Mal Cochrane

Mal Cochrane (born 3 April 1961 in Taree, New South Wales) is an Indigenous Australian former professional rugby league player for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership. Cochrane primarily played at hooker.

Cochrane played hockey and cricket as well as rugby league while at school and represented his state in all three sports at schoolboy level.

Cochrane captained the Australian Schoolboys tour of England and France in 1979, scoring twelve tries and seven goals. He was also rated the best forward of the tour after playing at hooker, lock and prop.

Although he originally discussed a career with Canterbury-Bankstown following the 1979 tour, he signed with Manly-Warringah, the club of his childhood hero, Bob Fulton, who in 1983 would also become the Sea Eagles coach.

Cochrane played in one grand final with Manly, the 1987 Grand Final against the Canberra Raiders in the final ever Grand Final to be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Manly won the match 18-8, but after receiving a knee to the head in the first half, Cochrane remembered nothing of the game. Following the grand final victory he traveled with Manly to England for the 1987 World Club Challenge against English champions, Wigan. In a try-less game, the home side shocked the Winfield Cup premiers 8-2 in front of 36,895 fans at Central Park.