Johnny Raper

Johnny Raper

Raper in 2008
Personal information
Full name	John William Raper
Nickname	Chook
Born	(1939-04-12) 12 April 1939 (age 77) Revesby, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
Position	Lock-forward
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1957–58 Newtown 37 10 0 0 30 1959–69 St George 185 47 4 0 149 1970–72 Wests (Newcastle) 39 1973–74 Kurri Kurri Total 261 57 4 0 179 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1959–70 New South Wales 24 5 0 15 1959–68 Australia 39 9 0 0 27
Coaching information
Club Years Team Gms W D L W% 1969 St George 23 14 0 9 61 1970–72 Wests (Newcastle) 1973–74 Kurri Kurri 1975–76 Cronulla-Sutherland 44 18 2 24 41 1978 Newtown Jets 9 2 1 6 22 Total 76 34 3 39 45
As of 1 August 2009 Source:

John Raper, MBE (born 12 April 1939 in Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach. He was a lock-forward for the Australia national team. He had a record 33 test caps between 1959 and 1968 and played in 6 World Cup games between 1960 and 1968. Raper captained Australia on 8 occasions in 1967–68 and played in eight consecutive NSWRFL grand final victories for the St. George Dragons club. He has since been named as one of the nation’s finest footballers of the 20th century.

Born in Revesby, in south-western Sydney into a working-class family of nine boys, he played his junior rugby league for the Camperdown Dragons before representing Newtown’s President’s Cup side in 1956.

Raper joined and made his first grade debut for Newtown in 1957 as an eighteen-year-old. Raper represented New South Wales Colts as a lock against Great Britain in 1958. Having agreed terms to leave Newtown to join the reigning premiers St George Raper sat out most of the 1958 season to comply with residential criteria.

Raper joined St George as a lock forward and it was in this position that he became an international rugby league star. His legendary cover defence and ball skills had him be acknowledged during his playing career as the best loose-forward the world had ever seen. He played in eight Grand final wins with St George between 1959 and 1966.