Denis Lutge
| Personal information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Dinny[1] | |||||
| Born | 26 November 1879 Sydney, New South Wales [1] | |||||
| Died | 18 February 1953 (aged 73) Mosman, New South Wales | |||||
| Playing information | ||||||
| Rugby union | ||||||
| Position | Lock[1] | |||||
| Club | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 1901–07 | North Sydney | |||||
| Representative | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| New South Wales | ||||||
| 1903–04 | Australia | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rugby league | ||||||
| Position | Forward | |||||
| Club | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 1908 | North Sydney | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Representative | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 1908 | New South Wales | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1908 | Australia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Coaching information | ||||||
| Club | ||||||
| Years | Team | Gms | W | D | L | W% |
| 1915–16 | North Sydney | 28 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 25 |
| Representative | ||||||
| Years | Team | Gms | W | D | L | W% |
| 1909 | New Zealand Māori | |||||
Denis "Dinny" Lutge (26 November 1879 – 18 February 1953) was a pioneer Australian rugby league and rugby union player, a dual-code international. He was the second ever captain of the Australian national rugby league team and the first to lead the side to a victory.
Rugby union career
A Mosman, New South Wales stevedore Lutge commenced his rugby union career with the Mosman Juniors in 1893, before playing for North Sydney (now Northern Suburbs Rugby Club) from 1901 until 1907. He made his international rugby union debut as a lock-forward in the first ever test played between the Australia representative team and the All Blacks in Sydney, on 15 August 1903. He appeared in all three of Australia's Test losses in 1904 against the visiting British Lions.
Rugby league career
He was named foundation captain of the North Sydney District Rugby League Football Club in 1908. Lutge represented New South Wales that year and in May, like two others of the five inaugural selectors (Hennessy & Dore) Lutge picked himself for the first international matches against New Zealand, drawing some press criticism in the process.[2]
Along with Dally Messenger, Micky Dore, Doug McLean snr and Johnny Rosewell, he was one of the inaugural five Australian dual code rugby internationals who debuted in international rugby league in Sydney on 9 May 1908 in the first Australian league Test against New Zealand.
Lutge enjoys the distinction of having played in each of Australia's inaugural rugby league and rugby union Test matches against New Zealand.[2]
He was selected as captain for the 3rd Test in June 1908 and playing at lock led the Australia to their first international rugby league victory after they had lost the earlier two Tests under Arthur Hennessy.
Lutge was selected by the playing squad as tour captain for the nine month inaugural Kangaroo tour of 1908-09, but broke his arm before he had the opportunity to captain Australia against Great Britain. After Lutge's injury, the Australian test team was captained by Dally Messenger.
Upon returning to Australia he retired from football but continued working as a selector. He coached a visiting New Zealand Māori rugby league team against teams he was selecting in 1909.[3] In 1915 he was selected as the North Sydney club's first ever coach, pioneering the concept of mid-week night training.
Lutge worked for more than fifty years for the Mosman council as a beach inspector and cleaner at Balmoral.[4]
Accolades
Lutge was awarded Life Membership of the New South Wales Rugby League in 1914.
Dinny Lutge is Kangaroo player #8 on the Australian Players Register (2005).
Playing records
- Club: North Sydney "Shoremen" (1908) 3 games, 1 try
- Representative: Australia (1908), New South Wales (1908)
Published 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
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Scrum.com player profile of Dinny Lutge". Scrum.com. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Whiticker, Alan (2004) Captaining the Kangaroos, New Holland, Sydney
- ↑ Sean Fagan. "Denis Lutge". rugby.com.au. Australian Rugby Union. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
- ↑ Souter, Gavin (2012). Mosman: A History. Australia: Xou. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
| Preceded by Arthur Hennessy |
Australian national rugby league captain 1908 |
Succeeded by Alex Burdon |