George Peponis

Dr George Peponis born as Georgios Peponis (Greek: Γεώργιος Πεπόνης, born on September 3, 1953 in Tripoli, Greece) is a Greek Australian former rugby league player for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, New South Wales and the Australian national side. He played in eight Tests for the Australia between 1978 and 1980, as captain on five consecutive occasions in 1979 and 1980.

George and his family emigrated to Australia from their native Tripoli, Greece when he was just 18 months old in 1955 like many other Greeks in those days, to get a better life. He attended Canterbury Boys' High School where he played rugby union and was a Canterbury rugby league junior before being graded in 1973 to the under-23's side in which year he played in the Preliminary Final against the Balmain Tigers.

He started the 1974 season in reserve grade and that year debuted in first grade against the South Sydney Rabbitohs when Barry Phillis was injured. He stayed in first grade for that year's finals series including the Bulldogs' Grand Final 1974 loss to the Eastern Suburbs Roosters.

After a 1975 season interrupted by a broken leg injury, for the next five seasons from 1976 he was Canterbury's regular first grade hooker. The Canterbury club maintained a scholarship scheme for its juniors at the time which supported him financially while he conducted his medical studies.

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