Name Geoff Gunney | ||
English rugby league player and coach Geoff Gunney Died at 84
Geoffrey "Geoff" Gunney (MBE) (born (1933-11-09) 9 November 1933 ) born in Leeds South District, is an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s, and 1960s, and coached in the 1970s, playing at representative level for Great Britain and Yorkshire, and at club level for Hunslet, as a second-row, i.e. number 11 or 12, during the era of contested scrums, and coaching at club level for Wakefield Trinity.
Contents
- English rugby league player and coach Geoff Gunney Died at 84
- Club career
- International honours
- Challenge Cup Final appearances
- County Cup Final appearances
- Testimonial match
- Coaching career
- References
Club career
Gunney was born on 9 November 1933 in Armley, a suburb in the west of Leeds. He made his début for Hunslet in 1951. He spent his entire career with Hunslet, and went on to make 579 appearances for Hunslet until his retirement in 1973.
International honours
Geoff Gunney represented the Rest of the World in the 11–20 defeat by Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground on 29 June 1957, represented Great Britain & France in the 37–31 victory over New Zealand at Carlaw Park, Auckland on 3 July 1957, and won caps for Great Britain while at Hunslet in 1954 against New Zealand (3 matches), in 1956 against Australia, in 1957 against France (3 matches), in the 1957 Rugby League World Cup against France, and New Zealand, in 1964 against France, in 1965 against France.
Geoff Gunney played left-second-row, i.e. number 11, for English League XIII while at Hunslet in the 8–26 defeat by France on Saturday 22 November 1958 at Knowsley Road, St. Helens.
Challenge Cup Final appearances
Geoff Gunney played right-second-row, i.e. number 12, in Hunslet's 16–20 defeat by Wigan in the 1965 Challenge Cup Final during the 1964–65 season at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 8 May 1965, in front of a crowd of 89,016.
County Cup Final appearances
Geoff Gunney played right-second-row, i.e. number 12, in Hunslet's 8–17 defeat by Bradford Northern in the 1965 Yorkshire County Cup Final during the 1965–66 season at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds on Saturday 16 October 1965.
Testimonial match
Geoff Gunney's Testimonial match at Hunslet took place in 1960.
Coaching career
Gunney was appointed as coach at Wakefield Trinity in 1976, but was replaced a few months later by Brian Lockwood.