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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

Born
Monday, 5th August, 1957
Current Age
68 years and 317 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 Wins Starts Int APP 3ST 4ST 3PT 4PT T G1FG FG Pts Bin5 Bin Off W L D Win%  
Tests (Senior International Matches) - 2 - 2 1---1 - - - 3 - - - 2 - - 100.00% List
The Ashes 1 2 - 2 1---1 - - - 3 - - - 2 - - 100.00% List
Tour Matches MonaroMON - 1 - 1 5---5 - - - 15 - - - 1 - - 100.00% List
Tour Matches AustraliaAUS - 9 - 9 7---7 - - - 21 - - - 9 - - 100.00% List
Test Series 1 2 - 2 1---1 - - - 3 - - - 2 - - 100.00% List
Representative Career - Australia   Comp Wins Starts Int APP 3ST 4ST 3PT 4PT T G1FG FG Pts Bin5 Bin Off W L D Win%  
Interstate Series 2 5 - 5 5---5 - - - 15 - - - 5 - - 100.00% List
NSW City vs Country Firsts 2 3 - 3 4---4 - - - 12 - - - 2 1 - 66.67% List
NSW City vs Country 2 3 - 3 4---4 - - - 12 - - - 2 1 - 66.67% List
Club Career - Australia   Comp Wins Starts Int APP 3ST 4ST 3PT 4PT T G1FG FG Pts Bin5 Bin Off W L D Win%  
NSWRFL/NSWRL (NRL Premiership) - 93 6 99 578--65 - - - 203 - - - 43 52 4 43.43% List
Preseason Cup - 13 - 13 9---9 - - - 27 - - - 8 5 - 61.54% List
Midweek Cup - 10 1 11 10---10 - - - 30 - - - 6 5 - 54.55% List
Challenge Cup AU - 2 - 2 ----- - - - - - - - 1 1 - 50.00% List
Overall   Starts Int APP 3ST 4ST 3PT 4PT T G1FG FG Pts Bin5 Bin Off W L D Win%  
First Class  134 7 141 978--105 - - - 323 - - - 74 63 4 52.48% List

Test Matches - By Team

Team Years   Starts Int APP 3ST 4ST 3PT 4PT T G1FG FG Pts Bin5 Bin Off W L D Win%  
Australia 1979   2 - 2 1---1 - - - 3 - - - 2 - - 100.00% List

Australia - By Team

Team Years   Starts Int APP 3ST 4ST 3PT 4PT T G1FG FG Pts Bin5 Bin Off W L D Win%  
Monaro 1977   5 - 5 9---9 - - - 27 - - - 4 1 - 80.00% List
NSW Country Firsts 1977   1 - 1 ----- - - - - - - - - 1 - 0.00% List
NSW Firsts 1978-79   5 - 5 5---5 - - - 15 - - - 5 - - 100.00% List
NSW City Firsts 1978-79   2 - 2 4---4 - - - 12 - - - 2 - - 100.00% List

NSWRFL/NSWRL (NRL Premiership) - By Year

Team Season   Starts Int APP 3ST 4ST 3PT 4PT T G1FG FG Pts Bin5 Bin Off W L D Win%  
BalmainBalmain 19781978 NSWRFL   21 - 2124---24 - - - 72 - - - 9 11 1 42.86% List
BalmainBalmain 19791979 NSWRFL   17 - 1714---14 - - - 42 - - - 8 8 1 47.06% List
BalmainBalmain 19801980 NSWRFL   18 - 185---5 - - - 15 - - - 7 11 - 38.89% List
BalmainBalmain 19811981 NSWRFL   15 1 169---9 - - - 27 - - - 5 10 1 31.25% List
BalmainBalmain 19821982 NSWRFL Winfield Cup   10 2 125---5 - - - 15 - - - 4 7 1 33.33% List
BalmainBalmain 19831983 NSWRFL Winfield Cup   11 2 13-7--7 - - - 28 - - - 10 3 - 76.92% List
Gold CoastGold Coast 19911991 NSWRL Winfield Cup   1 1 2-1--1 - - - 4 - - - - 2 - 0.00% List

NSWRFL/NSWRL (NRL Premiership) - By Team

Team Years   Starts Int APP 3ST 4ST 3PT 4PT T G1FG FG Pts Bin5 Bin Off W L D Win%  
Balmain 1978-83   92 5 97 577--64 - - - 199 - - - 43 50 4 44.33% List
Gold Coast 1991   1 1 2 -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)