Bill Farnsworth

Bill Farnsworth

Personal information
Full name	Andrew William Farnsworth
Born	(1887-01-14)14 January 1887 Newtown, New South Wales, Australia
Died	30 October 1966(1966-10-30) (aged 79) Waterfall, New South Wales
Playing information
Position	five-eighth
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1910–12	Newtown	23	4	0	0	12
1912–20	Oldham
	Total	23	4	0	0	12
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1910–11	New South Wales	8	3	0	0	9
1912	Queensland	2	0	0	0	0
1910–11	Australia	4	0	0	0	0
1910	Australasia	2	0	0	0	0
Source: Whiticker

Andrew William "Bill" Farnsworth (14 January 1887 – 30 October 1966) was an Australian pioneer rugby league footballer of the 1910s whose club career was played in Sydney with the Newtown club. He represented at state level for both New South Wales and Queensland and at the national level for Australia and Australasia.

Rugby Union career

His rugby union career was played with the Newtown club and he was invited to join the new rebel code from the outset to play against Albert Baskiville's All Golds when they arrived in Sydney in 1907. Farnsworth stayed true to rugby union and remained an amateur till 1909.

Rugby League career

In NSWRFL season 1910, he joined the Newtown club and won a premiership with them that year.^[1]

He is the brother of fellow New South Wales and Australian representative, and Newtown player Viv Farnsworth. In 1910 the brothers made their international debut against the touring British Lions and the following year were 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. Their brother Roy also played at Newtown.^[2]

Farnsworth also played in Brisbane for Toombul and Kurilpa, gaining selection for Queensland in 1912.^[3]

With his brother Viv, he headed to England and the end of 1912 and joined the Oldham club. He was still in England at the out-break of the Great War and enlisted for active duty. He continued playing for Oldham tilll 1920.^[4]

In 1924 Farnsworth returned to the Newtown club as coach for part of the season.

Cricket career

Farnsworth also played in two first-class cricket matches: one in 1908-09 for New South Wales and one in 1919 for Lancashire.^[5] He became the first player to represent New South Wales at Rugby, Rugby League and Cricket.^[6]

Accolades

Bill Farnsworth was the great-uncle of the Parramatta Eels ex player and CEO Denis Fitzgerald. In 2008, the centenary year of rugby league in Australia, Farnsworth was named as five-eighth of the Newtown Jets 18-man team of the century.

References

Sources

• Alan Whiticker & Glen Hudson (2007). The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players. Wetherill Park, New South Wales: Gary Allen Pty Ltd. p. 269. ISBN 978-1-877082-93-1.