Eddie Burns

C’bury stalwart, who with Henry Porter and Roy Kirkaldy, formed arguably the finest front row combination in club football. Burns played in the C’bury club’s debut season whilst still a teenager and earned the dubious distinction of being sent off in his first match. That year, C’bury was thrashed from pillar to post but Burns was on hand to savour the club's first premiership just three seasons later. He went to Newcastle after seven matches of the 1940 competition to play for Waratah Mayfield but returned to Sydney win the premiership with C’bury in 1942. A prolific try-scoring prop, Burns' rep career was undoubtedly hindered by the abandonment of state and Test matches during World War II. He played for NSW in just two matches in 1948. Although judged to be the best player on the field in both matches, he was omitted from the Kangaroo squad selected later that year. When he retired in 1950, he had scored a club record 65 tries (beaten by Chris Anderson in 1978) and was chaired from the field by opposing captain 'Bumper' Farrell in his final match. Burns later coached C’bury (1960-62 & 1965) and NSW in the mid-1960s. He passed away in June 2004, aged 87.