Johnny Smith (rugby league)

Johnny Smith was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s. He played for North Sydney and Parramatta. He was a foundation player for Parramatta and played in the club's first ever game.

Johnny Smith

Personal information
Full name	Johnny Smith
Born	1923 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died	2 October 2007 Camden Haven, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
Position	Second-row
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1945–46 North Sydney 12 5 0 0 15 1947–50 Parramatta 46 5 0 0 15 Total 58 10 0 0 30
Source: [1]

Playing career

Smith made his debut for North Sydney in 1945 and spent two years with the club as they missed out on the finals on both occasions. In 1947, Smith joined Parramatta who had just been admitted into the competition. On 12 April 1947 Parramatta played in their first ever match as a club against Newtown at Cumberland Oval. The game finished in a 34–12 defeat and Parramatta went on to claim the wooden spoon that year after winning only 3 games. Smith went on to play another 3 seasons with the club as they struggled near the bottom of the table but nearly qualified for the finals in 1949 only to miss out by 2 competition points.

Post playing

Smith went on to become a trainer at Parramatta over the next 30 years and was made a life member of the club in 1976. He died on 2 October 2007.[2][3]

References

1. "Johnny Smith - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". Rugbyleagueproject.org.
2. "THROWBACK - 1947 - The Originals". Parramatta Eels. 27 March 2017.
3. "Official Player Numbers". Parramatta Eels.