In 1958, a 19 year old winger made his debut for NSW. The match was at the Sydney Cricket Ground and not long after the kickoff the young man was knocked out after a vicious stiff arm tackle from the "Wild Bull”, Vince Karalius. Welcome to international rugby league, Peter Dimond.
Later in the game, Peter proved he could stand up to anything the Poms can offer and belted opposing winger, "Mad" Mike Sullivan. Although he was sent off because of this incident, the match marked the beginning of a great career for the Dapto winger/centre and an intense rivalry with Sullivan. He played the first of his 10 Tests at Brisbane on 5 July, 1958 in the 25-18 loss to Great Britain, scoring one of Australia's four tries. A 1963/64 Kangaroo tourist, Peter played his last Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the third game of the 1966 series. Australia won 19-14 to take the series and retain the Ashes.
Peter also made four appearances for NSW and played 163 first grade matches for Western Suburbs, scoring 84 tries, five goals and two field goals for 266 points. With Wests, he played in four losing Grand Finals, all against St. George. Along with Paul Dillon, Peter, now 70 years of age and living on the south coast at Minnamurra, near Kiama, has written a book.
"The Peter Dimond Story" is a good read and as you would expect, Peter writes as he played. He pulls no punches and readers may not agree with all of his thoughts. There are forewords by Johnny Raper and Reg Gasnier, along with his thoughts on former Wests teammate, Jack Gibson. He also gives his opinion on the greats, the great
unknowns and the over-rateds, plus many other comments about rugby league.
In the book, Peter is asked "You played in an era that is still remembered for its toughness. Were there any unwritten rules? What couldn't you do?"
His answer was "Nothing.”
The book can be purchased at Wests Ashfield Leagues Club, Dapto Leagues Club, Wests Tigers at Concord, South Newcastle Leagues Club, Leading Edge Group bookshops, Book Haven at Seven Hills, Dymocks at Wollongong and Rouse Hill and Angus and Robertson at Kiama. You can also obtain a copy by mail order by emailing,
paul@rugbyleaguepublications.com
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Barry Ross