View source for Wally Prigg

{{Short description|Australia international rugby league footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2013}}
{{Infobox rugby league biography
|name     = Wally Prigg
|fullname       = Walter Joseph Prigg
|image          = Wally Prigg.jpg
|image_size     = 150px
|caption        =
|birth_date    = {{birth date|df=yes|1908|10|17}}
|birth_place   = [[Hamilton, New South Wales|Hamilton]], [[New South Wales, Australia]]
|death_date    = {{death date and age|df=yes|1980|9|8|1908|10|17}}
|death_place   = [[Adamstown, New South Wales|Adamstown]], [[New South Wales, Australia]]
|height         =
|weight         =
|position       = {{Rlp|FE|LK}}
|club1          = [[Western Suburbs Rosellas|Wests]] ([[Newcastle Rugby League|Newcastle]])
|year1start     = 1927
|year1end       = 28
|appearances1   =
|tries1         =
|goals1         =
|fieldgoals1    =
|points1        =
|club2          = Centrals (Newcastle)
|year2start     = 1928
|year2end       = 39
|appearances2   =
|tries2         =
|goals2         =
|fieldgoals2    =
|points2        =
|teamA          = [[New South Wales Rugby League team|New South Wales]]
|yearAstart     = 1929
|yearAend       = 39
|appearancesA   = 34
|triesA         = 13
|goalsA         = 0
|fieldgoalsA    = 0
|pointsA        = 39
|teamB          = [[Australia national rugby league team|Australia]]
|yearBstart     = 1929
|yearBend       = 38
|appearancesB   = 19
|triesB         = 4
|goalsB         = 0
|fieldgoalsB    = 0
|pointsB        = 12
|source         =
|new            = yes
|updated        =
| module       = {{infobox person
| embed        = yes
| father       = 
| mother       = 
| spouse       = 
| education    = 
| alma_mater   = 
| relatives    = [[Fred Woolley]] (uncle)
}}
}}

'''Wally Prigg''' (1908–1980) was an Australian [[rugby league]] footballer. He was a {{rlp|lk}} for the [[Australian 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 the [[Australian national rugby league team]].<ref name="Career">Whiticker pp113-115</ref> He has been named amongst the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century.

==Club and state playing career==
[[File:Kangaroos 1st Test 1929.jpg|left|thumb|200px|<small>Prigg back right with headgear before 1stTest Oct 1929</small>]]
[[File:1932 Kangaroos.jpeg|left|thumb|200px|<small> Run-on Test side 6 Jun 1932, Prigg, back row 2nd from left</small>]]
[[File:1937 Aust RL Kangaroos.jpg|left|thumb|200px|<small> Prigg with the 1937–38 Kangaroos, 2nd row far left</small>]]
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.<ref name="Career" /> He was the first [[New South Wales]] country based player to captain the [[Australian national rugby league team]].<ref name="Career" />

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 of {{rlp|lk}}. His game was based around short passing and close support play.

==Australian representative career==
Prigg was selected to make the [[1929–30 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain|1929–30]] and the [[1933–34 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain|1933–34]] tours of Great Britain. He toured with the Australia on their tours of New Zealand in 1935 and 1937 and the on the [[Kangaroo Tour]] of England in 1937–1938 when he was tour captain.<ref name="Career" /> 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 three [[Kangaroo tour]]s.<ref name="Career" /> 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 by [[1908–09 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain|original Kangaroo]] tourist [[Sid Pearce]], Prigg played 19 Tests for Australia between 1929 and 1938. He scored a total of four tries (twelve 12 points) for Australia.

==Accolades==
Post football Prigg operated a general store in the Newcastle suburb of Hamilton.<ref name="Career" /> He died in 1980 at the age of 71. In 2003 he was admitted into the [[Australian Rugby League]] [[Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]].<ref>[http://rl1908.com/Hoffame/index.htm Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080518042953/http://rl1908.com/Hoffame/index.htm |date=18 May 2008 }}</ref> In February 2008, Prigg was named in the list of Australia's [[List of Australian rugby league's 100 greatest players|''100 Greatest Players'']] (1908–2007) which was commissioned by the [[National Rugby League|NRL]] and [[Australian Rugby League|ARL]] to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia.<ref>{{cite news|author=Peter Cassidy|publisher=Macquarie National News|title=Controversy reigns as NRL releases top 100 players|url=http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2008/02/22/Controversy_reigns_as_NRL_releases_top_100_players|access-date=23 February 2008|date=23 February 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225164807/http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2008/02/22/Controversy_reigns_as_NRL_releases_top_100_players|archive-date=25 February 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|website=[[National Rugby League|NRL]] & [[Australian Rugby League|ARL]]|title=Centenary of Rugby League – The Players|url=http://www.centenaryofrugbyleague.com.au/site/the-players.aspx?cat=3&list=true|access-date=23 February 2008|date=23 February 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20080226180521/http://www.centenaryofrugbyleague.com.au/site/the-players.aspx?cat=3&list=true|archive-date=26 February 2008}}</ref>

In 2008 Prigg was named in New South Wales' rugby league team of the century.<ref>{{cite web
 |last        = ARL
 |title       = Australian Rugby Football League 2008 Annual Report
 |page        = 30
 |publisher   = Australian Rugby Football League Limited
 |year        = 2008
 |url         = http://www.australianrugbyleague.com.au/files/11726_ARL_Annrep_1.pdf
 |access-date  = 19 July 2009
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120317182126/http://www.australianrugbyleague.com.au/files/11726_ARL_Annrep_1.pdf
 |archive-date = 17 March 2012
 |df          = dmy-all
}}</ref>
[[File:Kangaroos 1932.jpg|right|thumb|300px|<small> Prigg fifth from left, Kangaroos 1stTest Jun 1932</small>]]

==References==
* Whiticker, Alan (2004) ''Captaining the Kangaroos'', New Holland, Sydney

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061005094418/http://www.australianrugbyleague.com.au/index.cgi?sID=10 Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame]

==Footnotes==
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{{Reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{succession box|title=[[Australian national rugby league team#Captains|Australian national rugby league captain]]|before=[[Dave Brown (rugby league, born 1913)|Dave Brown]]|after=[[Joe Jorgenson]]|years=1937-38}}
{{s-end}}

{{1935 Kangaroo Tour of New Zealand squad}}
{{Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame - 2003 Inductees}}
{{New South Wales rugby league team of the century}}
{{Country Rugby League Team of the Century}}
{{Newcastle Rugby League Team of the Century}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prigg, Wally}}
[[Category:1908 births]]
[[Category:1980 deaths]]
[[Category:Australia national rugby league team captains]]
[[Category:Australia national rugby league team players]]
[[Category:Australian rugby league players]]
[[Category:New South Wales rugby league team players]]
[[Category:Rugby league five-eighths]]
[[Category:Rugby league locks]]
[[Category:Rugby league players from Newcastle, New South Wales]]
[[Category:Western Suburbs Rosellas players]]
[[Category:20th-century Australian sportsmen]]