Arthur Clues (2 May 1924 – 3 October 1998) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and 1950s. An Australian international and New South Wales interstate representative second-row forward, he played his club football in Sydney for the Western Suburbs club before moving to England to play for Leeds (Heritage No. 847) and Hunslet. Clues has been named amongst the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century.[2]
Clues played Rugby union for Parramatta at the age of seventeen before moving to rugby league and he was also a capable first-grade cricketer. He has the distinction of scoring a try and a century at both Headingley, and the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Clues joined Wests in 1943 and quickly established himself as a constructive and creative second-rower. By 1946 he was representing at an international level for the Australians against the touring British Lions. He played in all three Tests. Clues is listed on the Australian Players Register as kangaroo No.220.[3]
Englandedit
Lured by the offer of a lucrative contract with Leeds, Clues was the first Australian to join an English club after World War II. Clues played 238 first-class games for Leeds but a dispute with Leeds' management in 1954 ended his career at the club. He played for the British Empire XIII versus New Zealand on Wednesday 23 January 1952 at Stamford Bridge.
Harry Hornby, the chairman, and financial power behind Bradford Northern in the 1940s paid a record fee for Frank Whitcombe. Frank was a hard player during an era when the game was at its toughest. His rivalry with Arthur Clues who played for Leeds was legendary. Their confrontations on the field during the Bradford Northern v Leeds local derby games are part of Rugby League Folklore.
Trevor Foster, MBE, recalled an incident during one of these games in the late 1940s when Clues kicked out violently at Bradford Northern scrum half back Gwylfa Jones. Immediately Frank stood up from the scrum and confronted his reckless action. He ran towards Arthur with both fists clenched Whitcombe drove the full force of his 18 stone frame in to Arthur Clues' chest and pole axed him. Clues could not get his breath and for ten minutes received emergency medical attention in front of the 17,000 Odsal crowd. The referee sent Frank off for his actions while Arthur Clues was carried off on a stretcher and also sent off. In time honoured tradition the two men shook hands after the game to show their mutual respect for each other.
Frank Whitcombe and Arthur Clues became great friends when their playing days were over. They used to spend a lot of time in Whitcombe's Public House "The Kings Head" in Bradford. Needless to say there were no problems.
Clues moved on to Hunslet where he played a further three seasons before retiring in 1957. Unable to represent Australia while playing in England, Clues was selected to represent Other Nationalities on fourteen occasions between 1949 and 1955.
Clues did not return to Australia at the end of his playing career, instead he chose to stay in Leeds and open a sports store. He died in 1998.
Accoladesedit
In September 2004 Clues was named in the second row of the Western Suburbs Magpies team of the century.[4] In February 2008, he 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.[5]
Referencesedit
^ abHadfield, Dave (9 October 1998). "Obituary: Arthur Clues". The Independent. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
^Century's Top 100 Players 25 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine
^westsmagpies.net (2008). . Wests Archives. Western Suburbs Magpies R.L.F.C. Archived from the original on 21 October 2008. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
^"Centenary of Rugby League – The Players". NRL & ARL. 23 February 2008. Archived from the original on 26 February 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2008.
arthur, clues, 1924, october, 1998, australian, professional, rugby, league, footballer, played, 1940s, 1950s, australian, international, south, wales, interstate, representative, second, forward, played, club, football, sydney, western, suburbs, club, before,. Arthur Clues 2 May 1924 3 October 1998 was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and 1950s An Australian international and New South Wales interstate representative second row forward he played his club football in Sydney for the Western Suburbs club before moving to England to play for Leeds Heritage No 847 and Hunslet Clues has been named amongst the nation s finest footballers of the 20th century 2 Arthur CluesClues at WestsPersonal informationFull nameArthur CluesBorn 1924 05 02 2 May 1924 1 Liverpool New South Wales AustraliaDied3 October 1998 1998 10 03 aged 74 1 Leeds West Yorkshire EnglandPlaying informationHeight183 cm 6 ft 0 in Weight96 kg 15 st 2 lb PositionSecond rowClubYears Team Pld T G FG P1943 46 Western Suburbs 50 17 0 0 551947 54 Leeds 238 74 0 0 2221954 57 Hunslet 83 12 0 0 36Total 371 103 0 0 313RepresentativeYears Team Pld T G FG P1945 46 New South Wales 7 1 0 0 31952 British Empire XIII 1 0 0 0 01949 55 Other Nationalities 16 2 3 0 121946 Australia 3 0 0 0 0 Contents 1 Playing career 1 1 Australia 1 2 England 2 Accolades 3 References 4 Sources 5 External linksPlaying career editAustralia edit Clues played Rugby union for Parramatta at the age of seventeen before moving to rugby league and he was also a capable first grade cricketer He has the distinction of scoring a try and a century at both Headingley and the Sydney Cricket Ground Clues joined Wests in 1943 and quickly established himself as a constructive and creative second rower By 1946 he was representing at an international level for the Australians against the touring British Lions He played in all three Tests Clues is listed on the Australian Players Register as kangaroo No 220 3 England edit Lured by the offer of a lucrative contract with Leeds Clues was the first Australian to join an English club after World War II Clues played 238 first class games for Leeds but a dispute with Leeds management in 1954 ended his career at the club He played for the British Empire XIII versus New Zealand on Wednesday 23 January 1952 at Stamford Bridge Harry Hornby the chairman and financial power behind Bradford Northern in the 1940s paid a record fee for Frank Whitcombe Frank was a hard player during an era when the game was at its toughest His rivalry with Arthur Clues who played for Leeds was legendary Their confrontations on the field during the Bradford Northern v Leeds local derby games are part of Rugby League Folklore Trevor Foster MBE recalled an incident during one of these games in the late 1940s when Clues kicked out violently at Bradford Northern scrum half back Gwylfa Jones Immediately Frank stood up from the scrum and confronted his reckless action He ran towards Arthur with both fists clenched Whitcombe drove the full force of his 18 stone frame in to Arthur Clues chest and pole axed him Clues could not get his breath and for ten minutes received emergency medical attention in front of the 17 000 Odsal crowd The referee sent Frank off for his actions while Arthur Clues was carried off on a stretcher and also sent off In time honoured tradition the two men shook hands after the game to show their mutual respect for each other Frank Whitcombe and Arthur Clues became great friends when their playing days were over They used to spend a lot of time in Whitcombe s Public House The Kings Head in Bradford Needless to say there were no problems Clues moved on to Hunslet where he played a further three seasons before retiring in 1957 Unable to represent Australia while playing in England Clues was selected to represent Other Nationalities on fourteen occasions between 1949 and 1955 Clues did not return to Australia at the end of his playing career instead he chose to stay in Leeds and open a sports store He died in 1998 Accolades editIn September 2004 Clues was named in the second row of the Western Suburbs Magpies team of the century 4 In February 2008 he 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 5 References edit a b Hadfield Dave 9 October 1998 Obituary Arthur Clues The Independent Retrieved 22 January 2014 Century s Top 100 Players Archived 25 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine ARL Annual Report 2005 page 53 westsmagpies net 2008 Western Suburbs Team of the Century Wests Archives Western Suburbs Magpies R L F C Archived from the original on 21 October 2008 Retrieved 28 November 2009 Centenary of Rugby League The Players NRL amp ARL 23 February 2008 Archived from the original on 26 February 2008 Retrieved 23 February 2008 Sources editAlan Whiticker amp Glen Hudson 2007 The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players Wetherill Park New South Wales Gary Allen Pty Ltd p 92 ISBN 978 1 877082 93 1 Malcolm Andrews 1992 ABC of Rugby League Sydney New South Wales Australian Broadcasting Corporation Enterprises p 86 ISBN 0 7333 0176 2 External links edit archived by web archive org Arthur Clues at hunslet org uk archived by web archive org Profile at leedsrugby archived by web archive org France defeated in Battle of the Boulevard archived by web archive org Floodlit feast at Odsal Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Arthur Clues amp oldid 1148028506, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
