Sign in | Register

Brian Hambly

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

Full Name
Brian Clinton Hambly
Nickname(s)
Grumpy
Born
Sunday, 31st October, 1937
Died
Saturday, 30th August, 2008 (Aged 70 years and 303 days)

Known Family Links

Nephew
Gary Hambly

Honours & Awards

National Rugby League Hall Of Fame
2008

Biography

Former Souths junior's 18 Test career commenced in 1959, the year he left the club to take on the captain-coaching role at Wagga. ‘Grumpy’ Hambly represented NSW that year and was selected as a reserve for the Test series against NZ. He was the preferred lock in the first two Tests on the 1959-60 Kangaroo tour but the great form of Johnny Raper saw Hambly move to the second row for the remainder of his Test career. After playing against France in 1960 and in the World Cup, he joined P’matta on the then record transfer fee of £2,500. Under Ken Kearney P’matta was very competitive in 1963-65 and Hambly made his second Kangaroo Tour (1963-64) and played in five Tests against Great Britain and France. Ironically, he injured a calf muscle doing private training and missed Australia’s 50-12 win at Swinton that secured the Ashes. His representative career ended after another series against France (1964) and the tour of NZ (1965) but he continued to give great service to the Eels. In 1967 Hambly was named captain-coach of P’matta but feeling the effects of a knee injury, he sacked himself in favour of young prop Bob O'Reilly. He left Sydney soon after and saw out his career in Lithgow.
- 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   A GK % 2FG FG Pts Bin5 Bin Off W L D Win%  
Tests (Senior International Matches) - 23 - 23 2-2 3     - - 12 - - 1 15 8 - 65.22% List
Other International Matches - 1 - 1 --- -     - - - - - - - 1 - 0.00% List
The Ashes 1 5 - 5 --- -     - - - - - 1 2 3 - 40.00% List
World Cup - 3 - 3 --- -     - - - - - - 2 1 - 66.67% List
Tour Matches NSW ColtsNSW - 1 - 1 --- -     - - - - - - - 1 - 0.00% List
Tour Matches AustraliaAUS - 60 - 60 13-13 13     - - 65 - - 1 43 16 1 71.67% List
Tour Matches New South Wales FirstsNFI - 3 1 4 --- -     - - - - - - 1 3 - 25.00% List
Tour Matches Parramatta EelsPAR - 1 - 1 --- -     - - - - - - 1 - - 100.00% List
Tour Matches Sydney FirstsSDF - 1 - 1 --- -     - - - - - - - 1 - 0.00% List
Test Series 6 18 - 18 2-2 2     - - 10 - - 1 11 7 - 61.11% List
Representative Career - Australia   Comp Wins Starts Int APP 3ST 3PT T G   A GK % 2FG FG Pts Bin5 Bin Off W L D Win%  
Interstate Series 1 7 - 7 2-2 -     - - 6 - - 1 4 3 - 57.14% List
NSW City vs Country Firsts 1 2 - 2 1-1 1     - - 5 - - - 1 1 - 50.00% List
NSW City vs Country 1 6 1 7 1-1 1     - - 5 - - - 4 2 1 57.14% List
Club Career - Australia   Comp Wins Starts Int APP 3ST 3PT T G   A GK % 2FG FG Pts Bin5 Bin Off W L D Win%  
Country Carnival - 3 - 3 2-2 -     - - 6 - - - 3 - - 100.00% List
NSWRFL (NRL Premiership) - 137 - 137 13-13 46     - - 131 - - 3 61 71 5 44.53% List
NRL Finals - 5 - 5 --- -     - - - - - - 1 4 - 20.00% List
Preseason Cup - 22 - 22 5-5 1     - - 17 - - - 9 13 - 40.91% List
Overall   Starts Int APP 3ST 3PT T G   A GK % 2FG FG Pts Bin5 Bin Off W L D Win%  
First Class  238 2 240 34-34 61     - - 224 - - 5 123 110 7 51.25% List

Test Matches - By Team

Team Years   Starts Int APP 3ST 3PT T G   A GK % 2FG FG Pts Bin5 Bin Off W L D Win%  
Australia 1959-60, 1963-65   23 - 23 2-2 3     - - 12 - - 1 15 8 - 65.22% List

International Matches - By Team

Team Years   Starts Int APP 3ST 3PT T G   A GK % 2FG FG Pts Bin5 Bin Off W L D Win%  
Rest Of The World 1960   1 - 1 --- -     - - - - - - - 1 - 0.00% List

World Cup Matches - By Team

Team Years   Starts Int APP 3ST 3PT T G   A GK % 2FG FG Pts Bin5 Bin Off W L D Win%  
Australia 1959-1960   3 - 3 --- -     - - - - - - 2 1 - 66.67% List

Australia - By Team

Team Years   Starts Int APP 3ST 3PT T G   A GK % 2FG FG Pts Bin5 Bin Off W L D Win%  
NSW City Seconds 1957, 1961-63, 1966   4 1 5 --- -     - - - - - - 3 1 1 60.00% List
NSW Colts 1958   1 - 1 --- -     - - - - - - - 1 - 0.00% List
Riverina 1959   1 - 1 1-1 -     - - 3 - - - 1 - - 100.00% List
NSW Firsts 1959-60, 1962-64   10 1 11 2-2 -     - - 6 - - 1 5 6 - 45.45% List
NSW Country Firsts 1959-60   3 - 3 3-3 -     - - 9 - - - - 3 - 0.00% List
NSW City Firsts 1964   1 - 1 --- 1     - - 2 - - - 1 - - 100.00% List
Sydney Firsts 1966   1 - 1 --- -     - - - - - - - 1 - 0.00% List

NSWRFL (NRL Premiership) - By Year

Team Season   Starts Int APP 3ST 3PT T G   A GK % 2FG FG Pts Bin5 Bin Off W L D Win%  
SouthsSouth Sydney 19561956 NSWRFL   5 - 5--- -     - - - - - - 2 3 - 40.00% List
SouthsSouth Sydney 19571957 NSWRFL   11 - 115-5 -     - - 15 - - - 7 4 - 63.64% List
SouthsSouth Sydney 19581958 NSWRFL   17 - 172-2 -     - - 6 - - 1 5 12 - 29.41% List
ParramattaParramatta 19611961 NSWRFL   16 - 161-1 -     - - 3 - - 1 3 13 - 18.75% List
ParramattaParramatta 19621962 NSWRFL   16 - 163-3 - / 1 0.00% - - 9 - - - 8 6 2 50.00% List
ParramattaParramatta 19631963 NSWRFL   16 - 161-1 -     - - 3 - - - 11 5 - 68.75% List
ParramattaParramatta 19641964 NSWRFL   17 - 17--- 41     - - 82 - - - 12 5 - 70.59% List
ParramattaParramatta 19651965 NSWRFL   14 - 14--- -     - - - - - 1 6 7 1 42.86% List
ParramattaParramatta 19661966 NSWRFL   14 - 141-1 5     - - 13 - - - 5 7 2 35.71% List
ParramattaParramatta 19671967 NSWRFL   11 - 11--- -     - - - - - - 2 9 - 18.18% List

NSWRFL (NRL Premiership) - By Team

Team Years   Starts Int APP 3ST 3PT T G   A GK % 2FG FG Pts Bin5 Bin Off W L D Win%  
South Sydney 1956-58   33 - 33 7-7 -     - - 21 - - 1 14 19 - 42.42% List
Parramatta 1961-67   104 - 104 6-6 46     - - 110 - - 2 47 52 5 45.19% List

Your Say

  • Anonymous
    3 Dec 2011 12:53pm

    Brian Hambly did not play for Lithgow Workmans club but with rivals Lithgow Shamrocks along with Bruce Pollard.

  • Anonymous
    4 Jan 2012 8:22am

    brian hambly played for lithgow shamrocks in the late 1960s,he moulded them into the team(group 10) that everyone feared due to their tough tackling,they had the nickname of the bonecrushers for a while,grumpy was a real good bloke who all the kids admired,i know as i was of that era,a time when rugby league had a real life exitement to it,maybe i too have got old

  • Neil Meagher
    12 Sep 2014 6:52pm

    I played in this team called the bone crushers with grumpy and Bruce Pollard .

  • Ian
    3 Jan 2016 11:51am

    A Souths junior from the famous Mascot club played with the great Clive Churchill and was also coached by him.
    Was the publican and part owner of the Appin Hotel (before he passed away) along with his brother in law Ian Davidson who also played lower grades with Souths.

    His son Peter Hambly now runs the Appin Hotel.

    Brian was natures gentleman

  • Anonymous
    28 Jun 2020 6:37pm

    He played in the Newtown juniors for st peters

  • Anonymous
    18 Aug 2024 11:41am

    Brian coached St Peter’s and I think they won the comp maybe a grade , we had the. Botany view hotel at the time on corner king and Darley street

Want to have your say? Add a comment.

Contributions: Shawn Dollin, Andrew Ferguson, Greg Fiveash, Max Turner, Rugby League Tables, Jason Ganter, Paul Carter, Alan Katzmann, Tony McCarron, Wests Archives, Michael Borg, Bill Bates, Tim Costello, AJ Lucantonio

Sources: RFL Player Registers