Roy Bull
Bull in the 1951 Manly side
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Personal information
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| Full name | Edwin Royden Bull | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
12 June 1929 Orange, New South Wales, Australia |
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| Died | 29 June 2004 (aged 75) Australia |
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Playing information
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| Position | Prop | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Coaching information
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| Source: Rugby League Project and Yesterday's Hero | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Roy Bull (1929–2004) was an Australian rugby league footballer of the 1940s and 1950s who spent his whole career - as player, coach & administrator - with the Manly-Warringah club in Sydney. In addition to playing in three New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership grand finals, he was a representative for the New South Wales rugby league team and the Australian national side. He has since been named amongst the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century.
Bull attended Manly Boys High together and played his junior football with the Freshwater club. He made his first grade debut as a 17-year-old in Manly's inaugural top-grade season in 1947 after having played in Manly's winning 1946 President's Cup team. The club's junior success played some part in their selection for promotion to the first grade in 1947 with the NSWRFL promising the club first grade status should they win the 3rd grade (President's Cup) competition.
Bull was a key member in the great Manly sides of the 1950s and played in all three unsuccessful Grand Final attempts during that decade - 1951, 1957 and 1959.
The Gregory's reference written only a few years after his playing career had ended noted him as an expert scrummager and outstanding in tight forward play. He was a powerful, remorseless, non-stop player, great in the wet or when slushy fields covered up his lack of pace.
He played 182 games for Manly up until his retirement in 1959 a record at that time, scoring 25 tries. He was captain-coach in 1953 and was made a life member of the club in 1962.
Roy Bull was Manly's first international representative and played 23 tests and close to 100 total representative games. He made two Australian Kangaroo tours. In 1952-53 he played in four Tests and thirteen minor tour matches and 1956-57 he appeared in all six Tests and fifteen tour matches. He made three tours of New Zealand, appearing in all three Tests of 1953 and 1956. He was in the 1954 World Cup squad and made three appearances.
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