John Dorahy
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Dorahy | |
| Date of birth | b. 1954 | |
| Place of birth | , Australia | |
| Nickname(s) | Joe Cool | |
| Relatives | Dane Dorahy (son) | |
| Club information | ||
| Position(s) | Fullback | |
| Current club | Retired | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| Years | Club | |
| 1971–1973 | Wollongong Wests | |
| Senior clubs* | ||
| Years | Club | Apps (points) |
| 1973 1974–1979 1980–1981 1982–1985 1983–84, 1985–87 1987–1989 1989–1990 |
Leigh Western Suburbs Manly-Warringah Illawarra Hull KR North Sydney Halifax |
? (?) 102 (545) 26 (57) 74 (463) ? (?) 37 (231) ? (?) |
| Representative teams | ||
| 1972–1973 1978 1979 1988 |
Country Australia New South Wales Country Origin |
2 (?) 2 (3) 3 (24) 1 (14) |
| Professional clubs coached | ||
| 1989–1990 1993–1994 1996–1997 |
Halifax Wigan Warrington |
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|
* Professional club appearances and points |
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John Dorahy (born 1954) is an Australian former professional rugby league player in the Australian New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) competition. He also represented for NSW Country, New South Wales and Australia as well as playing and coaching in the English Rugby League Championship. Dorahy began his playing career at fullback and in later years moved into the centres.
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[edit] Playing career
Starting out as a fullback for Wests Wollongong in 1971, Dorahy was selected to represent for NSW Country in 1972 and 1973 before moving to England. With his brother, Tony, Dorahy had a year playing league in England with the Leigh club before returning to Australia and a contract with Western Suburbs Magpies in 1974. In 102 games with Wests from 1974 to 1979, Dorahy earned a reputation for his kick and chase and solid defence. He obtained his nickname Joe Cool due to his calm attitude under pressure.
In 1980, Dorahy moved to Manly but was only able to play 26 matches over the two seasons due to knee and neck injuries.
In 1982, a combined team from the South Coast was admitted to the New South Wales Rugby League premiership competition. Dorahy returned to Wollongong to captain the new team, the Illawarra Steelers, in its' debut year. Over his four seasons with the club, Dorahy scored 463 points, but the club had little success during that time, finishing with the wooden spoon in the 1985 competition.
Dorahy returned to England at the end of the 1983 NSWRL season and played during the northern winter for Hull Kingston Rovers. He was a member of the Rugby League Championship premiership winning side, defeating Castleford 18–10 in the final at Headingley Stadium. The Harry Sunderland Trophy was awarded to Dorahy as Man of the Match.
Leaving Illawarra at the conclusion of their disappointing 1985 season, Dorahy spent a further two seasons with Hull. In 1987, at an age when most players would be considering retirement, he returned to Australia and took up the fullback position at Norths, playing his first game with them in round 10.
In 1989, Dorahy was on the move again, taking up a position as captain-coach of Halifax RLFC during the 1989–1990 season. It was his last season as a professional player and the beginning of his career in coaching.
Dorahy did play again in 2004, as part of the Rugby League Sevens tournament's Men of League team, alongside other retirees including Brett Kenny, "Mary" McGregor, Allan Langer and Russell Fairfax in an exhibition match.[1]
[edit] Representative career
Dorahy was selected for the Australian national side for a two-test series against New Zealand in 1978 but injury kept him out of the Kangaroo tour later in the year.
In 1979, Dorahy was selected as a centre for two New South Wales matches, one against the touring Great Britain team. Dorahy landed four goals on that occasion but the Blues lost by 19–17 after leading 12–1 at half-time.[2]
When Country Origin fullback, Garry Jack, was suspended and pulled from the team in 1988, John Dorahy was called up to replace him. Dorahy's original Country selection had been in 1972, a span of sixteen years between games. Dorahy (along with Ricky Walford, 1990, and Chris Hicks, 2001) holds the record for points scored in a City vs Country Origin match, with fourteen points scored in the 1988 game.[3]
[edit] Coaching career
Dorahy has had two appointments as head coach at first-grade level, both in England and both ending after a relatively short term.
In June, 1993, Dorahy took on his first head coach role after accepting the position at Wigan, succeeding John Monie. Despite supervising Wigan through to the Challenge Cup and the Rugby League Championship, Dorahy was dismissed in May, 1994, only days after the club's return from Wembley. In a statement by the club, Dorahy was said to have been sacked for "gross misconduct".[4] While describing his sacking as "diabolical', Dorahy admitted there were signs of unrest with rumours of his lack of popularity amongst the players and the appointment of Dean Bell, the club captain, to a coaching assistant's role the previous month.[4]
Dorahy's stint at Warrington in 1996–1997 was less successful, as far as match results were concerned, than at Wigan, with Warrington sitting on the bottom of the Super League ladder. Dorahy resigned in March, 1997, before the end of the season.[5]
In Australia, Dorahy was an assistant coach at the Newcastle Knights from 1991–1993 under David Waite and at the Western Reds from 1995–1996 under Peter Mulholland. In December 2005, Dorahy was appointed coach of the Western Suburbs Magpies premier league team.
[edit] Recognition
In 2004, Dorahy was nominated for the Wests Magpies Team of the Century, finishing with a position on the bench next to Tom Raudonikis.[6] The Illawarra Steelers announced the Team of Steel as part of their 25th anniversary celebrations in 2006 with Dorahy as captain and fullback.[7] While he didn't make the final team, Dorahy was nominated for a position at centre in the Wests Tigers (combined Western Suburbs Magpies and Balmain Tigers teams) Team of the Century in 2007.[8]
Dorahy has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Wests Illawarra Leagues Club since 2001.[9]
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ "Sevens perfect vehicle for Campese to prove himself", AAP Sports News (Australia), 2004-01-13. Retrieved on 2008-01-07.
- ^ Lions beat the Blues. TotalRL.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
- ^ "City Origin v Country Origin factbox", AAP Sports News (Australia), 2008-05-11. Retrieved on 2008-01-07.
- ^ a b Hadfield, Dave. "Dorahy sacked by Wigan for `gross misconduct'", AAP Sports News (Australia), 1994-05-05. Retrieved on 2008-01-19.
- ^ "Dorahy quits the Wolf pack", The People (London), 1997-03-30. Retrieved on 2008-01-19.
- ^ Wests Team of the Century. Wests Magpies Archives. Retrieved on 2008-01-19.
- ^ Star studded Team of Steel announced. RLeague.com (2006-06-22). Retrieved on 2008-01-18.
- ^ Wests Tigers Team of the Century. Wests Magpies Archive. Retrieved on 2008-01-18.
- ^ Directors and Management. Wests Illawarra Leagues Club. Retrieved on 2008-01-19.
[edit] References
- Whiticker, Alan and Hudson, Glen (2007). The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players. Wetherill Park, New South Wales: Gary Allen Pty Ltd, 609. ISBN 9781877082931.
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