Benny Wearing

The tragedy of great winger Benny Wearing's career was that while he was a record-maker at Souths, and the ‘people's champion’ in the Sydney premiership, he only made the one Test appearance. A great goal-kicker with a good short kicking game, Wearing played for NSW between 1924-28 and won seven premiership titles with Souths (1925-29 & 1931-32) but was constantly overlooked for Test duty. After the Australian Board of Control did not go ahead with the 1926-27 Kangaroo Tour Wearing was expected to be one of the first players selected in the Test series against England in 1928. He was not chosen for the first two Tests but he was just too good to leave out of the Third Test. Wearing scored the then individual points record (12pts - 2t, 3g) in Australia's only win of the series but was again omitted when the Kangaroos squad was selected the following year. He retired in 1933 with a club record 144 tries to his credit – a record that still stands.