Mal Reilly

Mal Reilly

Personal information
Full name	Malcolm John Reilly
Born	(1948-01-19) 19 January 1948 Barkston Ash district, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Playing information
Position	Loose forward/Lock
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1967–71	Castleford
1971–75	Manly-Warringah	89	13	1	0	41
1974–86	Castleford
	Total	89	13	1	0	41
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1973–77	England	2+1	0	0	0	0
1970	Great Britain	9	1	0	0	3
Coaching information
Club
Years	Team	Gms	W	D	L	W%
6 December 1974–26 April 1987	Castleford	513	276	25	212	54
19??–??	Leeds
19??–??	Halifax
1995–98	Newcastle Knights	98	62	3	33	63
1999–04	Huddersfield Giants	30	5	0	25	17
2004	Hull KR
	Total	641	343	28	270	54
Representative
Years	Team	Gms	W	D	L	W%
1987–94	Great Britain	56	38	0	18	68
Source: RLP Yesterday's Hero

Malcolm J. Reilly (born 19 January 1948 in Barkston Ash district, West Riding of Yorkshire) is an English rugby league footballer of the 1960s, '70s and '80s, and coach of the 1970s, '80s, '90s and 2000s, playing at representative level for Great Britain, England, and Yorkshire, and at club level for Castleford (twice) in England, and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in Australia, as a Loose forward/Lock, and coaching at representative level for Great Britain, and at club level for Castleford, Leeds, Halifax, Huddersfield Giants, and Hull Kingston Rovers in England, and Newcastle Knights in Australia taking them to their first premiership in 1997.

Playing career

International honours

Mal Reilly won caps for England while at Castleford in 1970 against Wales, and France, and in 1977 against Wales (sub), and won caps for Great Britain while at Castleford in 1970 against Australia (3 matches), and New Zealand (3 matches), and in the 1970 Rugby League World Cup against Australia, France, and Australia. Mal Reily was part of the victorious Great Britain touring team that defeated Australia in the 1970 Ashes series. As of 2013 this remains the last time Great Britain or England has won The Ashes. Australia regained The Ashes during the 1973 Kangaroo tour and have not lost them since.

County honours

Mal Reilly represented Yorkshire while at Castleford in 1968 against Cumberland and Lancashire.

Challenge Cup final appearances

Mal Reilly played Loose forward/Lock, and was man of the match winning the Lance Todd Trophy in Castleford’s 11–6 victory over Salford in the 1969 Challenge Cup final during the 1968–69 season at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 17 May 1969, and played in the 7–2 victory over Wigan in the 1970 Challenge Cup final during the 1969–70 season at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 9 May 1970. He later became a Tigers Hall Of Fame Inductee.

County Cup Final appearances

Mal Reilly played Loose forward/Lock in Castleford's 11-22 defeat by Leeds in the 1968 Yorkshire Cup final during the 1968–69 season at Belle Vue, Wakefield on Saturday 19 October 1968, played Right-Second-row, i.e. number 12, and was the coach in the 11-22 defeat by Leeds in the 1977 Yorkshire Cup final during the 1977–78 season at Headingley Stadium, Leeds on Saturday 15 October 1977, was the coach in the 10-5 victory over Bradford Northern in the 1981 Yorkshire Cup final during the 1981–82 season at Headingley Stadium, Leeds on Saturday 3 October 1981, and played Right-Prop, i.e. number 10, and was the coach in the 2-13 defeat by Hull in the 1983 Yorkshire Cup final during the 1983–84 season at Elland Road, Leeds on Saturday 15 October 1983.

BBC2 Floodlit Trophy final appearances

Mal Reilly played Loose forward/Lock in Castleford's 8-5 victory over Leigh in the 1967 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy final during the 1967–68 season at Headingley Stadium, Leeds on Saturday 16 January 1968, and played Left-Second-row, i.e. number 11, in the 4-12 defeat by Leigh in the 1976 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy final during the 1976–77 season at Hilton Park, Leigh on Tuesday 14 December 1976.

Player's No.6 Trophy final appearances

Sammy Lloyd played Left-Second-row, i.e. number 11, in Castleford's 25-15 victory over Blackpool Borough in the 1976-77 Player's No.6 Trophy final during the 1976-77 season at The Willows, Salford on Saturday 22 January 1977.

Australian playing career

Reilly later played in Australia when he was signed by Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles secretary Ken Arthurson. His signing proved a boom for Manly as Reilly helped them to their first premiership in 1972 and to their second the following year. He thus became only the third Englishman to play in a grand final-winning team in Australia.

Early in the 1973 Grand Final against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, a team which was captain-coached by Reilly's former Great Britain team mate Tommy Bishop and also included Lions prop Cliff Watson, Reilly was felled late by Sharks hooker Ron Turner after getting a kick down field. Clearly hobbled with a badly bruised hip, Reilly went off for pain killing injections. As it was clear he would not last out the match, Manly coach Ron Willey gave the Englishman the instructions to go out and cause as much physical damage to the Sharks players as he could before he could go no further. After carrying out Willey's instructions, Reilly was replaced near half time by John Bucknell.

As for the match itself, the brilliance of Manly centre Bob Fulton was the difference between the two sides as the Sea Eagles won 10-7. The game has often been described as the roughest, dirtiest Grand Final in Sydney premiership history, with several all-in brawls (usually started by Bishop) causing referee Keith Page to caution both teams repeatedly, though strangely he did not send anyone from the field despite repeated warnings that he would do so. Leading journalist Ian Heads described the match in the Sunday Telegraph the next day as: "It was a Grand Final as tough and dirty as any bar-room brawl".

Coaching career

After retiring from playing, Reilly went on to coach Castleford, Leeds, Halifax and Great Britain. He succeeded Maurice Bamford as the Great Britain team's head coach and opened his reign as with six wins, four against France and two over Papua New Guinea, in 1987. He was included in the 1991 Birthday Honours. He stood down as Great Britain's coach in 1994.

Mal Reilly was the coach in Castleford's 15-14 victory over Hull Kingston Rovers in the 1986 Challenge Cup final during the 1985–86 season at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 3 May 1986.

Reilly then took over Australian side Newcastle Knights for the 1995 ARL season as coach and their results improved markedly. He later coached them to their first grand final at the end of the 1997 ARL season which they won.

In 2001 Reilly's book, Reilly: A Life in Rugby League was published. His coaching career continued but he had less success as head coach of the Huddersfield Giants, who finished bottom of Super League under his stewardship. He left Leeds at the end of the 2003 season following a major coaching re-structuring. In December 2004, Hull Kingston Rovers appointed Mal Reilly as director of rugby and first team coach. However, Reilly left the club mid way through the season.

County Cup Final appearances

Mal Reilly was the coach in Castleford's 18-22 defeat by Hull Kingston Rovers in the 1985 Yorkshire Cup final during the 1985–86 season at Headingley Stadium, Leeds on Sunday 27 October 1985, was the coach in the 31-24 victory over Hull in the 1986 Yorkshire Cup final during the 1986–87 season at Headingley Stadium, Leeds on Saturday 11 October 1986, and was the coach in the 13-33 defeat by Leeds in the 1988 Yorkshire Cup final during the 1988–89 season at Elland Road, Leeds on Sunday 16 October 1988.

Outside of rugby league

Reilly now works as a sales representative in the Newcastle, New South Wales area.

Honoured by Arriva Yorkshire

Arriva Yorkshire honoured 13 rugby league footballers on Thursday 20 August 2009, at a ceremony at The Jungle, the home of the Castleford Tigers. A fleet of new buses were named after the 'Arriva Yorkshire Rugby League Dream Team'. Members of the public nominated the best ever rugby league footballers to have played in West Yorkshire, supported by local rugby league journalists; James Deighton from BBC Leeds, and Tim Butcher, editor of Rugby League World. The 'Arriva Yorkshire Rugby League Dream Team' is; Trevor Foster MBE, Neil Fox MBE, Albert Goldthorpe, Alan Hardisty, Stan Kielty, Lewis Jones, Roger Millward MBE, Malcolm Reilly, Garry Schofield, Keith Senior, David Topliss, Dave Valentine, and Adrian Vowles.

Further reading

Malcolm Reilly & Ian Heads (1998). Reilly: a life in rugby league. Ironbark. ISBN 9780330361200. 

External links

• England Statistics at englandrl.co.uk
• Great Britain Statistics at englandrl.co.uk
• Player statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org
• Coach statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org
• Malcolm Reilly at eraofthebiff.com
• Steadman looking less than steady (from the BBC)
• Player profile at thecastlefordtigers.co.uk at the Wayback Machine (archived 31 December 2014)
• Coach Profile at thecastlefordtigers.co.uk at the Wayback Machine (archived 31 December 2014)

Achievements
Preceded by Brian Shaw	Rugby League Transfer Record Castleford to Manly-Warringah 1971-72	Succeeded by Eric Prescott