Greg Pierce

Coaching Career

Vital Statistics

Full Name
Greg Stuart Pierce
Born
Saturday, 4th March, 1950
Died
Friday, 24th June, 2016 (Aged 66 years and 112 days)
Place Of Birth
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Known Family Links

Grandfather
Arthur Folwell

Biography

The grandson of 1930s Test hooker Arthur Folwell, Greg Pierce was a Newtown junior (Marrickville) who spent two years in the C’bury junior league. He was graded in the late 1960s as a long-haired fullback with battlers Cronulla but under Tommy Bishop's leadership in the early 1970s he switched to lock and, after playing in the 1973 grand final, was selected on the Kangaroo Tour. Pierce became the first Cronulla player to play a Test when selected against France at the end of the tour and played in Australia's 1975 and 1977 World Cup victories. In the First Test of the 1978 Trans Tasman series Pierce became the first Cronulla player to captain Australia but the year proved to be bitter-sweet. Despite winning the Test selectors dropped him from the Second Test to pave the way for Bob Fulton to take over the captaincy (Pearce was reinstated as a player for the Third Test). Pearce then missed Cronulla's second grand final appearance when he was suspended after the club’s semi-final against Wests. Pierce had scored a try to set up victory for the Sharks but was sent off for fighting with John Donnelly. (It was later revealed that Donnelly took a dive and despite Pierce’s impeccable playing record he was suspended for four matches and missed the grand final). Being named as vice-captain of the 1978 Kangaroo Tour was some consolation for Pierce but he played in just four matches before injuring his knee in the international against Wales. Further injuries, and the opportunity to take over as club coach after Tommy Bishop's disastrous return to the club in 1980, led to his retirement with a then club record number of games to his credit. Pierce spent two seasons as Cronulla coach and took the club to the semi-finals in 1981. His reputation as one of the fittest men in rugby league is borne out by the fact that he was still playing lower grade rugby union on the Central Coast well into his forties. In 2003, the year he was named as one of the Sharks’ ‘immortals’, he fought a determined battle against cancer.
- ALAN WHITICKER

Coaching Career Statistics

All statistics shown in this section are based only on data available in the RLP database, and are not necessarily a complete and/or 100% accurate representation of a player's career. This information should be used as a guide only. If you see a question mark (?), it denotes that the figure is not available.

To view a list of corresponding matches, click on the List button.

Competitions

Competition   Games W L D Win %  
NRL 49 26 21 2 53.06% List
National Panasonic Cup 1 0 1 0 0.00% List
NRL Finals 1 0 1 0 0.00% List


Club Career

NRL/NSWRL - By Year

Team Season Games W L D Win %  
Cronulla NSWRFL 1981 23 13 9 1 56.52% List
Cronulla NSWRFL 1982 26 13 12 1 50.00% List

NRL/NSWRL - By Team

Team Years Games W L D Win %  
Cronulla 1981-82 49 26 21 2 53.06% List

Your Say

  • Anonymous
    14/04/2012

    One of the best low tackler's in the game, fearless

  • Julian
    30/08/2013

    An absolute Cronulla Sharks legend. Along with Steve Rogers, Greg Pierce probably did more as a player for Cronulla than anyone. Had he not been controversially suspended from the 1979 Grand Final replay against Manly, the Sharks probably would have won that year.

  • Anonymous
    21/12/2015

    Greg was graded from the gymea football club in the sutherland shire district..

  • John
    05/11/2017

    Sadly passed away on 24 June 2016.

    One the finest. RIP Greg

  • HOWARD BOUGHTON
    19/09/2022

    Greg Pierce was Captain of my U15's Rugby Side at Sydney Technical High School, Sydney. I was the P.E. Teacher at the School who happened to play in the Wallaby Trials at North Sydney Oval the previous Year. Greg was an outstanding Captain, lock forward, a great inspiration to the Team. We were Zone Champions and deservedly so. Howard Boughton BA BEd Dip Phys Ed

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Contributions: Andrew Ferguson, Rugby League Tables, Greg Fiveash, Paul Carter, Shawn Dollin, Alan Katzmann, Bill Bates, AJ Lucantonio, Tim Costello