Glenn Lazarus
Encyclopedia
Glenn Patrick Lazarus is an Australian former rugby league
footballer of the 1980s and 90s who has been named amongst the nation's finest of the 20th century. He primarily played at prop forward, representing Australia internationally and New South Wales in State of Origin. Lazarus played in premiership-winning teams for three different clubs during his career: the Canberra Raiders
, Brisbane Broncos
and Melbourne Storm
. Also known as 'the brick with eyes', he was, at his peak, widely-regarded as the best front-row forward in the game - a sentiment shared by current NSW State of Origin coach Ricky Stuart
who labelled him "the best front-rower ever to play the game of rugby league." His nephew Blake Lazarus
plays for the Wests Tigers
in the NRL.
in 1987, and although he would be overlooked for a spot in the Raiders' losing grand final side against Manly that year, he would go on to play a starring role in the club's premiership victories over Balmain
in 1989 and Penrith
in 1990. At the end of the 1990 NSWRL season, he went on the 1990 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France
. He also played for Canberra in their grand final loss to Penrith in 1991.
In the summer before preceding the 1992 season, Lazarus was recruited from Canberra by his former coach at the Raiders, Wayne Bennett and joined the Brisbane Broncos
, with whom he would play the largest portion of his career. He won two more premierships with them in 1992 and 1993
(both against the St. George Dragons
). This constituted a remarkable feat of playing in consecutive grand finals for five seasons. In the weeks following the 1992 grand final Lazarus travelled with the Broncos to England, where he played at prop forward in the 1992 World Club Challenge
against British champions Wigan
, helping Brisbane become the first NSWRL club to win the match in Britain.
During the 1994 NSWRL season, Lazarus played at prop forward for defending premiers Brisbane when they hosted British champions Wigan
for the 1994 World Club Challenge
and lost.
It was only a broken leg suffered during a 1997 World Club Championship match that prevented Lazarus from also playing in that year's premiership-winning Brisbane side as well.
After not being retained by Brisbane, Lazarus was recruited to the newly established Melbourne Storm
by his former CEO (John Ribot
) and teammate (Chris Johns
) from the Broncos, both then working in the Storm's administration, for the National Rugby League
's inaugural season in 1998. He was named as the club's first captain and was also given a newspaper column to write in The Herald Sun. He went on to win another premiership with the Storm in 1999. Lazarus announced his retirement from the game with five premierships for three different clubs (Canberra 1989–90, Brisbane 1992–93 and Melbourne 1999), a truly unique achievement.
in State of Origin
between 1989 and 1999, scoring two tries
. He is the equal ninth most capped New South Wales player (with Benny Elias
and Michael O'Connor) and, at the time of his retirement, was second only to Paul Harragon
as the most capped New South Wales forward in Origin history. He was known for his powerful, relentless charges and in his prime was the first prop chosen for any NSW State of Origin side.
He was selected for the 1990 and 1994
Kangaroo tours, although his appearances in the latter tour were restricted due to injuries. During the 1992 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand, he helped Australia retain The Ashes.
Opposing Great Britain
and New Zealand sides, when quizzed, frequently regard Glenn Lazarus as unmatched as a forward. It is widely recognised that Lazarus is one of the best props of the modern era.
for his contribution to Australia's international standing in the sport of rugby league. In 2005, the western grandstand of Olympic Park Stadium
was named the Glenn Lazarus stand in his honour. Lazarus spent time on the Brisbane Broncos coaching staff until a major cleanout by head coach Wayne Bennett at the end of 2005 saw him removed.
During the 2007 season at the Broncos' 20-year anniversary celebration, the club announced a list of the 20 best players to play for them to date which included Lazarus.
For the Storm's tenth year, Lazarus was named captain of the decade.
In February 2008, Lazarus was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) which was commissioned by the NRL
and ARL
to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia. Lazarus has been 612 ABC Brisbane
Breakfast rugby league tipster since 2008. In 2008 New South Wales announced their rugby league team of the century, naming Lazarus at prop.
At the end of the 2008 Queensland Cup season
, Lazarus, who served as assistant coach at the Ipswich Jets
club under the departing Kevin Walters
was named as head coach of the club from the 2009 season. In 2010, Glenn stepped down from the role to pursue business interests.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer of the 1980s and 90s who has been named amongst the nation's finest of the 20th century. He primarily played at prop forward, representing Australia internationally and New South Wales in State of Origin. Lazarus played in premiership-winning teams for three different clubs during his career: the Canberra Raiders
Canberra Raiders
The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
, Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
and Melbourne Storm
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
. Also known as 'the brick with eyes', he was, at his peak, widely-regarded as the best front-row forward in the game - a sentiment shared by current NSW State of Origin coach Ricky Stuart
Ricky Stuart
Ricky Stuart is an Australian rugby league football coach and former player of the 1980s and 90s. He is currently the head coach of the New South Wales State of Origin team, having replaced Craig Bellamy following a fifth consecutive failure in the 2010 series...
who labelled him "the best front-rower ever to play the game of rugby league." His nephew Blake Lazarus
Blake Lazarus
Blake Lazarus is an Australian rugby league player for the Wests Tigers in the NRL competition.-Playing career:Lazarus played junior football with Eagle Vale St Andrews, Ingleburn RSL and East-Valley United...
plays for the Wests Tigers
Wests Tigers
The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs...
in the NRL.
First grade career
Of Greek descent, Lazarus began his first grade career with the Canberra RaidersCanberra Raiders
The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
in 1987, and although he would be overlooked for a spot in the Raiders' losing grand final side against Manly that year, he would go on to play a starring role in the club's premiership victories over Balmain
Balmain Tigers
The Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles...
in 1989 and Penrith
Penrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
in 1990. At the end of the 1990 NSWRL season, he went on the 1990 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France
1990 Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain and France
The 1990 Kangaroo Tour was the seventeenth Kangaroo Tour, where the Australian national rugby league team travelled to Europe and played eighteen matches against British and French rugby league teams, in addition to three Test matches...
. He also played for Canberra in their grand final loss to Penrith in 1991.
In the summer before preceding the 1992 season, Lazarus was recruited from Canberra by his former coach at the Raiders, Wayne Bennett and joined the Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
, with whom he would play the largest portion of his career. He won two more premierships with them in 1992 and 1993
Brisbane Broncos 1993
The 1993 Brisbane Broncos season was the sixth in the club's history. They competed in the NSWRL's 1993 Winfield Cup premiership, finishing the regular season 5th before going on to play in a re-match of the previous year's grand final against the St George Dragons and again win, claiming...
(both against the St. George Dragons
St. George Dragons
The St George Dragons was an Australian Rugby league football club in St George, Sydney, New South Wales that played in Australia's top-level Rugby league competition from New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1921 until 1998; in 1999 they formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers,...
). This constituted a remarkable feat of playing in consecutive grand finals for five seasons. In the weeks following the 1992 grand final Lazarus travelled with the Broncos to England, where he played at prop forward in the 1992 World Club Challenge
1992 World Club Challenge
The 1992 World Club Challenge match was contested by the 1991–92 Rugby Football League season champions Wigan and the 1992 NSWRL season's premiers, the Brisbane Broncos...
against British champions Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
, helping Brisbane become the first NSWRL club to win the match in Britain.
During the 1994 NSWRL season, Lazarus played at prop forward for defending premiers Brisbane when they hosted British champions Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
for the 1994 World Club Challenge
1994 World Club Challenge
The 1994 MMI World Club Challenge was a replay of the 1992 World Club Challenge, with 1993–94 Rugby Football League season champions Wigan facing the 1993 NSWRL season premiers, the Brisbane Broncos, this time in Australia. Wigan were clearly the dominant club in the English game, having won the...
and lost.
It was only a broken leg suffered during a 1997 World Club Championship match that prevented Lazarus from also playing in that year's premiership-winning Brisbane side as well.
After not being retained by Brisbane, Lazarus was recruited to the newly established Melbourne Storm
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
by his former CEO (John Ribot
John Ribot
John Ribot is an Australian sports administrator and former rugby league footballer of the 1970s and 80s. Once a Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative winger, Ribot was the 1980 NSWRFL season's top try-scorer...
) and teammate (Chris Johns
Chris Johns (rugby league)
Chris Johns is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. He played in the centres, achieving representative honours for Australia and New South Wales. His club football career was spent with the St. George Dragons and Brisbane Broncos, as well as a spell in England with...
) from the Broncos, both then working in the Storm's administration, for the National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
's inaugural season in 1998. He was named as the club's first captain and was also given a newspaper column to write in The Herald Sun. He went on to win another premiership with the Storm in 1999. Lazarus announced his retirement from the game with five premierships for three different clubs (Canberra 1989–90, Brisbane 1992–93 and Melbourne 1999), a truly unique achievement.
Representative career
Lazarus played 19 matches for New South WalesNew South Wales rugby league team
The New South Wales rugby league team has represented the Australian state of New South Wales in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1907. Administered by the New South Wales Rugby League, the team competes in the annual State of Origin series against arch-rivals, the...
in State of Origin
Rugby League State of Origin
State of Origin is an annual best of three series of rugby league football matches contested by the Maroons and the Blues, who represent the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales respectively...
between 1989 and 1999, scoring two tries
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
. He is the equal ninth most capped New South Wales player (with Benny Elias
Benny Elias
Benjamin Elias is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. He played primarily as a hooker for Balmain in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership. He was one of the leading hookers from the mid 1980s until his retirement at the end of the 1994 season...
and Michael O'Connor) and, at the time of his retirement, was second only to Paul Harragon
Paul Harragon
Paul "The Chief" Harragon OAM is an Australian rugby league football identity. A retired Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative forward, he played his club football for the Newcastle Knights whom he captained to the 1997 ARL premiership...
as the most capped New South Wales forward in Origin history. He was known for his powerful, relentless charges and in his prime was the first prop chosen for any NSW State of Origin side.
He was selected for the 1990 and 1994
1994 Kangaroo Tour
The 1994 Kangaroo Tour was the last played in the conventional format, where the Australian side plays a number of matches against British and French clubs or provincial outfits, in additions to the Test matches...
Kangaroo tours, although his appearances in the latter tour were restricted due to injuries. During the 1992 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand, he helped Australia retain The Ashes.
Opposing Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
and New Zealand sides, when quizzed, frequently regard Glenn Lazarus as unmatched as a forward. It is widely recognised that Lazarus is one of the best props of the modern era.
Post playing
In 2000, Lazarus was awarded the Australian Sports MedalAustralian Sports Medal
The Australian Sports Medal was an award given during 2000 to recognise achievements in Australian sport.Recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, office holders, and people who maintained sporting facilities and services. Over 18,000 Medals were...
for his contribution to Australia's international standing in the sport of rugby league. In 2005, the western grandstand of Olympic Park Stadium
Olympic Park Stadium
Olympic Park Stadium was a multi-purpose outdoor stadium located on Olympic Boulevard in inner Melbourne. The stadium was built as an athletics training venue for the 1956 Olympics, a short distance from the MCG, which served as the Olympic Stadium...
was named the Glenn Lazarus stand in his honour. Lazarus spent time on the Brisbane Broncos coaching staff until a major cleanout by head coach Wayne Bennett at the end of 2005 saw him removed.
During the 2007 season at the Broncos' 20-year anniversary celebration, the club announced a list of the 20 best players to play for them to date which included Lazarus.
For the Storm's tenth year, Lazarus was named captain of the decade.
In February 2008, Lazarus was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) which was commissioned by the NRL
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
and ARL
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia. Lazarus has been 612 ABC Brisbane
612 ABC Brisbane
612 ABC Brisbane is an ABC Local Radio station in Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of the largest stations in the network, serving as a base for Queensland programming - many programs are broadcast across the ABC Local Radio network in regional and rural areas of Queensland when those stations are...
Breakfast rugby league tipster since 2008. In 2008 New South Wales announced their rugby league team of the century, naming Lazarus at prop.
At the end of the 2008 Queensland Cup season
2008 Queensland Cup Season
The 2008 Queensland Cup was the 13th season of Queensland's top-level state-wide rugby league competition.. 11 Clubs will Compete in the 26 Week Long Season which will eventually conclude in the 2008 Grand Final at North Ipswich Reserve...
, Lazarus, who served as assistant coach at the Ipswich Jets
Ipswich Jets
The Ipswich Jets are an Australian rugby league football club based in Ipswich, Queensland.Their name comes from nearby RAAF Base Amberley, one of the largest airbases in Australia. The Jets compete in the Queensland Cup competition...
club under the departing Kevin Walters
Kevin Walters
Kevin David Walters is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. He is currently the assistant coach for NRL club Melbourne Storm. He joined them from French club Catalans Dragons of Europe's Super League as their head coach. Before that he was head coach of the...
was named as head coach of the club from the 2009 season. In 2010, Glenn stepped down from the role to pursue business interests.