Edgar Newham

  • Playing Career

Playing Career

Vital Statistics

Full Name
Edgar Wynton Newham
Born
Sunday, 19th July, 1914
Died
Monday, 27th November, 1995 (Aged 81 years and 131 days)
Place Of Birth
Cowra, New South Wales, Australia

Biography

Veteran winger first came to C’bury from Cowra in 1938 as a 24-year-old. That year, the ‘Cantabs’ won their first premiership with Newham on the flank in the final. Four years later C’bury had to play in a mid-week match against Balmain to decide the minor premiership and Newham crossed for a club record 5 tries. C’bury won the match, 26-20, and went on to win the grand final, 11-9. Newham represented NSW in 1941 but had to wait until after the war to play for Australia. He joined the RAAF as a paratrooper and travelled to club games during the 1942 season while stationed at Newcastle before leaving for active duty overseas as a gunner. In 1946 he was playing for Cowra when he was selected for NSW and ultimately went on to make his Test debut in the Ashes series against Great Britain. At age 32, Newham became the oldest player ever to make his Test debut, but after playing in the first two Tests a hip injury forced him out of the third match. In 1948 he played half a season with C’bury but retired after being hospitalised when he aggravated a war injury.
- ALAN WHITICKER

Additional Notes

Served in World War II as a private in the Army. When discharged he was a member of "Z" Special Unit.

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 %  
NRL 72 55 -   - 165 45 24 3 62.50% List
NRL Finals 8 3 -   - 9 4 4 0 50.00% List
City vs Country Firsts 2 2 -   - 6 2 0 0 100.00% List
Interstate Matches 4 3 -   - 9 3 1 0 75.00% List
City Cup 1 5 -   - 15 1 0 0 100.00% List
Tour Matches Southern Division 1 - -   - - 0 1 0 0.00% List
Tour Matches New South Wales Firsts 1 - -   - - 0 1 0 0.00% List
Tour Matches Australia 2 - -   - - 0 1 1 0.00% List
Test Series 2 - -   - - 0 1 1 0.00% List
The Ashes 2 - -   - - 0 1 1 0.00% List


International

Test Matches - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Australia 1946 2 - -   - - 0 1 1 0.00% List


Representative

Australia - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
NSW City Seconds 1939 1 1 -   - 3 1 0 0 100.00% List
Sydney Firsts 1940 1 2 -   - 6 1 0 0 100.00% List
Combined City 1940 1 3 -   - 9 1 0 0 100.00% List
NSW City Firsts 1940-41 2 2 -   - 6 2 0 0 100.00% List
NSW Firsts 1941, 1946 7 5 -   - 15 5 2 0 71.43% List
Fighting Services I 1942 1 - -   - - 1 0 0 100.00% List
Southern Division 1946 1 - -   - - 0 1 0 0.00% List
Overall1939-1946 14 13 0   0 39 11 3 0 78.57% List


Club Career

NRL/NSWRL - By Year

Team Season App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Canterbury NSWRFL 1938 12 7 -   - 21 10 1 1 83.33% List
Canterbury NSWRFL 1939 14 10 -   - 30 9 5 0 64.29% List
Canterbury NSWRFL 1940 15 11 -   - 33 9 6 0 60.00% List
Canterbury NSWRFL 1941 12 5 -   - 15 7 5 0 58.33% List
Canterbury NSWRFL 1942 6 11 -   - 33 4 2 0 66.67% List
Canterbury NSWRFL 1943 4 4 -   - 12 1 3 0 25.00% List
Canterbury NSWRFL 1945 1 1 -   - 3 0 1 0 0.00% List
Canterbury NSWRFL 1948 8 6 -   - 18 5 1 2 62.50% List

NRL/NSWRL - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Canterbury 1938-43, 1945, 1948 72 55 -   - 165 45 24 3 62.50% List

Your Say

  • Dean Garside
    06/07/2012

    I met Edgar Newham back in 1987 when I was playing on the wing for my old school Camden High. Edgar was at the game with Roy Masters. At the time I had no idea who Edgar was. He came over to me at half time and gave me some advice about my positional play in defence as I was not sure of where to be at times. After the game I had another chat with Edgar after the game and he told me and a few of the other players on my team about his exploits as a player. I have still got his autograph along sides Roy Masters after all these years. I am sorry to hear of his passing all those years ago. He still has his place in Canterbury's history with his 5 tries in a game.

  • Alan Dean
    05/12/2021

    I first met Edgar in 1992 after moving to Camden. A local pub had named its main bar after Edgar and I enjoyed talking to him not just about football, but also about his mining times in the Northern Territory.
    He was a true gentleman and I was moved on the day my youngest daughter asked him for his autograph and he obliged with a tear in his eye, saying this is the first time he had been asked since his football days.
    Some friends and I took Edgar to a game between the Dogs and Saints at the SCG, Edgar had not been to the SCG for many years and thought we had brought him to the wrong venue.
    Peter Moore recognise Edgar at the end of the game and took him into the dressing rooms to meet the team.
    He told us on his return that one “little bloke” was quite cranky about their loss … turned out to be one, Terry Lamb.
    It was a sad day when we lost Edgar in 1995, but I do remember contacting Garry Hughes at the Club who made sure a good contingent of past players attended the funeral, including one who played with him against the Poms in 1946.
    One of the Dogs greats!

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Contributions: Shawn Dollin, Andrew Ferguson, Rugby League Tables, Greg Fiveash, Alan Katzmann, Max Turner, Paul Carter

Sources: 2006 Official Rugby League Annual