Viv Farnsworth

Viv Farnsworth

Farnsworth in 1910
Personal information
Full name	Vivian Robert Farnsworth
Born	1889 Newtown, New South Wales
Died	16 April 1953 Hurstville, New South Wales
Playing information
Position	Centre
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1910–12 Newtown 31 22 0 0 66 1912–17 Oldham 78 27 1 83 1919 Newtown 2 1 0 0 3 1920–21 Wests Magpies 12 6 0 0 18 Total 123 56 1 0 170 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1910–19 New South Wales 9 2 0 0 6 1911–20 Australia 6 4 0 0 12 1910 Australasia 2 0 0 0 0
Source: Rugby League Project and Yesterday's Hero

Viv Farnsworth (1889–1953) was an Australian professional rugby league player for Newtown, Wests, New South Wales and Australia, he also represented Australasia. He primarily played in the Centres and is considered one of the Australia's finest footballers of the 20th century

As a youth, Farnsworth played for Petersham Rugby Club in inner-western Sydney but he switched to the new professional code in 1909 and played for Newtown from 1910. He was regarded as an outstanding centre and, alongside his brother, Bill, was selected for New South Wales in 1910. Farnsworth was a member of the 1910 premiership winning Newtown team in the try-less final against Souths.

In the same year, the brothers made their international début against the touring British Lions and were both selected for the 'Australasian' Kangaroo tour of Britain in 1911–1912. They were the first set of brothers to play representative rugby league for Australia.

Viv Farnsworth made his Test début in the first Test against England on 8 November 1911 and scored two tries. He scored a total of 19 tries on tour (from 29 matches), one less than Herb Gilbert. The combination of Gilbert and Farnsworth was a feature of the successful tour. After touring New Zealand with New South Wales in 1912, Farnsworth headed back to England and joined the Oldham club. He was still in England at the out-break of the Great War and he subsequently enlisted with a Lancashire regiment.