The South Sydney Rabbitohs are mourning the passing of premiership-winning player, eight-time NSW state representative and six-Test Australian Kangaroos player, South Sydney Dream Team member and Life Member, Greg Hawick, who passed away yesterday (Thursday) in Wagga Wagga, aged 87.
Gregory Rawson Hawick was born on 3 May 1932 in Sydney. He commenced playing Rugby League at Alexandria Public School and later with Gardener's Road Junior Technical School, representing Sydney Schools vs South Coast Schools Mt Hawick then captained the South Sydney Lennox Cup under 16 teams before appearing with Alexandria Rovers B and A grades in the South Sydney Juniors League.
Following promotion to South Sydney in 1950, he appeared in one match with the club's Reserve Grade team, and was immediately promoted to First Grade where he became the Club’s 397th First Grade player.
A superlative backline player in the great Souths’ teams of the 1950s, Hawick started his career as lock but played half, five-eighth and centre with Souths, NSW and Australia. After playing in the Club’s 1950 Grand Final win, he missed out on a second premiership when he broke his jaw in the 1951 semi-final against St George.
Hawick's utility value earned him a place on the 1952-53 Kangaroo tour, where he made his Test debut against Great Britain as a five-eighth in the First Test. He played ='in 16 matches on tour, including two Tests, and toured New Zealand with the Australian team the following year.
In 1954, Mr Hawick played in Souths' Grand Final win over Newtown as well as in the inaugural World Cup competition in France. Hawick left the club to play for Wagga Kangaroos in 1957 and kicked a record 15 goals for NSW in the fourth interstate match that year.
After playing in Australia's victorious World Cup squad in 1957, he signed a contract to play with Norths but changed his mind and played again with Wagga Kangaroos.
The NSWRL disqualified him for the season but in the Code's first battle in the equity court, it was ruled that the disqualification was a denial of 'natural justice'.
Hawick appeared in his final Test series, against Great Britain, while playing in Wagga Wagga in 1958 before being lured back to Sydney to play for Norths in 1959-60.
His playing career ended when he broke his jaw playing for Wagga Kangaroos in 1963, and he would go on to coach at North Sydney, where his final legacy to the game was introducing a shy, five-eighth by the name of Cliff Lyons to first grade.
He was inducted as a Life Member of the South Sydney Football Club in 1990, and in 2004 he was named by Souths in their Dream Team.
On behalf of everyone connected with the Rabbitohs, we offer our deepest and most sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr Greg Hawick.
