Keith Holman

Playing Career

Vital Statistics

Full Name
Keith Victor Holman
Nickname(s)
Yappy
Born
Friday, 11th September, 1925
Died
Monday, 10th October, 2011 (Aged 86 years and 28 days)
Place Of Birth
Ballarat, Victoria, Australia

Awards & Accolades

International Hall Of Fame
2003
National Rugby League Hall Of Fame
2003
NSWRL Hall Of Fame
2018

Biography

Terrier-like halfback, first turned away by Sydney clubs because of his small stature, went on to become a giant at international level. Holman was an orphan who lived in Surry Hills before joining the RAAF during WWII. He came to Wests in 1948 from Dubbo on the recommendation of former clubman Eric Bennett and played for NSW the following year. His Test debut against Great Britain in 1950, the first of his 12 Test series during his career, was certainly a memorable one with Australia securing the Ashes for the first time since 1920. ‘Yappy' Holman formed a great partnership with Frank Stanmore at club, state and Test level and went on to shape the role of the modern halfback by setting standards for fitness, defence and work-rate to which future greats would aspire. Wests won the grand final in 1952 but Holman did not take part in the match as he was on tour with the Kangaroos. Another Kangaroo tour followed (1956-57) as well as two World Cup campaigns (1954 & 1957) and by the time his Test career finished in 1958, he had amassed the then record 32 Tests including 14 matches against Great Britain. Captain-coach of Wests in 1954-44 the only minor setback to his ‘rep’ career was when he was left out of the Sydney v. France match, along with Clive Churchill in 1955. While the Magpies could not win another premiership, Holman was given an emotional farewell by the SCG crowd after the club’s 1961 grand final loss to St George. After his retirement he took up the referee's whistle and officiated in the 1971 grand final. (In an interstate match at Lang Park, he sent off four players and caused a mini riot.) Holman also coached Port Kembla, his beloved Wests to victory in the Amco Cup final in 1977 - his swansong to a thirty-year involvement in the game – and was awarded an MBE the same year.
- ALAN WHITICKER

Additional Notes

Served in World War II with the RAAF as a Leading Aircraftsman. Most records indicate Keith Holman was born in 1927, but this is incorrect.

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 198 70 85   - 380 119 75 4 60.10% List
NRL Finals 15 2 1   - 8 3 12 0 20.00% List
Test Series 32 14 6   - 32 17 15 0 53.13% List
The Ashes 14 6 2   - 44 7 7 0 50.00% List
Tour Matches Australia 57 31 17   - 127 39 18 0 68.42% List
Interstate Matches 25 20 1   - 62 19 6 0 76.00% List
Tour Matches New South Wales Firsts 9 3 2   - 13 6 2 1 66.67% List
City vs Country Firsts 8 7 3   - 27 7 1 0 87.50% List
Tour Matches Sydney Firsts 4 2 1   - 8 2 1 1 50.00% List
Country Carnival 5 4 4   - 20 3 1 1 60.00% List
World Cup 3 - -   - - 1 2 0 33.33% List
City Cup 1 1 -   - 3 0 1 0 0.00% List


International

Test Matches - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Australia 1950-58 35 14 6   - 54 18 17 0 51.43% List

International Matches - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Australia 1950-1954 2 - -   - - 2 0 0 100.00% List

World Cup Matches - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Australia 1950-1957 3 - -   - - 1 2 0 33.33% List


Representative

Australia - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Probables (AU) 1950, 1959 3 1 2   - 7 3 0 0 100.00% List
NSW Firsts 1950-58 34 23 3   - 75 25 8 1 73.53% List
Sydney Firsts 1951, 1953-54, 1956, 1958 6 4 1   - 14 4 1 1 66.67% List
NSW City Firsts 1951-58 8 7 3   - 27 7 1 0 87.50% List
Kangaroos 1953 1 1 -   - 3 1 0 0 100.00% List
Overall1950-1959 52 36 9   0 126 40 10 2 76.92% List


Club Career

NRL/NSWRL - By Year

Team Season App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Western Suburbs NSWRFL 1948 1 - -   - - 1 0 0 100.00% List
Western Suburbs NSWRFL 1949 19 8 1   - 26 12 7 0 63.16% List
Western Suburbs NSWRFL 1950 16 5 1   - 17 9 5 2 56.25% List
Western Suburbs NSWRFL 1951 15 8 1   - 26 7 8 0 46.67% List
Western Suburbs NSWRFL 1952 8 3 6   - 21 8 0 0 100.00% List
Western Suburbs NSWRFL 1953 12 9 5   - 37 5 7 0 41.67% List
Western Suburbs NSWRFL 1954 14 7 6   - 33 6 8 0 42.86% List
Western Suburbs NSWRFL 1955 10 1 9   - 21 3 7 0 30.00% List
Western Suburbs NSWRFL 1956 17 9 14   - 55 11 6 0 64.71% List
Western Suburbs NSWRFL 1957 12 4 2   - 16 7 4 1 58.33% List
Western Suburbs NSWRFL 1958 18 8 1   - 26 13 5 0 72.22% List
Western Suburbs NSWRFL 1959 17 1 -   - 3 11 5 1 64.71% List
Western Suburbs NSWRFL 1960 21 5 -   - 15 13 8 0 61.90% List
Western Suburbs NSWRFL 1961 18 2 39   - 84 13 5 0 72.22% List

NRL/NSWRL - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Western Suburbs 1948-61 198 70 85   - 380 119 75 4 60.10% List

Your Say

  • daniel
    16/10/2012

    keithy shoud of been atleast be named the 8th immortal or regarded as one of the people that have had one of the biggest impact on an off the field what he did for rugby league was and is unmatchable.

  • B.George
    28/11/2013

    Keith Holman worked for many years as a furniture saleman at Beberfalds which was located on the corner of George St and Park St Sydney (now Woolworths) . My stepfather knew him quite well as he worked for the same company and was an League tragic. When I was about 10 or 11 he loaned me one of his Australian Test jumpers and socks which I wore at a school fancy dress ball at Chatsworth in Sydney and still have a photograph, some 52 yrs later. I recall meeting on a number of occasions.

  • Michele Innis
    06/06/2018

    My dad, Fred always sang Keith’s (or Keithy’s as he called him) praises as a footy player and friend. Keith was best man and witness at my parents’ wedding in 1950. I have a signed photograph of him which he gave my dad. When he was young, my brother had one of Keith’s Australian jerseys which he proudly wore on weekends until it eventually wore out. I wish now I’d asked dad more questions about Keith and how they met. I know dad lived in a tin shanty at La Perouse during the Great Depression and Yarra Bay is not far from there so that could possibly be how he and Keith connected.

  • Dennis Hinds
    13/09/2020

    To me he should have been named in team of the decade considering how many players were.I am 83yo old now and my theory for this is a great halfback makes a five eight and their were at least 4 players that represented Australia in Keith’s era
    who played outside him for west’s Played his full career with west’s and never won a premiership.To compare players of different eras is silly eg 20 years ago in swimming freestyle the best male swimmers of that era would not be named in the women’s relay team of modern era

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Contributions: Shawn Dollin, Andrew Ferguson, Paul Carter, Greg Fiveash, Gary Neale, Rugby League Tables, Alan Katzmann, AJ Lucantonio, Bill Bates, Tim Costello