Graham Mackay

For the South African businessman, see Graham Mackay (businessman).

Graham Mackay

Personal information
Born	(1968-10-12) 12 October 1968
Playing information
Height	190 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Weight	100 kg (15 st 10 lb)
Position	Wing, Centre
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1988–90 Western Suburbs 47 16 19 0 102 1991–94 Penrith Panthers 82 43 41 0 255 1995 Sydney City Roosters 13 7 20 0 68 1996 South Queensland 8 2 9 0 26 1997–98 Gold Coast 43 15 42 0 144 1999 Manly-Warringah 8 1 2 0 8 2000 Leeds Rhinos 18 10 2 0 44 2001 Bradford Bulls 17 11 0 0 44 2002 Hull 26 18 19 0 110 Total 262 123 154 0 801 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1992–94 New South Wales 4 0 1 0 2 1992 Australia 1 1 2 0 8 2000 Scotland 1 0 1 0 2
Source: SL Stats RLP

Graham Mackay (born 12 October 1968) is an Australian former national and state representative rugby league footballer whose club career spanned Ten Australian and English clubs, including Western Suburbs, Penrith, Gold Coast Chargers, Hull F.C. and Ipswich Jets in a sixteen-year top grade career. His position of choice was on the Wing, though he played Centre later in his career.

Playing career

1980s

Mackay was a schoolboy rugby union representative with the Sydney Combined High Schools side. He was graded by Western Suburbs in 1987 and made his first grade debut in round 1 of the 1988 season. He was a regular first-grader in 1989 and a capable goal-kicker booting 19 conversions and scoring six tries in his second top-grade season.

1990s

Indifferent form saw Mackay make only eleven appearances in Wests' run-on side in 1990 and at the end of that season he was swapped by Wests in the short-lived and controversial draft system which existed in Australian rugby league solely in the 1991 season.

Mackay was 31st draft choice when snapped up by Penrith coach Phil Gould. Under Gould as State coach, Mackay made his representative debut for New South Wales on the wing in game I of the 1991 State of Origin series. He also played in game II of 1992, game III of 1993 and game I of 1994 regularly competing for a wing spot against Andrew Ettingshausen.

A strong runner and defender Mackay added the strength of an extra forward to the backline. He was a member of the Panthers successful 1991 premiership side. Following the grand final victory he travelled with the Panthers to England for the 1991 World Club Challenge which was lost to Wigan.

In 1992 he made his Australian national debut in a Test match against Papua New Guinea in Townsville. Mackay scored two tries in a man-of-the-match performance on debut. He was chosen in Australia's World Cup squad at year's end, he did not play in the final.

Despite his goal-kicking ability and strong bursts down the flank, his representative form was inconsistent and he was dropped after the Blues' game I loss of 1994.

Mackay quit the Panthers at the end of 1994 to link with his former coach Gould at Easts. He spent the 1995 season there and returned to good goal-kicking form booting 20 goals in just 13 games.

In 1996 he joined the South Queensland Crushers for that club's second season in the ARL. Following a pay dispute with the cash-strapped Crushers, he joined the neighbouring Gold Coast Chargers and captained the Chargers during the final two years of the club’s existence. Following the demise of the Gold Coast, Mackay signed with his sixth club, the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles for the 1999 NRL season.

2000s

In 2000 he journeyed to English Super League club, the Leeds Rhinos. In the 2000 Rugby League World Cup tournament Mackay represented Scotland.

Mackay switched to the Bradford Bulls in 2001. He played for them at centre, scoring a try and kicking a goal in their 2001 Super League Grand Final victory against the Wigan Warriors.

The swansong of his long and varied first grade career was in 2002 with Hull F.C.. In 2003 he joined the Ipswich Jets under coach Trevor Gillmeister. Mackay started coaching the Ormeau Shearers on the Gold Coast in 2012.

Sources

• Andrews, Malcolm (2006) The ABC of Rugby League Austn Broadcasting Corpn, Sydney
• Big League's 25 Years of Origin Collectors' Edition, News Magazines, Surry Hills, Sydney
• Whiticker, Alan & Hudson, Glen (2006) The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players, Gavin Allen Publishing, Sydney

External links

• Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org