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Nick Yakich

  • 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
Thursday, 18th January, 1940
Died
Tuesday, 28th May, 2019 (Aged 79 years and 130 days)
Place Of Birth
Innisfail, Queensland, Australia

Known Family Links

Brother
Fred Yakich

Competitions Won

Interstate Series
1965

Biography

Flying Manly winger scored tries in each of his three appearances for NSW in 1965 which catapulted him into the squad for the Australian Tour of NZ. Born in Innisfail Queensland (the son of a Croatian immigrant who stowed away on a ship bound for Perth in the 1920s) Yakich moved to Mosman in the late 1940s and attended school at Marist Brothers with budding sprint star Ken Irvine. After attending Newcastle Teachers College with his brother Fred, Nick Yakich was posted to Harbord Primary School. Trialling with Manly at the instigation of Frank Stanton, a cricket team-mate, he was graded as a winger in 1960. Nick Yakich came under the guidance of former beach sprint champion Johnny Bliss, an assistant coach at the club, and went on to win 5 Australian Sprint Championships with the North Narrabeen Surf Club. In 1965 he was chosen for Australian on the tour of NZ and although he did not play in a Test (Ken Irvine and Mike Cleary were the Test wingers), Yakich was the leading try-scorer on tour with six tries in minor matches. Major knee surgery after suffering an injury in a match against Souths ended his Sydney career the following year and he retired from the game when he suffered a shoulder injury as captain-coach of Werris Creek in 1967.
- 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 3PT T G 2FG FG Pts Bin5 Bin Off W L D Win%  
Tour Matches NSW ColtsNSW - 1 - 1 1-1 - - - 3 - - - 1 - - 100.00% List
Tour Matches AustraliaAUS - 4 - 4 6-6 - - - 18 - - - 4 - - 100.00% List
Representative Career - Australia   Comp Wins Starts Int APP 3ST 3PT T G 2FG FG Pts Bin5 Bin Off W L D Win%  
Interstate Series 1 3 - 3 4-4 - - - 12 - - - 3 - - 100.00% List
NSW City vs Country - 1 - 1 3-3 - - - 9 - - - 1 - - 100.00% List
Club Career - Australia   Comp Wins Starts Int APP 3ST 3PT T G 2FG FG Pts Bin5 Bin Off W L D Win%  
NSWRFL (NRL Premiership) - 73 - 73 52-52 - - - 156 - - - 29 42 2 39.73% List
Preseason Cup - 11 - 11 3-3 - - - 9 - - - 3 6 2 27.27% List
Overall   Starts Int APP 3ST 3PT T G 2FG FG Pts Bin5 Bin Off W L D Win%  
First Class  93 - 93 69-69 - - - 207 - - - 41 48 4 44.09% List

Australia - By Team

Team Years   Starts Int APP 3ST 3PT T G 2FG FG Pts Bin5 Bin Off W L D Win%  
Sydney Colts 1964   1 - 1 2-2 - - - 6 - - - 1 - - 100.00% List
NSW Colts 1964   1 - 1 1-1 - - - 3 - - - 1 - - 100.00% List
NSW City Seconds 1965   1 - 1 3-3 - - - 9 - - - 1 - - 100.00% List
NSW Firsts 1965   3 - 3 4-4 - - - 12 - - - 3 - - 100.00% List

NSWRFL (NRL Premiership) - By Year

Team Season   Starts Int APP 3ST 3PT T G 2FG FG Pts Bin5 Bin Off W L D Win%  
ManlyManly 19601960 NSWRFL   3 - 3--- - - - - - - - 1 2 - 33.33% List
ManlyManly 19611961 NSWRFL   8 - 83-3 - - - 9 - - - 5 3 - 62.50% List
ManlyManly 19621962 NSWRFL   11 - 115-5 - - - 15 - - - 4 6 1 36.36% List
ManlyManly 19631963 NSWRFL   17 - 1714-14 - - - 42 - - - 7 10 - 41.18% List
ManlyManly 19641964 NSWRFL   16 - 1616-16 - - - 48 - - - 5 10 1 31.25% List
ManlyManly 19651965 NSWRFL   15 - 1512-12 - - - 36 - - - 6 9 - 40.00% List
ManlyManly 19661966 NSWRFL   3 - 32-2 - - - 6 - - - 1 2 - 33.33% List

NSWRFL (NRL Premiership) - By Team

Team Years   Starts Int APP 3ST 3PT T G 2FG FG Pts Bin5 Bin Off W L D Win%  
Manly 1960-66   73 - 73 52-52 - - - 156 - - - 29 42 2 39.73% List

Your Say

  • Steve
    28 Oct 2009 1:01pm

    Nick Yakich played 74 games for Manly. He also represented New South Wales on three occasions in 1965 scoring a try on each occasion, he was also called up to the Australian squad to tour New Zealand but was never selected for a match.

  • ROY HORRIGAN
    18 Oct 2013 2:27pm

    VERY UNDER RATED WINGER, VERY QUICK. THOSE WERE THE DAYS OF IRVINE & CLEARY SO HE DID NOT GET MUCH OF A RUN IN THE REP GAMES.HOWEVER ALWAYS WENT WELL WHEN HE DID. SEEN HIM PLAY A FEW TIMES OUT AT THE OLD SPORTS GROUND ,USED TO GET QUITE A FEW WOLF WHISTLES FROM THE GIRLS FOR HIS SHORTS WHICH WERE PRETTY BRIEF. GOOD PLAYER.

  • John
    23 May 2014 6:50pm

    Played at Newcastle teachers with nick in 1959.
    His gift was acceleration. Could be at full speed in two paces. He played in a school team. With Irvine. Reckon he was faster than Irvine as was bernie de Witt over 100 but de Witt was bigger and he,d catch them after 75 yars..shorter than that. They were too quick

  • David PAUL
    14 Apr 2017 9:31pm

    Nick Yakich was my teacher in 3rd grade 1960 at Harbord Primary and I have supported Manly ever since. Nice guy and a very fast winger. Google "Nick Yakich YouTube" to see him fly down the wing in a game vs Souths in 1962.

  • John d
    19 Jun 2017 7:27pm

    Played with nick at teachers college but also played against him at school when he and brother Fred also had that slow winger ken Irvine in the same team

  • john
    13 Apr 2018 7:11pm

    Played with Nick & Fred at Newcastle TC. One step and he was at top speed. Played against him at school also when he and Fred were in the same school team as Irvine.
    He was a very modest bloke and could also kick goals

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