Jim Craig (rugby league)

Jimmy Craig

Craig as captain of a 1924 Queensland side
Personal information
Full name	James Hampden Craig
Nickname	Mr. Versatile
Born	1895 Sydney, New South Wales
Died	13 December 1959 Ashfield, New South Wales
Playing information
Position	Utility back
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1915–21 Balmain Tigers 56 22 21 0 108 1922 Sydney University 12 3 7 0 23 1923–28 Ipswich 1929–30 Western Suburbs 25 5 70 0 155 Total 93 30 98 0 286 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1920–29 New South Wales 2 0 3 0 6 1923–28 Queensland 18 6 29 0 76 1921–28 Australia 7 0 6 0 12
Coaching information
Club Years Team Gms W D L W% 1929–39 Wests Magpies 65 39 4 22 60 1938 Canterbury 16 13 2 1 81 1936 North Sydney Bears 13 7 1 5 54 Total 94 59 7 28 63
Source: Rugby League Project and Yesterday's Hero

Jim Craig (1895–1959) was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach. He was a versatile back for the Australian national team. He played in 7 Tests between 1921 and 1928 as captain on 3 occasions and has since been named amongst the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century. Craig was a player of unparalleled versatility. It is known that he represented in Tests at fullback, centre, halfback and hooker with some of his club & tour football played at winger, five-eighth and lock forward. Whiticker's reference reports that the great Dally Messenger regarded Craig as the greatest player Messenger ever saw.

Craig grew up in Balmain in Sydney and played as a junor for the local club.

Craig made his first grade NSWRFL Premiership debut as a winger in 1915 with the Balmain club. He played at centre for Balmain in the 1916 NSWRFL season's premiership final victory over South Sydney. Craig played five seasons with the club excluding 1918 when he was on military duty. Balmain won the premiership in all five of those years. Craig's versatility was such that he was selected at hooker for a match on tour of New Zealand in 1919.

Graig first represented for New South Wales against a touring English side in 1920. He was selected on the 1921–22 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and made his Test debut in the first Test at Leeds. He appeared in 23 minor tour matches notching a total of 58 points as a try scorer and goal kicker. Following his Kangaroo Tour representative appearances in 1922 he played a season with the University club in Sydney.

In 1923 Craig relocated to Queensland and took the captain-coach position with Ipswich for the next six seasons. While a Queensland resident from 1923–28 he represented that state on 23 occasions and then in 1929 he twice again represented for New South Wales.