Tom Kirk (rugby league)

Tom Kirk (1916-1994) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1930s and 1940s. A New South Wales state representative goal-kicking fullback, he played in Sydney's NSWRFL for the Canterbury-Bankstown and Newtown clubs (with whom he won premierships) as well as with North Sydney.[2] He was the first player to become the season's top point scorer on 5 occasions: 1938, 1940, 1943, 1944, 1946. In 1947 he became the first player to score 1,000 career points in the NSWRFL.

Tommy Kirk

Personal information
Full name	Albert Samuel Kirk
Born	15 November 1916 Tumut, New South Wales, Australia
Died	15 March 1994 (aged 77) Caringbah, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
Position	Fullback
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P Tumut 1936–39 Canterbury-Bankstown 42 8 105 0 234 1940–46 Newtown 98 14 319 0 680 1947 North Sydney 15 0 58 0 116 1948 Barmedman Total 155 22 482 0 1030 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1939–46 New South Wales 4 3 4 0 17 1944–46 NSW City 2 0 4 0 8
Source: [1]

Playing career

Former fullback of Tumut's Maher Cup team, Kirk moved to Sydney and first tasted premiership success with Canterbury's 1938 Grand Final-winning team, landing four goals in the 19–6 win over Easts in the final. That year he also topped the competition's point-scorers list and the following year made his debut for NSW in the centres.

Kirk,(back row 2nd from left) in the Newtown 1943 premiership team

Joining Newtown, Kirk became the first player to kick 100 goals in a season in 1943, including five in the 34–7 win over Norths in the premiership decider. He was the season's leading point scorer on five occasions, the last in 1946.

He twice kicked a club record 11 goals during the 1944 NSWRFL season and set Newtown's club record for most points in a match with 25 (1 try and 11 goals) against St George, on 26 August 1944.

In 1946 he overtook Arthur Oxford's record for the most points scored in an NSWRFL career (864); Kirks's eventual total of 1,042 stood as the new career record for thirteen seasons until it was bettered by Bernie Purcell in 1959.

In 1947, Kirk joined North Sydney for his last season in Sydney, and made a return to the New South Wales side in his final year in the Sydney competition.

He finished his playing career at Barmedman, New South Wales in 1948.[3]

Kirk died in March 1994 aged 77.[4]

References

1. "Tom Kirk - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". Rugbyleagueproject.org.
2. Tom Kirk at nrlstats.com
3. Tumut and Adelong Times: "Tom Kirk for Barmedman" 13/07/1948
4. Tommy Kirk at bulldogs.com.au

External links

• Newtown stats at rleague.com

1. Heads, Ian and Middleton, David (2008) A Centenary of Rugby League, MacMillan Sydney