Ron Taylor, who was a True Blue and a contemporary of other NSW greats and Test players Keith Barnes, Norm Provan and Tony Brown, has passed away aged 91.
Taylor was a centre with a flair for goal-kicking when called upon. He is pictured above, middle row, third from left in 1960. (Photo courtesy: South Sydney Almanac)
He scored seven tries in his 49 first grade games for both Eastern Suburbs (1953-54) and South Sydney (1957-61) alongside kicking 49 goals.
A serious shoulder injury, while playing with the Roosters, initially forced Taylor’s retirement at the end of the 1954 season, but he recovered sufficiently to be lured back to Rugby League and play 35 games for the Rabbitohs.
He was named captain in the 1960 Round One clash against Balmain at Redfern Oval.
But regular captain and goal-kicker Bernie Purcell returned the following week, limiting Taylor’s leadership to just one game as South Sydney’s first grade skipper.
He ran onto the SCG with Balmain’s ‘Golden Boots’ Barnes, St George legend Provan and Newton’s Australian five-eighth Tony Brown as part of the NSW Firsts in 1958, which beat the Queensland Firsts 25-14 to win the Interstate Series.
His other representative games included Sydney Firsts, NSW City Firsts and NSW City Seconds.
NSWRL would like to extend its sincere condolences to Taylor’s family and friends.
