George Evans showed a lot of courage and determination on the field and he had to do the same later in life because of a serious heart disorder. From 1992 to 2004, the former St. George halfback suffered from life threatening Cardiomyopathy and for several years, was on the heart transfer list.
But things changed for the better in 2004 when he had a defibrillator and pacemaker installed. These things, plus modern drugs, have seen the 68 year old removed from the transfer list, while his general health has greatly improved.
"Apart from a slight hiccup in 2007, I am as good as gold," George said in a Corrimal coffee lounge in mid February. "I am now able to do more and I enjoy my involvement with the Men of League."
"Guys from the Illawarra branch such as Peter Fitzgerald, Des Tobin and Barry Harle were a big comfort to me in the bad times."
"I especially remember one day five or six years ago, when they arranged a limo to take me to Kogarah Oval for a St. George game."
"When we got to the ground guys like Graeme Langlands, Johnny Raper, Reg Gasnier and Robert Stone were very friendly and supportive, spending a lot of time with me."
George's problem first surfaced in April 1992 after a severe bout of the Flu. He did nothing about it and his health rapidly deteriorated until September of that year when he was admitted to hospital and his condition diagnosed. Over the next 12 years or so he went to hospital on eight or nine occasions, sometimes for as long as a month.
Born in Brighton-Le-Sands in January 1941, George completed his secondary education at Sydney Boys High School. He didn't play any rugby until his final year of school, as his mother "considered him too small to play such a physical game." He played at around 76 kgs
(12 stone) and stood at 168 cms.
"I made the school second grade team in my last year," George remembered, "and amongst my team-mates were 1991 World Cup winning Wallaby coach Bob Dwyer and George Taylforth, who played 116 first grade games with Canterbury and Cronulla."
After leaving school, George joined the St.George rugby union club for the 1958 season, playing fourth grade in his first season, reserve grade the next and then first grade for two seasons. Wallabies Alan Cameron (20 tests) and Eddie Stapleton (16 tests) helped George immensely when he made first grade and he still rates these two men as amongst the best he ever played with in both forms of rugby.
In his rugby union days, he played one game for NSW in 1960 and was reserve for Australia against Fiji and France. The highly rated Ken Catchpole was the union test halfback at the time and so when the chance came to play rugby league, George took it. Despite offers from Souths and Canterbury, he signed with the Dragons and has never had any regrets over this decision. He played 64 first grade matches for St. George, scoring 11 tries from 1962 to 1968. In this period, he played in the 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1965 Grand Final winning teams.
Sometimes test man Billy Smith was moved to the centres with George coming into half, but he was a more than worthy first grader and certainly deserved the honour of four first grade Premiership wins.
In 1962, Smith had just joined the club and was playing in the minor grades. George took over from Dinny O'Bryan at halfback, about 10 games from the end of the season. Norm Provan was captain/coach and the Saints played almost all of the second half of the Grand Final with just 12 men when their prop Billy Wilson was sent off by referee Jack Bradley just after halftime for punching. Winger Johnny King scored the only try of the game, which was played in wet and muddy conditions. Johnny Raper was five eighth as Brian Clay had a broken arm and the final score was St. George 9, Western Suburbs 6.
The 1963 Grand Final triumph capped a remarkable year for the St.
George club. They won everything on offer and on 13 July of that year, the magnificent St. George Leagues Club at Kogarah (known as the Taj
Mahal) was opened. The Dragons won the Premiership in all three grades, (the first time this had been done since Souths did it in
1925) and also took out the Minor Premiership, the Club Championship and the Pre-season competition. Winning all these titles in the one year had never been done before. To add to this, they played the touring New Zealand team on 2 July at the Sydney Cricket Ground, winning 22-7, with George at halfback, before nearly 20,000 fans.
Graeme Langlands played his first Grand Final in 1963, as did Billy Smith in the centres with Reg Gasnier. George was halfback and this time his five eighth was 18 year old Bruce Pollard. George scored the first try of the game after just eight minutes and like the previous year, the opponents were the Western Suburbs Magpies and the conditions were again wet and muddy.
Herald photographer John O'Grady took the famous photograph, of muddy, rival captains Norm Provan and Arthur Summons, walking off the field at the end of the game, which St. George won 8-3.
Col Pearce refereed the 1963 reserve grade Grand Final in which the Dragons beat South Sydney who were coached by Bernie Purcell with Men Of League President, Ron Coote, at lock forward. The St. George reserves team included Robin Gourley (2 games for NSW and a rugby union international for Ireland), Clay (5 tests), Taylforth, and Men of League Board Member, Brian James (1968 World Cup). In the 1963 third grade decider, the Dragons with Allan McKean (1 test) at fullback and a young Men of League banker, Kevin Hogan at five eighth beat Canterbury.
In 1964, St. George defeated Balmain 11-6 in the Grand Final. Again George was halfback with Brian Clay as his five eighth and Billy Smith in the centres.
The next year, 1965, the Dragons beat a young South Sydney 12-8 in the Grand Final. Ron Coote was the Rabbitohs lock forward and a then record crowd saw George again at halfback, Brian Clay at five eighth and Billy Smith in the centres. This was the last of Norm Provan's 253 matches for the Dragons. People grabbed any vantage point to see this match, with thousands perched on grandstand roofs. Although the crowd was given as 78,056, thousands of fans were not counted because of chaotic crowd control at the gates.
George missed many games in 1966 with ankle ligament problems, but played in the 1967 major semi and final, as well as the 1968 minor semi and final, where he teamed up with Phil Hawthorne as his five eighth. He finished with a total of 13 end of season matches for St. George.
For the 1969 season, George signed with Illawarra club, Corrimal as captain/coach. He took the district by storm, with the club reaching the semi finals in all three of his seasons, following their wooden spoon the previous year, 1968. As well as playing outstanding club football for the Cougars, George was selected in the 1969 Illawarra representative team, with Australian players, Paul Quinn (7 tests), Graham Lye (1969 New Zealand tour), Don Parish (3 tests) and Ron Costello (4 tests and World Cup games). He played well in a Country Championship clash with Riverina at Wagga when Illawarra won 18-4 and starred in the Country Championship Final that year at Newcastle Sportsground when Illawarra were pipped 19-17 in the last minute by the locals. In that year, George also played in a Southern NSW team, coached by Don Furner, in a win against a touring New Zealand under 23 side, containing future Canterbury and Kiwi test prop, Bill Noonan.
Des Tobin, who Frank Hyde rated the fastest forward in NSW, back in the early 1960s, was George's right hand man at Corrimal. He was a strong running second rower, who represented Country on two occasions, as well as playing many games for Illawarra and Southern Division.
Tobin certainly had the ability to play in Sydney first grade and received offers from Manly, Easts and Balmain. Manly wanted to buy Tobin, half John Cox and Graeme Langlands, before he joined St.
George, at the one time on a package deal. The transfer situation was in place in those days and Tobin's club at the time, Northern Suburbs, were not too keen on losing their star player. Tobin played 112 first grade games for Northern Suburbs and then 106 for Corrimal. He and George remain close friends.
George and his wife of 45 years, Denise, still live at Corrimal, after originally intending in 1969, to go to the South Coast for just six months. They have two children, Peter and Jodi and five grandchildren.
George worked as Chief Clerk at Bellambi mine for 28 years.
By Barry Ross