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Larry Corowa

  • Playing Career

Playing Career

All information provided below is based only on data available in the RLP database and should be used as a guide only.

Vital Statistics

Position(s)
Wing
Born
Monday, 5th August, 1957
Current Age
69 years and 27 days

Competitions Won

The Ashes
1979
Interstate Series
1978, 1979
NSW City vs Country Firsts
1978, 1979

Biography

The career of electrifying winger, the ‘Black Flash’, was almost over before it had started. Injuries suffered in a car accident following a game for Tweed Heads/G’Coast in Brisbane kept the 16-year-old out of the game for two years. Corowa linked with close friend Percy Knight with the Queanbeyan Kangaroos in the Canberra competition before coming to prominence when he scored five tries for Monaro against the visiting Great Britain side in 1977. The 19-year-old signed with Balmain the following year and stamped his claim for Kangaroo selection with a series of blistering performances which yielded 24 tries for the season. (Incredibly, Corowa was top-scorer for the Tigers that year with 72 pts from tries alone). In September 1978, he confirmed that he was the fastest man in the game when he defeated Stawell Gift winner Steve Proudlock in a 100m challenge race at Wentworth Park. On tour with the Kangaroos, Corowa played in just 7 matches but made his Test debut against Great Britain the following year, scoring a try in the first match of the 1979 Ashes series. Corowa played in two Tests in 1979 and was awarded the MBE in 1980 for services to the game. A burst appendix in 1981, coupled with further injury problems and the game’s growing emphasis on defense, resulted in the decline of his rep career and he returned home to Tweed Heads at the end of 1984. His career looked to have finished when he led South Tweed to an upset win in the Group 18 competition in 1987 but four years later, while working with Wally Lewis at the G’Coast, he made a comeback to first grade after an absence of seven years!
- ALAN WHITICKER

Playing Career Statistics

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

Representative Career - International Comp WinsStartsIntAPP3ST4ST3PT4PTTG1FGFGPtsBin5BinOffWLDWin% 
Tests (Senior International Matches) -2-21---1---3---2--100.00%List
The Ashes 12-21---1---3---2--100.00%List
Tour MatchesMonaroMON-1-15---5---15---1--100.00%List
Tour MatchesAustraliaAUS-9-97---7---21---9--100.00%List
Test Series 12-21---1---3---2--100.00%List
Representative Career - Australia Comp WinsStartsIntAPP3ST4ST3PT4PTTG1FGFGPtsBin5BinOffWLDWin% 
Interstate Series 25-55---5---15---5--100.00%List
NSW City vs Country Firsts 23-34---4---12---21-66.67%List
NSW City vs Country 23-34---4---12---21-66.67%List
Club Career - Australia Comp WinsStartsIntAPP3ST4ST3PT4PTTG1FGFGPtsBin5BinOffWLDWin% 
NSWRFL/NSWRL (NRL Premiership) -93699578--65---203---4352443.43%List
Preseason Cup -13-139---9---27---85-61.54%List
Midweek Cup -1011110---10---30---65-54.55%List
Challenge Cup AU -2-2------------11-50.00%List
Overall StartsIntAPP3ST4ST3PT4PTTG1FGFGPtsBin5BinOffWLDWin% 
First Class 1347141978--105---323---7463452.48%List

Test Matches - By Team

TeamYears StartsIntAPP3ST4ST3PT4PTTG1FGFGPtsBin5BinOffWLDWin% 
Australia1979 2-21---1---3---2--100.00%List

Australia - By Team

TeamYears StartsIntAPP3ST4ST3PT4PTTG1FGFGPtsBin5BinOffWLDWin% 
Monaro1977 5-59---9---27---41-80.00%List
NSW Country Firsts1977 1-1-------------1-0.00%List
NSW Firsts1978-79 5-55---5---15---5--100.00%List
NSW City Firsts1978-79 2-24---4---12---2--100.00%List

NSWRFL/NSWRL (NRL Premiership) - By Year

TeamSeason StartsIntAPP3ST4ST3PT4PTTG1FGFGPtsBin5BinOffWLDWin% 
BalmainBalmain19781978 NSWRFL 21-2124---24---72---911142.86%List
BalmainBalmain19791979 NSWRFL 17-1714---14---42---88147.06%List
BalmainBalmain19801980 NSWRFL 18-185---5---15---711-38.89%List
BalmainBalmain19811981 NSWRFL 151169---9---27---510131.25%List
BalmainBalmain19821982 NSWRFL Winfield Cup 102125---5---15---47133.33%List
BalmainBalmain19831983 NSWRFL Winfield Cup 11213-7--7---28---103-76.92%List
Gold CoastGold Coast19911991 NSWRL Winfield Cup 112-1--1---4----2-0.00%List

NSWRFL/NSWRL (NRL Premiership) - By Team

TeamYears StartsIntAPP3ST4ST3PT4PTTG1FGFGPtsBin5BinOffWLDWin% 
Balmain1978-83 92597577--64---199---4350444.33%List
Gold Coast1991 112-1--1---4----2-0.00%List

Your Say

  • brad may
    22 May 2011 12:31pm

    the black and gold flash. if larry had the slightest gap to run at it was all over because nobody could catch the speed machine larrry corowa

  • Paul Carter
    23 Jun 2011 2:40pm

    In 1978 Corowa got a 10 in Rugby League Week.It came after he scored 4 Tries for Balmain in their 39-5 win over Newtown at Henson Park on April 2.Corowa also won the 100 Metre Sprint at the League Olympics at Leichhardt Oval in 1978 after a False Start.

  • Anonymous
    29 Aug 2011 12:05pm

    Larry is the reason I became a league fan and a Tigers fan. Wonderfully exciting to watch - a spectacular runner and athlete.

  • JEFF MITCHELL
    19 Aug 2015 9:35am

    Larry played for Woden Valley Rams with Percy.I was at that game,5 against the poms.Gee he could run.Never forget it.
    Cheers Larry
    Jeff Mitchell
    WVJRL Club Boy of the Year 1976

  • Mirrors
    24 May 2016 8:21pm

    The most exciting player of his time

  • Mike Gielb
    19 Sep 2016 10:43pm

    Played with Larry at Woden Valley Rams. His nickname with us there was "Gazelle". Tough to keep up with him at training.

  • Anonymous
    29 Jun 2017 9:47pm

    Larry was never selected for his tackling ability however the first bloke I ever saw miss a tackle but have enough sheer pace to get up and run the guy down (bear park197?) One of the greats

  • Anonymous
    17 Mar 2018 10:56pm

    I was at Wentworth Park to witness the match race against Steve Proudlock, Larry won in a hand-timed 10.3 seconds over 100m - a time that would have been good enough to earn a Bronze medal at the 1980 olympics and only 0.05 seconds behind Alan Wells the gold medalist!

  • Anonymous
    10 Jun 2020 5:45pm

    larry corowa was the fastest rugby league player of all time unheralded and unmatched for sheer speed.

  • Anonymous
    14 Aug 2021 8:46am

    What a legend of the game, exeptional athlete

  • Anonymous
    15 Jun 2022 5:08pm

    fastest of them all larry corowa.

  • D
    30 Mar 2024 7:15pm

    Also played for Cudgen.

  • Anonymous
    6 Aug 2024 2:22pm

    Electrifying Balmain and Australian winger. Teams paid the penalty for leaving Larry space on the outside.

  • Jeff Mitchell
    3 Oct 2024 9:51pm

    Larry and Percy Knight played for the Woden Valley Rams before Queanbeyan Roos showed money we couldn’t afford.Probably only played 3 games for them with rep games and Balmain taking over

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Contributions: Rugby League Tables, Andrew Ferguson, Greg Fiveash, AJ Lucantonio, Shawn Dollin, Paul Carter, Alan Katzmann, Steven Russo, Max Turner, Tony McCarron

Sources:Castleford Tigers Heritage, David Middleton's Rugby League Yearbook (1987-88 to present)