Herbert "Dally" Messenger
Centre
Player Bio
- Inducted:
- 2008
- Date of Birth:
- 12 April 1883
- Birthplace:
- Balmain, NSW
- Nickname:
- Dally
- Debut Team:
- New South Wales
- Date:
- 17 August 1907
- Opposition:
- New Zealand
- Venue:
- Royal Agricultural Society Ground, Sydney
- Representative:
- New South Wales, Queensland, Australia, New Zealand
- Club:
- Eastern Suburbs
Career
Milestones
- Premierships: 1911-13
- Kangaroo Tour: 1908-09
- Australian captain: Three Tests
- Australian Rugby League Team of the Century: 2008
- New South Wales Team of the Century: 2008
- Rated No. 4 in Rugby League Week’s Top 100 players: 1992
- Holds record for most points in an interstate match (32)
Playing
- First Class Games
- 163
- Points
- 1238
- Tries
- 73
Biography
Herbert Henry ''Dally'' Messenger was known throughout rugby league as ''The Master''. He was the game's first true champion and helped to secure the future of the fledgling code when he signed on in August 1907.
Messenger toured England twice, the first time as the guest of the New Zealand Rugby League and the second as the star member of the First Kangaroos.
Such was his reputation that he guaranteed increased gate receipts when English crowds read placards proclaiming that ''Messenger will be playing''.
Messenger was close to 172cm and at his peak in rugby league played at around 76kg. Les Cubitt, Kangaroo captain in 1921–22, reckoned he was ''the equal of any two backs who ever played rugby league''.
In 1926, Tom McMahon, the game's first great referee in Sydney, explained that Messenger was a ''genius'' on the football field.
''There was nothing in the game that he could not do well,'' McMahon wrote. ''Catch, field, side-step, swerve, tackle and kick goals from beyond the halfway mark.''
He was the peerless goalkicker of his day and renowned for his unorthodoxy. He developed the skill of passing the ball over the heads of opponents and regathering, a move which was later outlawed.
He is known to have kicked towering goals from his own side of halfway and also to have kicked a field goal against Glebe while one leg was pinned by Glebe's captain Chris McKivat.
Messenger played a pivotal role in Eastern Suburbs' premiership trilogy in 1911–13, after which his club presented him with the Agricultural Shield.
“He is a true football genius, whose powers have been developed and ripened by the almost unique experience he has had."
J C Davis Editor, The Referee newspaper, July 1911
Herbert 'Dally' Messenger - Immortal
Career Stats
Club Career
| Team Name | Competition | Year Start | Year End | Played | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Suburbs | Premiership | 1908 | 1913 | 48 | 20 | 159 | - | 381 |
| Eastern Suburbs | City Cup | 1912 | 1913 | 2 | - | 4 | - | 8 |
Representative Career
State
| Team Name | Competition | Opponent | Year Start | Year End | Played | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | Interstate Series | Queensland |
1908
1910 |
1908
1912 |
6 | 10 | 43 | - | 116 |
| New South Wales | Touring Sides |
1907
1910 |
1908
1913 |
19 | 11 | 71 | - | 176 | |
| New South Wales | Newcastle | 1910 | 1910 | 1 | - | 8 | - | 16 | |
| Queensland | Touring Teams | 1908 | 1908 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | 9 |
International
| Team Name | Competition | Year Start | Year End | Played | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Tests | 1908 | 1910 | 7 | 4 | 16 | - | 44 |
| Australia | Internationals | 1908 | 1908 | 1 | 1 | 4 | - | 11 |
| Australia | Tour matches | 1908 | 1909 | 30 | 8 | 60 | - | 144 |
| New Zealand | Tests | 1908 | 1908 | 4 | 2 | 5 | - | 16 |
| New Zealand | Tour matches | 1907 | 1908 | 28 | 9 | 72 | - | 171 |
Other Representative
| Team Name | Opponent | Year Start | Year End | Played | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metropolis |
1908
1910 |
1908
1912 |
8 | 5 | 38 | - | 91 | |
| Kangaroos |
1909
1917 |
1910
1917 |
5 | 1 | 14 | - | 31 | |
| Australasia | 1910 | 1910 | 2 | 1 | 7 | - | 17 | |
| Australian XIII | 1912 | 1912 | 1 | - | 5 | - | 10 |
Hall of Fame Members
National Rugby League respects and honours the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands we meet, gather and play on.
