Duncan Hall passes

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

THE all-Queensland front-row in the Australian Team of the Century is down one prop after the death of Duncan Hall aged 85.

Hall and Arthur Beetson were props in the team named in 2008, with Noel Kelly the hooker.

Just as Wally Lewis was the biggest name in Queensland football in the 1980s, Hall was the '50s superstar.

A product of Rockhampton, Hall played 23 Tests between 1948 and 1955, and 24 matches for Queensland.

Duncan Thompson, the legendary Queensland halfback of the 1920s and later one of league's great coaches, described Hall as the perfect combination of brawn and brains.

"There certainly never was a better ball distributor," he said. "Whatever a champion prop needed, Duncan Hall had. He was surprisingly fast and truly tough."

Away from football Hall was prominent hotelier and bookmaker, and in his latter years worked at the Broncos Leagues Club.

One of his three sons, Duncan Jr, played 15 rugby union Tests for Australia

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...prop-duncan-hall/story-e6frexnr-1225990640585

 

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

Very sad to lose a legend of the game.

I dont know too many stories of Duncan, anyone here have any good description of him in his playing days?

 

[timka4]

Only know of his name. Obviously was a great player though. Sad news

 

[RL1908]

Duncan HALL

Clubs: Christian Brothers Rockhampton 1945–47; Brisbane Valleys 1948–49; Home Hill 1950; Newtown, Toowoomba 1951–52; Brisbane Wests 1954–57

Club landmarks: Won Brisbane premiership with Wests 1954

Games for Qld: 24 (1948–55)

Tests for Australia: 22 (1948–55)

World Cup matches: One (1954)

Representative landmarks: Kangaroo tours 1948–49, 1952–53; World Cup 1954

Hall has long been regarded as one of Australia’s greatest post-war front-rowers. He rose to prominence in the period immediately following World War II, toured twice with the Kangaroos and played in two Ashes-winning series for Australia (and was robbed of a third tour by a knee injury).

He was the forward mainstay of Australian teams for seven years, contributing mightily to Australia’s Ashes triumphs in 1950 and 1954. Hall played his entire domestic career in Queensland.

http://www.australianrugbyleague.com.au/kangaroos/article.php?id=1167

Duncan HALL

Position: Prop

Clubs: Christian Brothers Rockhampton 1945–47; Brisbane Valleys 1948–49; Home Hill 1950; Newtown, Toowoomba 1951–52; Brisbane Wests 1954–57

Queensland-born Duncan Hall has long been regarded as one of Australia’s greatest post-war front-rowers. He rose to prominence in the period immediately following World War II, toured twice with the Kangaroos and played in two Ashes-winning series for Australia.

Hall had accepted a playing position at Alpha in Central Queensland in the mid-1940s, but a railway strike meant he was unable to take up the position, and instead he moved to Brisbane, where he linked up with the Valleys club. From there he made a meteoric rise to representative football, first with Brisbane, then Queensland and in little more than three months he was selected in Australia’s Test side to play New Zealand.

Hall became a mainstay of Australian teams for the next seven years, contributing mightily to Australia’s Ashes triumphs in 1950 and 1954. Hall played his entire domestic career in Queensland, moving from Valleys back to his home town of Home Hill in 1950, before stints in Toowoomba and with Brisbane Wests. A knee injury cost him the opportunity of a third Kangaroo tour in 1956.

‘Hall had an equal distribution of brawn and brains which put him in the near genius class,’ Duncan Thompson wrote. ‘There certainly never was a better ball distributor. Whatever a champion prop needed, Duncan Hall had. He was surprisingly fast and truly tough.’

Club landmarks: Won Brisbane premiership with Wests 1954
Games for Qld: 24 (1948–55); Tests for Australia: 22 (1948–55); World Cup matches: One (1954)
Representative landmarks: Kangaroo tours 1948–49, 1952–53; World Cup 1954

Source: profile document for "100 Greatest Players" booklet (for Centenary of Rugby League).

 

[Everlovin' Antichrist]

RIP Duncan.

 

[madunit]

Duncan Thompson very rarely heaped praise on players, but Duncan Hall was one who he did, more than anyone else.

That's almost akin to getting a big wrap from Sir Don Bradman

 

[RL1908]

RL would be a heck of a lot different if Duncan Thompson was still here exerting influence - the greatest sin any RL player could commit on a football field was to be caught with the ball in his hands & tackled.

"A champion team must be almost obsessed with teamwork. Individual brilliance is expendable."

"Contract football is flowing football. It has no relation to bash and barge stuff. It is what Rugby League is all about - or is supposed to be."

"The player does not die with the ball. It moves on and on. Ideally no ball carrier is so smothered that he must play the ball."

Duncan Thompson.

http://www.RL1908.com/articles/clydesdales.htm

Wayne Bennett with the early 1990s Broncos was the last RL team to play with that approach.

Sadly today being tackled with the ball is rewarded not punished - the greater reward is to be tackled & die with the ball in your hands, than to pass the ball before or at the defence line and avoid the punishment of a play-the-ball (ie possible loss of possession & time for opponents to recover their defence line).

 

[madunit]

Thompson revolutionised the game, and as Sean mentioned, his tactics were still being used by Wayne Bennett into the 90's

And yet Andrew Johns is deemed better, all he had was a wobbly kick. Hardly revolutionary or game changing in comparison.

 

[Hutty1986]

RIP Duncan, what a great career

 

[rupertpupkin]

He certainly had an influence. Two coaches often cited him as what they expected out of a young prop in the 1970's. I don't remember any other being singled out to emulate, but Duncan Hall's attributes were held as the example to achieve. Never saw him play. But I sure heard about him.

 

[The Tank]

Before my time but R.I.P. nonetheless

 

[RL1908]

Nice piece this one in Rockhampton paper...

http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/story/2011/01/20/farewell-to-a-legend-duncan-hall/

Farewell to a legend

Guy Williams | 20th January 2011

Duncan Hall walks with his son Duncan Hall Jnr prior to the RLWC Grand Final in 2008.






LONG before the name was born, the legend was in the making.

Early next week, the rugby league fraternity will farewell one of its greatest players after Duncan Hall, the finest rugby league player central Queensland has produced, passed away on Monday, aged 85.

Hall will be remembered at a ceremony on Tuesday, at 1pm at Pinnaroo Lawn Cemetery, Bridgeman Downs, in Brisbane's north, with everyone encouraged to attend to pay tribute.

Born Douglas Hockins on August 24, 1925, Duncan spent his early years growing up with the Duncan family in Clermont, in Central Queensland's west.

In recognition to the family that raised him, he took on their family name as his first name, and, following his mother Nell's marriage to Bill Hall, he was known as Duncan Hall.

Undoubtedly one of the toughest players to grace the rugby league field for Australia, Hall is remembered for his intimidating presence on the park.

However, to his family, he was first and foremost a father.

“He was two different people to me. As a father he was a loving and caring person and then, when it came to rugby league, there was this legend,” son Duncan Hall Jr said.

“That's not just because he made the Team of the Century or the like but because so many people can vividly recall things he did in matches so many years ago.

“When I talk to people about him there are so many that can remember specific moments straight away, and it's not as if they can look back at footage of him playing to remember.”

In a decorated 13-year career covering the entire reaches of Queensland, the rock-hard forward pulled on the beloved maroon jersey on 24 occasions between 1948-1955 and donned the Australian jersey 21 times during the same period, including Kangaroo tours in 1948-49 and 1952-53.

Hall's legendary status within the game and the quality and diversity of his playing history earned him selection in the Central Queensland, Queensland Rugby League and Australian Rugby League Team of the Century at prop-forward, announced in 2008, as part of the competition's centenary year celebrations.

Earlier that year Hall was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007), which was commissioned by the NRL and ARL to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia.

Starting in the senior ranks with Rockhampton Brothers in 1944, Hall was earmarked as a future superstar of the sport and moved south to Brisbane to further his rugby league career.

During the late 1940s and 1950s, he played for Brisbane Valleys, progressed to play for Toowoomba club Newtown and then Home Hill in North Queensland, before finishing his career with Wests in Brisbane from 1954-57.

Aside from his representative honours, Hall won the esteemed Bulimba Cup competition with both Brisbane and Toowoomba, the Brisbane Rugby League premiership, numerous President's Cups, the Pike Cup, J G Stephenson Trophy and Gunner McCook Trophy.

Every club team Hall played for in his career qualified for the finals.

Following his playing career, he went on and coached and managed representative teams, including being a co-manager of the 1977 World Cup squad and a co-manager of the 1980 Queensland State of Origin side with Brian Davies.

The iconic figure has in recent years been honoured with life membership of the QRL and the Rockhampton Senior Local Rugby League.

In 2000 Hall was awarded the Australian Sports Medal, and in 2006 he was inducted into the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame.

In 2007, the QRL unveiled The Duncan Hall Medal, which is presented in his honour annually to the best and fairest player in the Queensland Cup grand final.

Hall has four sons – Colin, Duncan Hall Jr, Bradley and Lindsay – and a daughter, Ellen.

DUNCAN HALL PLAYING RECORD

Australia: 21 Tests

Queensland: 24 matches

Playing Career: 1944-47 Rockhampton Brothers
1948-49 Valleys (Brisbane)
1950-52 Newtown (Toowoomba)
1953 Home Hill
1954-57 Wests (Brisbane)

Every club team Hall played for in his career qualified for the finals.

 

[manoj p]

One of the best ever props. From any nation.

 

[madunit]

he'd certainly be in the top 5 props of all time.

His longevity was also quite astounding for the time. A lot of players struggled to have careers that lasted past a decade, the ones who did most often were backs.

 

[manoj p]

Only Beetson, McTigue and perhaps Ken Gee would keep him out of a World XIII.