Rugby league great Bob Fulton dies aged 74

James Messenger

Legendary Australian player and coach Bob Fulton has died at the age of 74 after a battle with cancer.

Born in Warrington, Fulton emigrated to Australia early in his life and became a household name at Manly, appearing over 200 times for the club.

He won three Premierships with the Sea Eagles, the last of which came in 1976 against Parramatta, where he captained the side.

Between the 1969 and 1970 seasons, Fulton accepted an offer to return to the UK for a short stint with Warrington.

He scored 16 tries in 16 appearances for his hometown club before returning to Manly ahead of the 1970 season.

Players observed a minutes silence in tribute to Fulton during the Round 11 NRL match between the Parramatta Eels and Manly Sea Eagles

Fulton also scored 25 times in 35 matches for his country and went on to coach the Kangaroos after hanging up his boots.

In depth: Bob Fulton was born in Warrington but made in Australia

In 1981, he was selected as one of the four “immortals” of Australian rugby league alongside Clive Churchill, Reg Gasnier and Johnny Raper.

ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys paid tribute to Fulton, saying: “Today, rugby league has lost a true legend of our game.

“The word legend is used a lot in tributes, but Bob was a genuine legend of rugby league.

“He was an original Immortal, a Kangaroo, a Blue and a club legend of Manly, winning three premierships as a player, including man of the match in the 1973 grand final.

“As a coach he led the Kangaroos to two World Cup victories and Manly to two premierships.

“Bob will forever be part of rugby league’s DNA and our game is richer for having had Bob part of it.”

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