Name John Gleeson Role Rugby league | Height 1.68 m | |
John Gleeson (born 28 December 1938) is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1950s and 1960s. An Australian international and Queensland interstate representative half, he played club football in the country for Chinchilla's team, in the Toowoomba Rugby League for the All Whites club, and in the Brisbane Rugby League for the Wynnum-Manly and Brothers clubs, winning the 1967 BRL premiership with the latter.
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Playing career
Gleeson was first selected to represent Queensland in 1961 against New South Wales. In 1963 Brisbane Rugby League club Wynnum signed a host of big name players including Gleeson. At the end of the season he was selected on the 1963-64 Kangaroo tour of Britain and France, making him the first Wynnum-Manly player to achieve Kangaroo tour honours. He was part of the first Kangaroos squad to win the Ashes in England. The following year Gleeson became the club's second international after Lionel Morgan, playing in two Test matches against France.
Gleeson spent 1965 playin in Toowomba for the Souths club. He also went on the 1965 tour of New Zealand. After helping Brothers to the 1967 Brisbane Rugby League premiership, he went on the 1967-68 Kangaroo tour. Filling in for the injured Billy Smith, at halfback, fellow Queenslander Peter Gallagher led a depleted Australian team to an upset victory.
Post playing
In 2008, rugby league in Australia's centenary year, Gleeson was named on the bench of the Toowoomba and South West Team of the Century.
In 2013 Gleeson was inducted into the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame.