Billy Cann
Lock
Player Bio
- Inducted:
- 2008
- Date of Birth:
- 11 October 1882
- Birthplace:
- Sydney, NSW
- Nickname:
- -
- Debut Team:
- New South Wales
- Date:
- 17 August 1907
- Opposition:
- New Zealand
- Venue:
- Royal Agricultural Society Ground, Sydney
- Representative:
- New South Wales, Australia
- Club:
- South Sydney
Career
Milestones
- Kangaroo Tours: 1908-09, 1911-12
- Premierships: 1908-09, 1914
Playing
- First Class Games
- 158
- Points
- 261
- Tries
- 73
Biography
Billy Cann first came into fame in Sydney rugby union as a three-quarter, a contemporary of Dally Messenger and Albert Rosenfeld. Like Rosenfeld, Cann was frustrated at being ignored by selectors, and turned to rugby league upon its formation in August 1907, playing in the NSW team against Baskerville's 'All Golds'.
Cann was one the finest all-round footballers to ever don a rugby league jersey — he could cover every position on the paddock from winger to second row.
At times, he played as a ''rover'', moving about the field seeking out opportunities and shoring-up his team's defences.
The program for NSW's tour of New Zealand in 1912 described him as ''fast and tricky in the loose, and a sound tackler (who) can fill with credit almost any position in the field''.
He quickly embraced the greater scope for forwards in the new game.
Relatively tall for his day, and around 80kg, it was Cann who introduced the now traditional Australian style of fast forward play, in which every forward is capable of combining with the backs to move the ball upfield.
Billy Cann toured Britain with three Kangaroo teams (the first two as a player), and later became a respected official of the NSWRL, still serving the code in the 1950s.
“He was the prototype of … the Australian style of imaginative lock forward play, providing a spectacular link with his backs.”
Tom Goodman Rugby League News
1. Billy Cann - Hall of Fame
Career Stats
Club Career
| Team Name | Competition | Year Start | Year End | Played | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Sydney | Premiership | 1908 | 1916 | 71 | 34 | 4 | - | 110 |
| South Sydney | City Cup |
1914
1916 |
1914
1916 |
3 | 1 | - | - | 3 |
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 | 8 | 9 | - | 42 |
| New South Wales | Touring Teams | 1907 | 1913 | 19 | 7 | - | - | 21 | |
| New South Wales | Tour Matches | 1912 | 1913 | 14 | 7 | 5 | - | 31 |
International
| Team Name | Competition | Year Start | Year End | Played | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Tests |
1908
1911
1914 |
1909
1912
1914 |
8 | 1 | 1 | - | 5 |
| Australia | Internationals | 1908 | 1909 | 4 | 1 | - | - | 3 |
| Australia | Tour matches |
1908
1911 |
1909
1912 |
26 | 9 | 2 | - | 31 |
Other Representative
| Team Name | Opponent | Year Start | Year End | Played | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kangaroos | Versus Rest of NSW | 1909 | 1909 | 2 | 2 | - | - | 6 |
| Kangaroos | Wallabies | 1909 | 1909 | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| Kangaroos | England | 1910 | 1910 | 1 | 2 | - | - | 6 |
| Australasia | 1910 | 1910 | 1 | - | - | - | - | |
| Kangaroos | Metropolis | 1912 | 1912 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 3 |
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.
