Footscray WALLABIES
CURRENT
Lopeti Timani
​
Born in the Tonga. His older brothers Sione Timani and Sitaleki Timani are both international rugby players.
​
Originally taking up Rugby League when he first moved to Australia.
​
He was signed by the Melbourne Rebels in 2014 and has been an allocated to Footscray ever since.
Lopeti played several games for the club in his inaugural in Melbourne.
​
OLD
Sammie Treherne
​
Jewel in Footscray's History !!!
​
Born and Bred Footscray girl. She come from Footscray Rugby Pedigree with the Treherne family being iconic name in our history.
Sammie started in our U6 team and come up through our Junior pathway to play Women State rugby.
She moved up to Queensland has furthered your playing credentials that has lead to her being selected for the Wallaroos in 2017 World Cup last year.
She recently signed with the Queensland Red for the inaugural SuperW competition.
​
We look forward to seeing her show her Doggie Spirit for years to come
​
DAVIS, Eric Hamilton (‘Kodak’).
Born Abbey Wood, Kent, England, 18 September, 1917
​
Footscray, Victoria & Australia – 4 Tests
​
An English-born prop who did a marvelous job to win selection in two internationals on the 1947-48 Wallaby tour of Britain, France and North America, and in two against the NZ Maoris in 1949 in Australia. Chunky and rotund in appearance, he belied his looks by training hard and giving every match his maximum effort.
​
David did particularly well to win selection in the first Wallaby tour to Britain after World War II from the Footscray Club. Cynics, skeptical about his selection, were pleasantly surprised by his enthusiasm as he pitched his bull-necked frame into the scrums. He was picked ahead of ‘Wallaby Bob’ McMaster against Scotland, which Australia won 16-7, and played against Wales, who won 6-0. Davis’ feat in winning selection against the Maoris in two international at the age of 32 was a fine tribute to a gutsy footballer.
CARPENTER, MacQuarie Gordon (‘Max’)
Born Trangie (NSW), 17 April, 1911 Died 1988.
Perth, Western Australia, Footscray, Power House, Victoria & Australia – 2 tests.
A quick, sharp winger and an outstanding goal-kicker. He was an exceptionally versatile sportsman who won the 1934 West Australian tennis championship, played A grade hockey, ran 100 yards in 9.8 seconds, and won a range of army sporting events. On a rugby field he was nimble, well-disciplined and always alert to the slightest scoring chance. He scored 29 points in two internationals, completely outplaying All Black winger Tommy Morrison, and went to Britain in 1939 full of hope for the Wallaby side which arrived the day World War II started. The team did not play a game before the tour was abandoned, and he played the rest of his rugby in service matches.
​
Carpenter was born in a remote town in north-western NSW and moved to Sydney to be educated in Randwick High School. His rugby instruction began at 13, when he travelled to matches as a ball boy for Randwick Rugby Club with Wally Meagher, the Waratah halfback. He moved to Perth in 1930 against the Britain Isles, who won 71-3. In 1933, he went to Sydney for a Wallaby trial, but missed selection for the South African tour, and played for WA against the Wallabies on their way to South Africa.
​
Carpenter transferred to Melbourne in 1936 and played in Footscray teams which won two premierships. He moved to Power House in 1938, when the club won the premiership. He played at home for Australia in 1938 in two matches against New Zealand. He kicked three penalty goals in the first, which New Zealand won 24-9, and scored two tries, a penalty and a goal in the second, won 20-14 by New Zealand. The Brisbane crowd was so delighted with his performance in this magnificent match that it rushed on to the ground and carried him off shoulder-high, after he scored 12 of Australia’s 14 points.
​
Carpenter was in impressive physical trim and his reflexes and wits so sharp that a great career seemed to be ahead, but war intervened. After serving with the Seventh Division AIF, he returned to Western Australia and coached the state team. In 1953, an Australian Services side coached by Carpenter toured New Zealand. Apart from Carpenter, who was then 42, the team included reps Pat Harvey (Queensland) and ‘Taraken Jack’ Baxter (NSW). The side lost 11-16 to the New Zealand Air Force, drew 8-all with the New Zealand Army, and lost 3-11 to a combined Services XV.
​
Carpenter was one of four players to represent Australia after having played for Western Australia. The others were Ken McCurrach, Adrian Turnbull and Bob Thompson. With Andy Barr and Stan Bissett, Carpenter was one of three players from the Powerhouse Club, Melbourne, named for ill-fated 1939 Wallaby tour.
BRIDLE, Owen Lawman
Born Exmouth, England, 28 July, 1910 Died 1983.
St Kilda, Footscray, Victoria & Australia – 12 Tests.
A tall, lean, versatile English-born loose forward who graduated from club football in Melbourne to a regular place in the Australian team in the 1930’s. He made three overseas tours for Australia, and proved an invaluable utility forward. He was often moved from the pack to replace an injured back, tackled strongly and showed exciting speed.
​
Bridle first played international football in 1931, when he visited New Zealand in the Australian team captained by Syd Malcolm. He made his debut against the NZ Maoris at Palmerston North, when Australia won 14-3. In 1932, he played in three matches against New Zealand in Australia, and showed the best form of his career in South Africa in 1933, playing in three internationals. He scored eight tries on the tour and played several times in Australia’s back line.
He returned to the Australian pack against New Zealand in 1934, and toured New Zealand for the second time in 1936 with the team captained by Edwin (‘Dooney’) Hayes. He again demonstrated his versatility by playing in two matches against the All Blacks as a forward and one against the Maoris as a centre.
​
Bridle was a star in Victorian teams which stretched NSW during the 1930’s, and made an immense contribution to Victoria’s rugby prestige. On tour in South Africa in 1933, Dave Cowper played in 17 matches and Gordon Strutridge and Bridle, 15 each – to record Victoria’s best performance with an Australian touring team. For the first time, an Australian side was not dominated by players from NSW. Bridle, who always played the game for fun, will long be remembered in Victoria for his attacking bursts.
LANG, Clifford W.P (‘Haggis’)
Born Karachi, 1899 Died 1944
​
Bedford (England), Footscray, Victoria and Australia – 2 tests.
​
One of the toughest men to play for Australia, Lang could play anywhere in the forwards. He played for Australia in two internationals against New Zealand in 1938 as a prop after a colourful background in rugby across the world.
​
Lang was born in Karachi but left for his parents’ home in Scotland at the age of 8 before the partition of India. Most sources give his year of birth as 1899, which made him 39 when he played for Australia. He was educated in Edinburgh and played for Bedford in English club rugby before he migrated to Australia and joined the army. He became friends with Max Carpenter and Victorian representative George Baker when he was on leave. Lang and Carpenter were in the Footscray side which won the Melbourne premiership in 1936 and 1937, but at Langs suggestion Carpenter switched to Power House in 1938. Lang and Carpenter went through officer training at Puckapunyal after Lang’s Test appearances. Lang was killed in action in the Far East in 1944. He could be among the oldest players to appear for Australia, but records of his birth at, to say the least, exceedingly difficult to pin down.