Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are today saddened to hear of the passing of Club Immortal, Bob Fulton.
The 74-year-old passed away this morning after a long illness. A brilliant centre/five-eighth, Fulton played 213 first grade games for Manly and was player number #175.
Sea Eagles Chairman and Owner Scott Penn said it was a sad day for the Club.
“The Sea Eagles family is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Bob ‘Bozo’ Fulton today,” Penn said.
"Bob was both an Immortal of the game and of the Sea Eagles.
“As the only person to both Captain and Coach the Sea Eagles to Premierships, he will be forever remembered as one of our all-time greats.
“We are forever in Bob’s debt for his passion and determination to make the Sea Eagles the best in the league.
"We send all our love and support to Anne, Scott, Brett and Kristie at this difficult time."
Although known as the master of the unorthodox and a brilliant individualist who could single-handedly turn a game, the force that drove Bob Fulton was a competitive spirit that coursed through his body.
It propelled him to great heights as a player and later as a coach at club and at international level.
One of the game's original ''Immortals'', Fulton holds the unique distinction of winning premiership titles and Ashes series as a player, captain and coach.
Born in England and raised in Wollongong, Fulton joined Manly as an 18-year-old and in 11 years with the Sea Eagles never played anything other than first grade.
In 1967, he was chosen as captain of City against Country in a selection trial for that year's Kangaroo tour, but was outpointed by Country pivot Tony Branson and missed out on selection.
However, he was included in Australia's World Cup squad during the following season, and went on to play 35 Tests and World Cup matches for Australia.
Fulton won premierships with Manly in 1972, 1973 (when his two tries paved the way for victory over Cronulla) and 1976, when he captained the Sea Eagles to victory in his final game for the club.
He then accepted a offer to join Easts, played two years there, and then turned to coaching, steering Manly to premiership titles in 1987 and 1996, and coaching Australia from 1989 to 1998.
Bob Fulton - Sea Eagle 175
Bob Fulton
Birthplace: Warrington, UK
Date of Birth: 1 December, 1946
Debut Team: Country Seconds vs City Seconds, 22 May, 1965, SCG
Representative: Country, City, NSW, Australia
Clubs: Wests Wollongong, Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, Eastern Suburbs Roosters.
Career Overview
Club Career 1965-79
Western Suburbs, Wollongong 1965
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 1966-76
213 first grade games, 129 tries, 10 goals, 56 field goals, 510 points
Warrington 1969-70
16 games, 16 tries, 1 goal, 50 points.
Eastern Suburbs 1977-79
50 games, 18 tries, 16 goals, 2 field goals, 88 points
Representative Career 1965-78
City-Country 1965-78: 11 games, 3 tries, 9 points
NSW 1967-69, 1971-75, 1978: 17 games, 14 tries, 42 points.
Australia 1968-75, 1978: Tests and World Cup 1968, 1970-75, 1978: 35 games, 25 tries, 6 field goals, 82 points
Total First Class Career: 428 games, 259 tries, 32 goals, 68 field goals, 961 points.
Milestones
· Played in five NSWRL grand finals with Manly, winning three (1972-73 and 1976, as captain) and losing two (1968 and 1970)
· Kangaroo Tour 1973; Kangaroo Tour captain 1978
· 7 Tests as Australian captain
· NSWRL Player of the Year 1973-74
· Grand Final man of the match* 1973
· Rugby League Week Player of the Year 1975
· Immortal 1981
· Australian Rugby League Team of the Century 2008
· New South Wales Team of the Century 2008
· NSW Country Team of the Century 2008
· Rated No. 6 in Rugby League Week’s Top 100 players 1992
· Named in NRL Team of the 1960s (2006)
· Named in NRL Team of the 1970s (2005)
· Coached Manly to 1987 and 1996 premierships
· Kangaroos Coach: 1989-1998
Statistics and Information provided by David Middleton | League Information Services
