Geoff Toovey

Geoffrey Toovey
Born	(1969-06-17) June 17, 1969
Occupation(s)	Rugby league player, coach, accountant
Years active	1988–2001 (player), 2004–2017+ (coach)
Known for	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles captain and coach, Australian national team player and captain

Geoffrey Toovey (born 17 June 1969), often referred to by his nicknames "Toovs" or "Tooves", is a retired professional rugby league player and coach. Initially, he played mainly as a halfback and five-eighth for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, before switching to the hooker position while with the Northern Eagles. Throughout his playing tenure, Toovey took part in 286 top-grade matches, captaining Manly to the 1996 ARL premiership and leading the side in the grand finals of 1995 and 1997. On the international stage, he represented Australia 13 times between 1991 and 1998. After retiring as a player, Toovey assumed head coaching roles at Manly-Warringah and subsequently at the Bradford Bulls.

Representative and playing career

Toovey made his first-grade debut for Manly-Warringah in round 10 of the 1988 season facing Cronulla-Sutherland at Brookvale Oval. He participated in finals campaigns during the years 1990, 1991, and 1994. His initial selection for the New South Wales Blues occurred during the 1990 State of Origin series. In 1991, he was chosen for the Australian Kangaroos’ tour of Papua New Guinea, appearing in all four fixtures including both test matches.

Amidst the turmoil of the Super League war in 1995, Toovey represented New South Wales in State of Origin despite a series whitewash by Queensland (0–3). With Super League-aligned players excluded, he was recalled to Australia’s national team for the victorious 1995 Trans-Tasman series against New Zealand and earned a spot on the squad for the 1995 Rugby League World Cup. During the World Cup Final held at Wembley Stadium, Toovey operated as halfback during scrums but predominantly functioned as dummy half, utilizing his pace alongside Andrew Johns.

In the following year’s State of Origin series (1996), Toovey and Johns maintained their interchange between positions. That same year, Toovey captained Manly to a premiership triumph over St. George, securing the Clive Churchill Medal awarded to the best player on the field.

The 1997 season saw Toovey captain New South Wales to a State of Origin series victory and participate in a Test match against a Rest of the World team. Manly clinched their third consecutive minor premiership but were defeated by Newcastle in the grand final. He continued with Manly until concluding the 1999 NRL season, featuring in what was then the club’s final match prior to its contentious merger with North Sydney Bears that created the Northern Eagles.

In 2000, Toovey was appointed as the inaugural captain of the newly formed Northern Eagles and played hooker during New South Wales’ clean sweep over Queensland that year. His final playing year came in 2001, ending with a round 26 loss to Brisbane Broncos.

Captaincy

During the Super League war, Toovey was named captain of Australia’s Test side for the sole 1996 Test against Papua New Guinea Palais (representing ARL loyalists).

Post playing

After retiring from professional play in 2001, Toovey pursued a career in accounting. He also joined the board of directors at the NRMA, applying his leadership skills within corporate governance frameworks.

Coaching career

In 2004, Toovey became part of Manly’s coaching staff under head coach Des Hasler. Following Hasler’s move to Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Toovey was promoted to head coach for Manly starting with the 2012 season. His first official match as head coach resulted in defeat during the 2012 World Club Challenge.

In his inaugural NRL coaching season, Toovey guided Manly to a preliminary final appearance but they were eliminated by Melbourne. The subsequent 2013 NRL season saw him lead Manly into the 2013 NRL Grand Final, where they were narrowly beaten 26–18 by the Sydney Roosters. That same year, he incurred a $10,000 fine from the National Rugby League after publicly expressing dissatisfaction with refereeing decisions following a Round 23 loss to South Sydney Rabbitohs. After an underwhelming campaign in 2015, Manly replaced him with Trent Barrett.

In January 2017, Toovey accepted the head coaching role at RFL Championship club Bradford Bulls, taking charge after their liquidation and subsequent reformation.

By 2022, Toovey contributed his coaching expertise internationally as assistant coach for the Samoa national rugby league team during the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.

Sources

• Whiticker, Alan (2004) Captaining the Kangaroos, New Holland, Sydney

External links

• Geoff Toovey profile on Silvertails.net