Ray Price (rugby footballer)

Ray Price

Personal information
Full name	Raymond Alan Price
Born	(1953-03-04) 4 March 1953 (age 64) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
Rugby union
Position	flanker/breakaway
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1971–75 Parramatta 68 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1974–75 Australia 7 4 0 0 16 1974–75 NSW Waratahs 8 2 0 0 8
Rugby league
Position	Lock
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1976–86 Parramatta Eels 258 78 0 0 258 1989–90 Wakefield Trinity 25 6 0 0 24 Total 283 84 0 0 282 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1978–84 New South Wales 15 6 0 0 18 1978–84 Australia 22 10 0 0 31 1979–83 City NSW 5 4 0 0 12
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Ray Price OAM, is an Australian former dual-code international (rugby union and rugby league) footballer. He was nicknamed 'Mr Perpetual Motion' for his hard, intimidating style of play in league at lock forward. Price played rugby league for Sydney's Parramatta Eels club with whom he won four NSWRL premierships, a Dally M Medal and a Rothmans Medal. He also played in State of Origin for New South Wales.

Son of former North Sydney Bears player Kevin Price, and nephew of Norths and Manly-Warringah test forward Peter Diversi, Ray Price began his career playing rugby union for Junior Club Dundas Valley, played senior rugby union for the Parramatta Two Blues, New South Wales Waratahs and represented the Wallabies in 7 tests, as flanker/breakaway, between 1974 and 1975, scoring 4 tries. One of these was against the New Zealand All Blacks, when, following a wayward penalty kick, Price wrested the ball from an in-goal defender, and scored. During the 1975 England rugby tour of Australia, Price was so intimidating off the back of the lineout, that English flyhalf Alan Old stood >20 metres from the scrumhalf.

After this, Price moved to play rugby league for the Parramatta Eels and was an instant sensation with his courage and high work rate. Although Parramatta lost the grand final that year, Price played consistently well throughout, and he only improved in the following three seasons, maintaining his form even in the fiery and successful assault of the St. George pack in the 1977 Grand Final Replay (which Parramatta lost 0–22). Despite being controversially sent off in the 1978 minor semi-final, it was no surprise when Price was chosen to go on the 1978 Kangaroo tour.