Ernest 'George' Anlezark

  • Playing Career

Playing Career

Vital Statistics

Full Name
Ernest Arthur Anlezark
Nickname(s)
George
Born
Friday, 29th December, 1882
Died
Sunday, 14th May, 1961 (Aged 78 years and 135 days)
Place Of Birth
Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia

Biography

Born Ernest Arthur Anlezark in the New South Wales rural township of Bathurst, Anlezark was known by many different names, such as George and Alec, but most prominently by his middle name, Arthur. He was a magnificent athlete, especially when it came to the Rugby codes.

At the young age of just 14, he made his first grade Rugby Union debut for the Bathurst Senior side. After five years with the side, he earnt his first representative honours in 1901, aged 19, when he was selected to play for Western Districts against Sydney. Shortly after that game he was named in the Combined Country team.

He played for Combined Country again in 1902 before earning selection in the NSW Seconds side that took on Queensland. The following year he again turned out for Combined Country before earning selection in the New South Wales sides that took on Queensland and New Zealand.

1904 he was again named in the Western Division team that played in Sydney and later at home against the touring British side. By 1905 he was just 23 years of age, but had been playing senior Rugby for nine years and this combination of youth and experience, along with his vast skillset and versatility in the backline, saw him have his greatest season at that point.

He again played for Western Division and Combined Country before lining up for NSW, producing fine performances which were rewarded with selection in the Wallabies squad that travelled to New Zealand at the end of the year, where he made his Test debut.

1906 was looking like a continuation of his 1905 form, however a thigh injury when playing for Western Districts ended his rep duties for the season. The following year he toured the Northern Rivers District of NSW with a Sydney representative side, as well as playing for NSW and Combined Country again. He was strongly considered for the Wallabies tour to England, but narrowly missed out on a place in the squad.

He started the 1908 season still playing Union, again earning selection for a Northern Rivers tour before playing for Second Combined Country, which was ultimately his last game before switching codes.

He made his Rugby League debut turning out for the Queensland state side against the visiting Maori side, playing at centre. He played in all 3 games for Queensland against the Maori, then travelled with the team to Sydney where he played one last match against Metropolis. Three days later he was named in Australia’s side against the Maori. His strong performances saw him picked for the 1908-09 Kangaroo tour, where he made his official Test debut against Great Britain in the third Test.

The tour got off to a horror start for Anlezark as he suffered a knee injury in the opening game against Mir-Rhondda. He eventually returned and had some good performances, which were enough to earn him a call up to Australia’s 3rd Test side against Great Britain.

Due to the financial difficulties on the tour, Anlezark accepted an offer from English League club Oldham.

Anlezark contacted the Western Districts Rugby Union, while still in England, about having his amateur status reinstated. They handed the matter to the NSW RU where it was turned down. He returned to Bathurst after the 1908/09 season had completed in England before accepting an offer to rejoin Oldham for 2 more seasons and departed Bathurst a few weeks later.

In his first two seasons there, Oldham won the English Championship both times. He was also a member of Oldham’s Lancashire Cup winning sides in 1910/11 and 1913/14. In 1911 he got married to and moved out of his accommodation, which he was sharing with fellow Australian Rugby League player Sid Deane at the Old Soldier Hotel in Oldham.

Anlezark wasted no time joining the British Army in 1914 when war was declared. He served mostly in Mesopotamia.

After the war, he returned to Oldham, but not to play, but as a cotton investor. He initially became reasonably wealthy, however the stock market crash of 1925 sent him into bankruptcy. He took on a quieter life until passing in 1961.

- ANDREW FERGUSON

Additional Notes

Played 1 Rugby Union test for the Wallabies in 1905.

Playing 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   App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Tour Matches Queensland Firsts 3 - -   - - 1 2 0 33.33% List
Tour Matches Australia 17 1 -   - 3 4 12 1 23.53% List
Test Series 1 - -   - - 0 1 0 0.00% List
The Ashes 1 - -   - - 0 1 0 0.00% List


International

Test Matches - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Australia 1909 2 - -   - - 0 1 1 0.00% List

International Matches - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Australia 1909 1 - -   - - 1 0 0 100.00% List


Representative

Australia - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
QLD Firsts 1908 4 - -   - - 1 3 0 25.00% List

Your Say

  • Doug
    04/09/2014

    E.A. Anlezark died in England in 1961. He was my uncle on my dads side of the family. Doug

  • Tony
    12/11/2014

    His nickname was actually "Snowy" and he died in 1961 in Crewe, Cheshire, England. He served in WW1 as a British Field Artillery Bombardier in the 66th Brigade. Ernest also played Rugby Union for Australia against New Zealand before switching to League.

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Contributions: Shawn Dollin, Andrew Ferguson, Greg Fiveash, Michael Borg, Bill Bates