Graeme Langlands
Graeme Frank Langlands, MBE, (2 September 1941 – 20 January 2018),[3] also known by the nickname of "Changa",[4] was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played from the 1950s till the 1970s[5] and coached in the 1970s.He retired as the most-capped player for the Australian national team with 45 international appearances from 1963 to 1975, and captained his country in 15 Test matches and World Cup games.[citation needed] Langlands represented Combined NSW High Schools from 1955 to 1957 and was playing 1st grade with the Wollongong Club in the Illawarra competition at age 18.With Billy Smith who also joined St George in 1963, Langlands added new firepower to the ageing Dragons champion line up, initially as Reg Gasnier's centre partner, but later moving to fullback.The depth of the selectors' fullback options, including incumbents Ken Thornett then Les Johns, meant that Langlands spent the first four years of his Test career at centre.In the deciding 3rd game in 1974, Langlands's final and most memorable of his 34 Test appearances, he played a magnificent match to win the Ashes, scoring a try and kicking five goals to take his career tally against Great Britain over the 100-point mark.Fundamentally taciturn and introspective he was not given to pre- or post-match speeches as captain but demonstrated an uncompromising leadership style via his will-to-win and a preparedness to be ruthless when required.During the final of the 1972 World Cup played between Australia and Great Britain at the Stade de Gerland in Lyon, France, Langlands was involved in what many believe to be the "greatest try never scored".[9] An incident renowned in Australian rugby league concerns Langlands playing for the Dragons in the 1975 NSWRL Grand Final against Jack Gibson's Eastern Suburbs.Before the game, Langlands, who was pulling up poorly from a long-standing groin injury, was given a painkilling injection that, rather than deadening his pain, made his whole leg numb.He was originally planning to retire at the end of the Grand Final, but the humiliating experience spurred him to return in 1976, where in the few early-season matches he played his performance was mediocre.In his retirement year he was awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire, (MBE) medal for his contribution to Rugby League and club life.