Eric Simms (rugby league)
Eric Simms | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 2, 1945 Karuah, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Rugby league player, Coach |
| Years active | 1965–1975 (player), 1976–1978 (coach) |
| Known for | Indigenous Australian rugby league player, goal-kicking records |
Eric Simms (born 2 August 1945) is a former professional rugby league player and national representative of Indigenous Australian heritage, regarded as one of the premier athletes in the country during the 20th century. Mainly positioned as a , he also took on the role of . Throughout his entire first-grade tenure, Simms represented South Sydney, securing four premiership titles and leading the league as top point-scorer for four straight seasons.
In August 2008, Simms earned selection as fullback in the Indigenous Team of the Century. His career was marked by numerous record-breaking achievements, with some still unbeaten. Renowned for his goal-kicking skills—including field goals, penalties, and conversions—he notably executed five field goals within eleven minutes during the 1969 season against Penrith. This remarkable proficiency in field-goal kicking is widely acknowledged as having a profound impact on the evolution of the sport.
Early life and education
Born in Karuah, New South Wales on 2 August 1945, Eric Simms was the eldest son of John (Jack) Simms, an Ullugundy Island Indigenous man who later relocated to Sydney’s La Perouse area. Raised alongside twelve siblings by his mother Gwendoline (née Cook, later Ping) and stepfather Fred Ridgeway on the former Aboriginal reserve at Karuah, Simms attended Karuah Public School followed by Raymond Terrace High School. There, he received coaching in goalkicking from sportsmaster Les Leggatt.
Playing career
After moving to La Perouse, Simms played with the La Perouse Panthers Junior Rugby League Football Club, contributing to their 1964 premiership triumph. At 19 years old and employed as a truck driver, he was recruited by South Sydney for the 1965 season. Playing at centre, he participated in the grand final where South Sydney were narrowly defeated by St George (12–8), scoring the final points via a penalty goal before a record crowd of 78,056 spectators.
During his career, Simms appeared in 206 first-grade matches and was instrumental in South Sydney’s grand final wins in 1967, 1968, 1970, and 1971. He accumulated an impressive total of 1,841 points over his playing years. In 1969, he set a new benchmark for most points scored in a premiership season with 265 points, eclipsing the previous record held by Dave Brown. This record stood until Mick Cronin surpassed it more than ten years later. In 1973, Simms broke Keith Barnes’ career points record of 1,519; his own tally remained the NSWRFL career high for a decade until overtaken by Graham Eadie in 1983.
Club records
Simms holds multiple club records for South Sydney:
- Second-highest total points scored in first-grade career: 1,841 points (23 tries, 803 goals, 86 field goals)
- Highest number of first-grade points in a single season: 265 points in 1969 (1 try, 112 goals, 19 field goals)
- Most goals kicked during a first-grade career: 890
- Most goals kicked in one first-grade season: 131 in 1969
- Most goals scored in a single first-grade match: 11 (achieved twice in 1969)
He is ranked fifth for most first-grade appearances at South Sydney with 206 games played, trailing John Sutton (309*), Nathan Merritt (218), Bob McCarthy (211), and Craig Coleman (208).
World Cups 1968, 1970
During the 1968 Rugby League World Cup, Simms became the fourth Aboriginal athlete to don the Australian jersey, amassing a remarkable total of 50 points over four matches. He also participated in the 1970 World Cup held in England, contributing an additional 37 points. The final match at Leeds was particularly fierce; after Australia secured victory, Simms was unexpectedly head-butted by English winger John Atkinson following a handshake gesture.
Coaching career
Following the conclusion of the 1975 season, Simms moved to Crookwell, New South Wales, where he took on the role of captain-coach in 1976. His playing days were cut short at age 31 due to an arm injury. He remained as coach for Crookwell throughout 1977 and subsequently assumed coaching duties for the La Perouse team in Sydney in 1978.
Goal kicking prowess
Simms is widely recognized as one of the finest goal kickers in Rugby League history. Ron Coote credited his success to a combination of innate skill and dedicated practice, highlighting Simms’ consistent accuracy with field goals during training sessions. Simms himself reflected on the difficulty of executing kicks under pressure and hostile conditions, recounting occasions when opponents physically challenged him during attempts.
Concerning the alteration in rules that lowered the point value of field goals from two to one, Simms expressed skepticism that it was solely because of his influence but acknowledged the common perception linking him to this change.
Awards and honours
In 2001, Simms earned a place in the Indigenous Team of the Century during the Eric Simms Challenge - A Tribute to Indigenous Rugby League event at Redfern Oval. The selection committee featured then-Senator Aden Ridgeway, who was a former South Sydney junior league player and deputy leader of the Australian Democrats, alongside rugby league authorities Ian Heads, Frank Hyde, Roy Masters, and historian David Middleton. The Eric Simms Challenge showcased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander talent through a contest between the NRL Rabbitohs and the Murdi Paaki Warriors, a development squad from western New South Wales.
Life after league
Upon retiring from professional rugby league, Simms returned to his family residence in Chifley, Sydney, embarking on a career on the wharves—a sector where he has accumulated over three decades of experience. His employment at Port Botany involved shift work that eventually curtailed his coaching and playing activities. By 1997, he had progressed to foreman for P&O at Sydney’s White Bay wharves. As of 2008, he resided in southern Sydney and was employed at the Rozelle wharves.
Simms is married to Charlene with whom he has two children; he also has three children from his previous marriage to Sue.