Rugby League
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Stats - St George, 1951-65, 269 games* 63t, 1g (191pts) *269 first grade games - a club record.

VIDEO LINK
Norm Provan Tribute(links to www.centenaryofrugbyleague.com.au)

"if Norm Provan had connected with that stiff arm he threw at you your head would of been over the goalposts."

courtesy of Tony Adams great book The Hitmen - A tribute to League's tough guys.

- why not share your memories with other members of Team Era, just click here -

courtesy of Tony Adams great book The Hitmen - A tribute to League's tough guys.

With the likes of Norm Provan, Ken Kearney and Wilson leading the way up front, Saints were Sydney league's sleeping giant of the early 1950's. The Dragons finally broke through for the first of their incredible run of 11 straight premiership titles in 1956, with Wilson the key man.

Saints beat a determined Balmain side 18 -12, despite playing with just 12 men for over an hour. Centre Merv Lees was helped from the field with a badly dislocated collarbone after only 13 minutes, leaving Saints in disarry. But Wilson, always a calm man in a crisis, moved out into the centres. The remaining five forwards, led by Provan and Kearney, did the job as Saints secured the title in rousing style.

- why not share your memories with other members of Team Era, just click here -

courtesy of Tony Adams great book The Hitmen - A tribute to League's tough guys.

In 1962 Saints found themselves once more opposed to the Magpies in the Season finale. This was a match in which Billy Wilson was involved in one of leagues most infamous incidents. Saints five eight that day, Johnny Raper, takes up the story.

"Wests prop Jim Cody flattened our skipper Norm Provan and we were far from impressed as Norm was carried off on a stretcher. The mood was fairly ugly in the dressing rooms at halftime, as "sticks" lay there dazed in the corner. Plenty of blokes were talking about get squares. But Billy, who had taken over as captain, suddenly jumped to his feet and made it clear there would be none of that.

"I know you blokes are all fired up after what happened to 'Sticks' (Provan) but I don't want you to go out there and look to get even with them. This is a grand final and we'll win it for sure if we keep level heads. I don't want to see any of you blokes throwing a punch - let's just go back out there and play football."

"I was still a young bloke at the time and it sounded like good advice to me and besides, I learned early in life not to argue with a bloke like Bluey Wilson. We ran back on the field with our thoughts on nothing other then playing football and no sooner had we kicked off then I saw Jim Cody flat on his back, apparently Bluey had hit him with the best left hook you'd ever want to see. Cody was carried off and Bluey was waved straight off by referee Jack Bradley. He gave us a wink and said, "I'll see you all for victory drinks in the Members Bar after the game."

"Luckily we hung on to win 9-6."

Years later, Wilson claimed he only realised after he'd decked Cody that it was the same player who had earlier dispatched Provan. "It wasn't intentional," Wilson said, "I didn't know who it was but Saints still had to battle through with only 12 men."

- why not share your memories with other members of Team Era, just click here -

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- why not share your memories with other members of Team Era, just click here -

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- why not share your memories with other members of Team Era, just click here -

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- why not share your memories with other members of Team Era, just click here -