948)}}
{{for|the Irish Olympic equestrian|Bill Mullins (equestrian)}}
{{BLP sources|date=June 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2013}} 
{{Infobox rugby league biography
|name           = Bill Mullins
|fullname       = William Mullins
|image          =  
|caption        =  
|birth_date     = {{birth date and age|1948|01|30|df=yes}}
|birth_place    = [[Campsie, New South Wales]], Australia
|height         = {{convert|184|cm|ftin|abbr=on}}
|weight         = {{convert|90|kg|stlb|abbr=on}}
|position       = {{Rlp|WG}}
|club1          = [[Sydney Roosters|Eastern Suburbs]]
|year1start     = 1968
|year1end       = 78
|appearances1   = 190
|tries1         = 104
|goals1         = 0
|fieldgoals1    = 0
|points1        = 312
|retired        = yes
|teamA          = [[New South Wales City rugby league team|City Firsts]]
|yearAstart     = 1971
|yearAend       = 74
|appearancesA   = 4
|triesA         = 0
|goalsA         = 0
|fieldgoalsA    = 0
|pointsA        = 0
|teamB          = [[New South Wales rugby league team|New South Wales]]
|yearBstart     = 1971
|yearBend       = 
|appearancesB   = 1
|triesB         = 1
|goalsB         = 0
|fieldgoalsB    = 0
|pointsB        = 3
|updated        = 16 February 2016
|source         = [http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/bill-mullins/summary.html Rugby League Project]
| module       = {{infobox person
| embed        = yes
| father       = 
| mother       = 
| spouse       = 
| education    = 
| alma_mater   = 
| relatives    = [[Brett Mullins]]  (son)<br>[[Russell Mullins]] (brother)<br>[[Jack Hetherington]] (grandson)<br>[[James Schiller]] (grandson)
}}
}}

'''William Mullins''' (born 30 January 1948) is an Australian former [[rugby league]] footballer who played during the 1960s and 1970s in the [[New South Wales Rugby League premiership]], the major rugby league competition in Australia at the time.

==Career==
===Eastern Suburbs Roosters===
A former professional runner, Mullins played his junior football with the [[Canterbury Bulldogs|Canterbury-Bankstown]] club before joining [[Sydney Roosters|Eastern Suburbs]] in [[1968 NSWRFL season|1968]] where he played 190 first grade matches in the years until [[1978 NSWRFL season|1978]]. At the time of his retirement, he was the club's leading [[Try (rugby)|try]]-scorer with 104 tries.<ref>[http://www.news.com.au/roosters-flyer-anthony-minichiello-wants-to-surpass-bill-mullins-effort-of-105-tries-for-the-chooks/story-e6frexnr-1225856894900?matchid=NRL20101004  Roosters flyer Anthony Minichiello wants to surpass Bill Mullins' effort of 105 tries for the Chooks]</ref>

A tall, powerfully built {{rlp|wg}},  Mullins played in some of the great [[Sydney Roosters|Easts]] sides of the seventies, winning premierships in [[NSWRFL season 1974|1974]] and [[NSWRFL season 1975|1975]],<ref name="son">{{cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=2997542|title=Rugby League: Grand final fever takes over|date=4 October 2002|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|access-date=20 September 2011}}</ref> and finishing runners up in [[NSWRFL season 1972|1972]] Grand Final. He also won pre-season cups in 1974 and [[NSWRFL season 1977|1977]], mid-week cups in 1975 and [[NSWRFL season 1978|1978]].

Mullins was a representative of [[New South Wales City rugby league team|City Firsts]] and [[New South Wales rugby league team|New South Wales]], though injuries suffered at the wrong times during his career prevented him from representing his country. In a trial  for [[Rugby League World Cup|World Cup]] selection in 1971, Mullins suffered a broken jaw and again, in 1973 when he was 'king hit' in a game against [[Manly Sea Eagles|Manly-Warringah]] costing him any chance of being selected to the [[1973 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France|1973 Kangaroo tour]].

During the [[1976 NSWRFL season]], Mullins played as a {{rlp|wg}} for Eastern Suburbs in their unofficial [[1976 World Club Challenge]] match against British champions [[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]] in Sydney.

===Young Cherry Pickers===
At the end of the [[1978 NSWRFL season]], Mullins moved to the rural NSW town of [[Young, New South Wales|Young]] where he played for the Young Cherry Pickers, but a series of broken legs brought about an end to his rugby league career.

==Personal life==
Mullins for many years owned a fish and chip shop in Sydney's [[Charing Cross]].{{cn|date=June 2025}}

Brothers [[Russell Mullins|Russell]] and [[Terry Mullins]] played for Sydney's [[Western Suburbs Magpies]] against Bill and his son [[Brett Mullins]]<ref name="son"/> is an Australian representative who has won premierships with [[Canberra Raiders|Canberra]] and [[Sydney Roosters]].

Mullins is the grandfather of the rugby league footballer for the [[Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs]]; [[Jack Hetherington]] and [[Canberra Raiders]] outside back [[James Schiller]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Eastern Suburbs Roosters squad 1974 NSWRFL premiership}}
{{Eastern Suburbs Roosters squad 1975 NSWRFL premiership}}
{{Eastern Suburbs - 1976 World Club Challenge Winners}}
{{National Rugby League top try scorers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mullins, Bill}}
[[Category:1948 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Australian rugby league players]]
[[Category:New South Wales rugby league team players]]
[[Category:Rugby league players from Campsie, New South Wales]]
[[Category:Rugby league wingers]]
[[Category:Sydney Roosters players]]
[[Category:City New South Wales rugby league team players]]
[[Category:20th-century Australian sportsmen]]