Norm Provan
Second row
Player Bio
- Honoured:
- 2018
- Date of Birth:
- 18 December 1932
- Birthplace:
- Urana, NSW
- Nickname:
- Sticks
- Debut Team:
- St George
- Date:
- 07 April 1951
- Opposition:
- Manly
- Venue:
- Kogarah Oval, Sydney
- Representative:
- City, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Club:
- St George
Career
Milestones
- Premierships: 1956-61, 1962-65
- Kangaroo Tour: 1956-57
- NSWRL Player of the Year: 1958
- Sun-Herald Best and Fairest: 1954
- Grand Final man of the match*: 1957-58, 1963
- Australian Rugby League Team of the Century: 2008
- New South Wales Team of the Century: 2008
- Rated No. 26 in Rugby League Week’s Top 100 players: 1992
- Named in NRL Team of the 1950s: 2007
- Premierships: 1956-65
- Immortal: 2018
Playing
- First Class Games
- 351
- Points
- 281
- Tries
- 93
Biography
Norm Provan was a giant of the game in every respect. Apart from his imposing stature (he stood 193cm), Provan was a towering figure for St George in their record run of premiership wins and for Australia in 18 Test and World Cup appearances.
At Test level, he formed one of Australia's most revered back-row partnerships with Queensland and later Western Suburbs second-rower Kel O'Shea.
It was Provan's efforts for St George that helped cement his legend in the game.
He played in 10 of St George's 11 successive grand-final victories, the last five as captain-coach. He bowed out in 1965, when the Dragons triumphed 12–8 over Souths in front of 78,056 spectators.
In 1957, EE Christensen wrote how Provan with his stellar performances had gained for himself ''a niche in rugby league history along with the Burges, Pearces, Treweekes (sic) and Narvos ... Provan's crashing runs were a feature of the World Cup and, never a shiner, he was just as hard with his tackling as he was brilliant in attack.''
Provan was born in the NSW Riverina, went to school in the North Sydney district, and trialled unsuccessfully with Eastern Suburbs before joining St George from the Sutherland juniors.
''Provan was born to lead,'' wrote Ian Heads in March of the Dragons. ''His honesty, ambition, will to win, courage, dignity, modesty, pride in achievement, loyalty and fair play fitted him perfectly for the task.''
“One of the worst to play against, one of the best to play alongside.”
Kel O’Shea Australian team-mate and second-row partner
Norm Provan - Immortal
Career Stats
Club Career
| Team Name | Competition | Year Start | Year End | Played | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St George Dragons | Premiership | 1951 | 1965 | 256 | 63 | 1 | - | 191 |
| St George Dragons | City Cup | 1959 | 1959 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 3 |
| St George Dragons | Touring Sides | 1962 | 1963 | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| St George Dragons | Official Pre-Season | 1962 | 1965 | 21 | 3 | - | - | 9 |
| St George Dragons | State Cup | 1964 | 1965 | 4 | 2 | - | - | 6 |
Representative Career
City - Country
| Team Name | Opponent | Year Start | Year End | Played | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City Seconds | Country Seconds | 1953 | 1953 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| City Firsts | Country Firsts |
1954
1957
1962 |
1955
1960
1962 |
7 | 7 | - | - | 21 |
| Sydney |
1954
1958
1960 |
1954
1958
1960 |
3 | - | - | - | - |
State
| Team Name | Competition | Opponent | Year Start | Year End | Played | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | Interstate Series | Queensland | 1954 | 1961 | 20 | 4 | - | - | 12 |
| New South Wales | Touring Sides |
1954
1959 |
1954
1960 |
5 | 2 | - | - | 6 |
International
| Team Name | Competition | Year Start | Year End | Played | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Tests and World Cup |
1954
1956 |
1954
1960 |
18 | 8 | - | - | 24 |
| Australia | Tour Matches | 1956 | 1957 | 12 | 2 | - | - | 6 |
| Australia | Rest of the World | 1957 | 1957 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 3 |
Latest
Immortals
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.
