John Barnett (rugby)

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Men's Rugby union
Olympic medal record
Gold	1908 London	Team competition

John Thomas "Jumbo" Barnett (born January 19, 1886 - 1951) was a pioneer Australian rugby union and rugby league player and represented his country at both sports. He was one of the Australia's early dual code rugby internationals.

Barnett won Olympic Gold in London in the 1908 Summer Olympics playing rugby union for the Wallabies in the team captained by Chris McKivat.

On his return to Australia he joined the fledgling code of rugby league along with fourteen of his Olympic teammates. Barnett and five other gold medal winning Wallabies joined the Newtown club in Sydney in 1910 where he played the next six seasons. He was selected in both Ashes Tests against Great Britain in 1910 when Australia hosted the tourists.

Barnett made his international league debut in the First Test in Sydney on 18 June 1910. Four of his former Wallaby team mates also debuted that day Bob Craig, Jack Hickey, Charles Russell and Chris McKivat - making them collectively Australia's 11th to 15th dual code internationals. This mirrored a similar occurrence two years earlier when five former Wallabies in Micky Dore, Dally Messenger, Denis Lutge, Doug McLean snr and Johnny Rosewell all debuted for the Kangaroos in the same match - the first ever Test against New Zealand.

[edit] Sources

Whiticker, Alan (2004) Captaining the Kangaroos, New Holland, Sydney
Whiticker, Alan & Hudson, Glen (2006) The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players, Gavin Allen Publishing, Sydney