Playing Career
Vital Statistics
- Full Name
- Matthew Phillip McCoy
- Nickname(s)
- Killer
- Born
- Thursday, 20th December, 1923
- Died
- Tuesday, 20th February, 2007 (Aged 83 years and 62 days)
- Place Of Birth
- Wolumla, New South Wales, Australia
Honours & Awards
Based only on data available in the RLP database. This information should be used as a guide only.
- Interstate Series
- 1949
- NSWRFL Premiership (NRL)
- 1945, 1949
Biography
Originally from Bega where he was a local bookmaker, Matt ‘Killer’ McCoy was a great centre for St George in the period after World War II. McCoy served in the Pacific as an anti-artillery gunner during World War II and played rugby league in Darwin. McCoy modeled his game on Australian Test captain Ron Bailey and returned to Sydney in 1945 and had a season with Easts. After the war he returned to the South Coast where he captain-coached Bega to premiership honours and represented Country in 1947. At St George in 1948 he captained the club and proved his class at rep level by kicking seven goals for City against Country in pouring rain in 1949. After winning the premiership with Saints that year, McCoy toured NZ with the Australian team and appeared in two Tests. A tough, robust centre who gave great service to his wingers, a knee injury cut short his time with St George and he saw out the remainder of his career in North Queensland.
- ALAN WHITICKER
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 | Comp Wins | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tour Matches | Australia | - | 7 | 9 | 14 | - | 55 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 85.71% | List | |||
Tour Matches | New South Wales XIII | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | |||
Tour Matches | Central Queensland | - | 2 | - | 3 | - | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.00% | List | |||
Test Series | - | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.00% | List | ||||
Interstate Series | 1 | 5 | 2 | 15 | - | 36 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 80.00% | List | ||||
City vs Country Firsts | - | 3 | - | 11 | - | 22 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.67% | List | ||||
NSWRFL Premiership (NRL) | 2 | 67 | 26 | 66 | - | 210 | 41 | 21 | 5 | 61.19% | List | ||||
NSWRFL Finals | - | 7 | 4 | 4 | - | 20 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 71.43% | List | ||||
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Test Matches - By Team | |||||||||||||||
Team | Years | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
Australia | 1949 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.00% | List | ||||
International Matches - By Team | |||||||||||||||
Team | Years | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
Australia | 1949 | 1 | 1 | 6 | - | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | ||||
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Australia - By Team | |||||||||||||||
Team | Years | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
Fighting Services II | 1945 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | ||||
NSW Country Firsts | 1947 | 1 | - | 2 | - | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | List | ||||
NSW Firsts | 1949, 1951 | 6 | 3 | 23 | - | 55 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 83.33% | List | ||||
NSW City Firsts | 1949, 1951 | 2 | - | 9 | - | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | ||||
NSW XII | 1951 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | ||||
Central QLD | 1954, 1958 | 2 | - | 3 | - | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.00% | List | ||||
Overall | 1945-1958 | 13 | 4 | 37 | 0 | 86 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 69.23% | List | ||||
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NSWRFL Premiership (NRL) - By Year | |||||||||||||||
Team | Season | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
Eastern Suburbs | NSWRFL 1945 | 2 | - | 1 | - | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.00% | List | ||||
St George | NSWRFL 1948 | 16 | 4 | - | - | 12 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 50.00% | List | ||||
St George | NSWRFL 1949 | 19 | 11 | 52 | - | 137 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 73.68% | List | ||||
St George | NSWRFL 1950 | 7 | 2 | 9 | - | 24 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 71.43% | List | ||||
St George | NSWRFL 1951 | 19 | 9 | 4 | - | 35 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 57.89% | List | ||||
St George | NSWRFL 1952 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 2 | 2 | 0 | 50.00% | List | ||||
NSWRFL Premiership (NRL) - By Team | |||||||||||||||
Team | Years | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
Eastern Suburbs | 1945 | 2 | - | 1 | - | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.00% | List | ||||
St George | 1948-52 | 65 | 26 | 65 | - | 208 | 40 | 20 | 5 | 61.54% | List | ||||
Overall | 1945-1952 | 67 | 26 | 66 | 0 | 210 | 41 | 21 | 5 | 61.19% | List |
Contributions:
Shawn Dollin, Andrew Ferguson, Rugby League Tables, Greg Fiveash, Paul Carter, Alan Katzmann, Michael Borg, Tim Costello
Your Say
21/09/2016
Matt McCoy captain-coached Leeton in Group 20 NSW in 1955 and 1956. Leeton were beaten in the Grand Final by Griffith in 1955 and did not make the finals in 1956.
25/05/2020
In 1953 Matt McCoy because of a knee injury dropped out of first grade football but took up a coaching role in the St George Junior League with local club Arncliffe Scots. However he eventually decided to play and assisted the team to take out the local A Grade competition. His return to junior football eventually brought about a rule change in the district that would only allow grade players return to play in the Junior League if they had played a limited number of first grade games.
18/08/2022
The New Papers stated in 1949 to 1951 that Matt McCoy was unquestionably the Greatest Rugby League Play in Australia, and probebly The Best in The World. Matt McCoy saw the Australia's Best Back in the Tour of New Zealand and highest Point Scorer for Australia. Matt McCoy was Australia's Greatest Centre and awarded Centre of The Century in Central Queensland, Greatest Bad Weather Gold Kicker of all Times. One of the 15 Legends of St George. The Immortal Johnny Raper said: Matt McCoy was the Greatest Rugby Leauge Player EVER.
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