Tommy Bishop
Encyclopedia
Tommy Bishop is an English former rugby league footballer and coach of the 1960s and 70s. He played for St. Helens in the English Rugby Football League Championship and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the New South Wales Rugby League
competition in Australia
. He also represented Great Britain
on several occasions during his career, captaining them on two occasions, his position of choice was at /. Now long retired from competitive rugby league Bishop now resides at Robina
on the Gold Coast
, Australia
.
for the next few years (1969–1974) which was somewhat the norm for Australian clubs to bring in British Internationals.
leaving in the 1970 season, Bishop was offered and accepted the role of player/coach for his remaining time (four years) at the Sharks.
Bishop's first match as coach in 1970 provided a 23-13 win over the Newtown Jets
at Endeavour, but the club lost their next seven consecutive matches. Then out of the blue, came one of the greatest wins in the club's history. The Sharks thrashed the premiership bound South Sydney Rabbitohs
by 25-6 with a style of open football that was soon to become the club's famous trademark.
In 1971 Bishop helped the Cronulla Sharks secure Great Britain power front rower Cliff Watson
, and the club had their best season in of their history, winning a total of ten matches. Cronulla finished the season one win from the play-offs and that result most likely would have been even better, had it not been for Bishop succumbing to injury snapping his achilles
tendon. This meant Bishop would not return to playing for the Sharks until the first match of the 1973 season. For the remaider of the 1972 Cronulla lapsed to end up well and truly outside of the Top 5 which just shows how much of a key Bishop was to their side.
The year 1973 saw Bishops Cronulla Sharks make the end of season play-offs for the first time in the clubs history and they did it in style. The Sharks lost only five games in the whole year and finished just one point behind eventual Minor Premiers the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
and ahead of local rivals, the St George Illawarra Dragons
.
Cronulla being drawn against the Dragons defeated them surprisingly comfortably 18-0 in their first ever semi-final with the help of Bishop, Watson
and Rogers. Bishops Sharks lost to Manly leaving them having to achieve a win over the Newtown Jets
to achieve the clubs first Grand Final appearance. Cronulla established a crushing 18-4 half time lead over the Jets, before eventually winning by 20-11. The Sharks were into the Grand Final in their first visit to the play-offs.
Coach Bishop though knew that the Cronulla side's only real hope of beating the defending Premiers Manly was for his team of youthful players to niggle and unsettle the glamour Sea Eagles. Utilising the skills of Cliff Watson to lead the way, the 1973 Grand Final was the most brutal ever seen as the Sharks threw everything at Manly. In the end, it was a champion performance by Bobby Fulton that saw the Sea Eagles home 10-7, the result was disappointing for Bishop but his name had been etched into Cronulla Sharks history from the day.
New South Wales Rugby League
The New South Wales Rugby League is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and is a member of the Australian Rugby League. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was known as the New South Wales Rugby Football League until 1984 when forward thinking marketing managers decided...
competition in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. He also represented Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
on several occasions during his career, captaining them on two occasions, his position of choice was at /. Now long retired from competitive rugby league Bishop now resides at Robina
Robina, Queensland
Robina is a suburb on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 Census, Robina had a population of 19,182.The Robina Town Centre shopping centre and Bond University are located in Robina.- History :...
on the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
1968–1969
He originally played for St. Helens club in the 1968 and '69 seasons. Before that he had started his professional playing career at Blackpool Borough where he became club captain and Player of the Year before being transferred to Barrow and then to St. Helens.1969
Bishop was bought in by the Cronulla-Sutherland SharksCronulla Sharks
The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales...
for the next few years (1969–1974) which was somewhat the norm for Australian clubs to bring in British Internationals.
1970–1974
Upon Cronulla coach Ken KearneyKen Kearney
Ken "Killer" Kearney was an Australian rugby footballer – a dual-code international player – and a rugby league coach. He represented the Wallabies in seven Tests and the Kangaroos in thirty-one Test matches and World Cup games. He captained Australia in nine rugby league Test matches in 1956 and...
leaving in the 1970 season, Bishop was offered and accepted the role of player/coach for his remaining time (four years) at the Sharks.
Bishop's first match as coach in 1970 provided a 23-13 win over the Newtown Jets
Newtown Jets
The Newtown Jets are an Australian rugby league football club based in Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west. They currently compete in the NSWRL Premier League competition, having left the top grade after the 1983 NSWRFL season...
at Endeavour, but the club lost their next seven consecutive matches. Then out of the blue, came one of the greatest wins in the club's history. The Sharks thrashed the premiership bound South Sydney Rabbitohs
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
by 25-6 with a style of open football that was soon to become the club's famous trademark.
In 1971 Bishop helped the Cronulla Sharks secure Great Britain power front rower Cliff Watson
Cliff Watson
Clifford H. Watson is a former rugby league footballer of the 1960s and '70s. He played for the St. Helens rugby football club in the English Rugby Football League Championship and later the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership in Australia. His position of...
, and the club had their best season in of their history, winning a total of ten matches. Cronulla finished the season one win from the play-offs and that result most likely would have been even better, had it not been for Bishop succumbing to injury snapping his achilles
Achilles
In Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad.Plato named Achilles the handsomest of the heroes assembled against Troy....
tendon. This meant Bishop would not return to playing for the Sharks until the first match of the 1973 season. For the remaider of the 1972 Cronulla lapsed to end up well and truly outside of the Top 5 which just shows how much of a key Bishop was to their side.
The year 1973 saw Bishops Cronulla Sharks make the end of season play-offs for the first time in the clubs history and they did it in style. The Sharks lost only five games in the whole year and finished just one point behind eventual Minor Premiers the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League's Telstra Premiership, the premier rugby league competition of Australasia...
and ahead of local rivals, the St George Illawarra Dragons
St George Illawarra Dragons
The St George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing the St. George and Illawarra regions. They have competed in the National Rugby League since 1999 as a joint venture between Sydney's historic St. George Dragons club and 1982 expansion club, the...
.
Cronulla being drawn against the Dragons defeated them surprisingly comfortably 18-0 in their first ever semi-final with the help of Bishop, Watson
Cliff Watson
Clifford H. Watson is a former rugby league footballer of the 1960s and '70s. He played for the St. Helens rugby football club in the English Rugby Football League Championship and later the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership in Australia. His position of...
and Rogers. Bishops Sharks lost to Manly leaving them having to achieve a win over the Newtown Jets
Newtown Jets
The Newtown Jets are an Australian rugby league football club based in Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west. They currently compete in the NSWRL Premier League competition, having left the top grade after the 1983 NSWRFL season...
to achieve the clubs first Grand Final appearance. Cronulla established a crushing 18-4 half time lead over the Jets, before eventually winning by 20-11. The Sharks were into the Grand Final in their first visit to the play-offs.
Coach Bishop though knew that the Cronulla side's only real hope of beating the defending Premiers Manly was for his team of youthful players to niggle and unsettle the glamour Sea Eagles. Utilising the skills of Cliff Watson to lead the way, the 1973 Grand Final was the most brutal ever seen as the Sharks threw everything at Manly. In the end, it was a champion performance by Bobby Fulton that saw the Sea Eagles home 10-7, the result was disappointing for Bishop but his name had been etched into Cronulla Sharks history from the day.
Point scoring summary
| Games | Tries | Goals | F/G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 195 | 68 | 17 | 2 | 241 |
Matches played
| Team | Matches | Years |
|---|---|---|
| St Helens | 135 | 1966–1969 |
| Cronulla Sharks | 23 | 1969–1971, 1973 |
Quotations
"Tommy kicked the club off. He turned the club around... daylight was second." (Monty PorterMonty PorterMontague 'Monty' Porter was an Australian premiership winning and state representative rugby league footballer of the 1950s and 1960s. He was a second rower with the St. George Dragons during their eleven-year premiership winning run from 1956 to 1966, playing in six grand finals...
, on Tommy Bishop and his influence on the Cronulla club.)
"You could tell straightaway... the style of him, the way he moved.. he was just unbelievable." (Tommy Bishop in reference to the young Steve Rogers)
"There was Cliffy leaning against the post. I went over and asked. "What's going on Cliff?" He said: "It's all right... it's all right. They're not playing yet." (Tommy Bishop elaborating on Cliff WatsonCliff WatsonClifford H. Watson is a former rugby league footballer of the 1960s and '70s. He played for the St. Helens rugby football club in the English Rugby Football League Championship and later the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership in Australia. His position of...
and his 1973 Final warm up.)