“Nosa” left an incredible legacy
WHEN Leo Nosworthy left Balmain for Narromine after playing in three successive grand finals with the club, little did he know it would be the start of a most incredible journey.
The talented young back signed as captain-coach of the Narromine Rugby League team in March 1951 and was to create a record that led him to a NSWRL premiership with his beloved Balmain Tigers 18 years later.
Nosworthy was the architect and artisan combined when leading Narromine to their first Group XI title in 1953. A heartbreaking loss to Parkes in 1954 was quickly forgotten when the tough and brilliant utility player delivered the back-toback premierships in 1955/56.
After another less successful year, the man who was lovingly known as Nosa, headed east to coach Dubbo Macquarie and his already impressive coaching credentials were to be forever chiselled into local folklore.
After a “settling in” season in 1958, Nosworthy gained immortality when his Blues downed Wellington to complete an unbeaten season. The honours continued when Macquarie was awarded the Clayton Cup, regarded as the pinnacle of Country Rugby League.
Don Parish was selected for the Kangaroos from that team while local legends Barry Perry, Athol Currey, Doug Moore, Ray Light, Tom Rutherford and an unstoppable half-back named Johnny George were integral to the team’s success.
Nosa passed away last week at his home on the central coast. Interestingly, he remained lifelong friends with Don Parish and Chicka Pearce.
“My dad, Brian, who everyone called Tiger, was in the team Leo coached. I was only a little boy when he was here but each year when we head to the coast to catch up with Chicka, who was in charge of us in Under 18s, we would catch up with him. He always remembered his time in the west and said it was that experience that was behind his unbelievable win with Balmain in 1969,” Bob Pilon recalled.
In his last year in Dubbo, Leo was the licensee of the Macquarie View Hotel on the corner of Macquarie and Talbragar Sts.