Geoffrey Toovey(born 17 June 1969), also known by thenicknameof"Toovs"or"Tooves",[2]is the former head coach of theBradford Bullsand former professionalrugby leaguefootballer. Toovey playedhalfbackfor theManly-Warringah Sea Eagles,then played as ahookerlater in his career at theNorthern Eagles.He played 286 first-grade matches in all, and captained Manly to the1996 ARL premiershipand the 1995 and 1997 grand finals. He played in 13 international matches forAustraliabetween 1991 and 1998. Toovey is the former head coach of Manly-Warringah.
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| Born | 17 June 1969 Sydney,New South Wales,Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 168 cm (5 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 70 kg (11 st 0 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Halfback,Hooker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source:[1] As of 13 August 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early life
editToovey was educated atDavidson High Schooland played his junior rugby league for theBelrose Eagles,who participate in theManly-Warringah/North Sydney District Rugby Leaguedistrict competition.[citation needed]
Representative and playing career
editToovey made his first grade debut for Manly-Warringah in round 10 1988 againstCronulla-SutherlandatBrookvale Oval.Toovey played for Manly in subsequent finals campaigns in 1990, 1991 and 1994.
Toovey debuted for theNew South Wales Bluesin1990,and was selected for theAustralianteam's end-of-season tour ofPapua New Guineain 1991 where he made his test debut for the Kangaroos, playing in all four games on tour including both tests against thePapua New Guinea Kumuls.[citation needed]
During the1995 seasonat the commencement of theSuper League war,Toovey again playedState of Originfor NSW, though the team suffered a 3-0 loss toQueenslandwho were coached by his former Manly team matePaul Vautin.With the non-selection ofSuper Leagueplayers, Toovey was recalled to the Australian team for the first time since 1991 in the 3-0Trans-Tasman serieswin overNew Zealandin 1995. At the end of the season in which Manly finished as minor premiers but beaten Grand Finalists, he was selected in the Australian squad for the1995 Rugby League World Cup,playing in the Kangaroos 16-8 win over host nationEnglandin the World Cup Final atWembley Stadium.Although selected at halfback for the game, coachBob Fultononly played Toovey in the position during scrums and utilised his speed off the mark by playing him atdummy halfin general play withAndrew Johns(named at hooker) assuming the halfback role.
In the1996 State of Origin series,Toovey and Johns continued with the now commonplace positional and role interchange they had used successfully in the World Cup. Toovey captained Manly to the 1996 premiership after they defeatedSt. Georgein the grand final. Toovey also won theClive Churchill Medalafter being man of the match.[3]
In 1997, Toovey captained New South Wales to aState of Origin seriesvictory and played a Test match against a Rest of the World side. Manly would again finish as minor premiers for a third straight season in 1997. Toovey played in the club's grand final defeat against theNewcastle Knights.[4]
Toovey played with Manly-Warringah up until the end of the1999 NRL seasonand played in what was at the time to be the club's last game as a stand-alone entity which came against St George in round 26 1999. At the conclusion of the season, Manly controversially merged with arch rivalsNorth Sydneyto form theNorthern Eaglesas part of theNRL's rationalisation policy.[5]
Toovey was the club's inaugural captain for the2000 NRL season.In2000he played at hooker in NSW's clean sweep against Queensland. Toovey's final season as a player came during the2001 NRL season.His last game came in round 26 2001 against theBrisbane Broncosin which the Northern Eagles were defeated 42-14.
Captaincy
editAt the height of theSuper League war,Toovey was honoured as Australian Test captain for the 1996 one-off Test against the Papua New Guinea Palais (the ARL loyalist side).
Post playing
editToovey retired at the end of 2001. He became an accountant by profession and a member of the board of theNRMA.[6]
Coaching career
editToovey joined the Manly coaching staff whenDes Haslertook over as coach in 2004 and in 2011 was appointed as Manly's head coach from the 2012 season, after Hasler first announced he would be moving to theCanterbury-Bankstown Bulldogsfor the 2012 season.
Toovey's first competitive match in charge of the Sea Eagles was their defeat in the2012 World Club Challenge.
In the2012 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles season,Toovey's first as an NRL head coach, the club came to within one game of the grand final but lost to Melbourne.
In the2013 NRL season,Toovey guided Manly into theGrand Finalagainst theSydney Roosters.The Roosters ran out 26-18 winners. During the year, Toovey was fined $10,000 by theNational Rugby Leaguefollowing his press-conference after Manly had lost their Round 23 game toSouth Sydney.Toovey had been unhappy with a number of refereeing decisions during the game, won 22-10 by the Rabbitohs, and had famously called for an investigation.[7]In 2015, Manly sacked Toovey following a disappointing season and was replaced byTrent Barrett.
In January 2017, it was announced that Toovey would become the head coach ofRFL ChampionshipsideBradford Bulls,taking over fromRohan Smithfollowing the liquidation and re-establishment of the club.[8][9]
In 2022, Toovey was an assistant coach for theSamoa national rugby league teamin the2021 Rugby League World Cup.[10][11]
References
edit- ^"Geoff Toovey - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project".Rugbyleagueproject.org.Retrieved17 November2021.
- ^"Why turfin' Tooves is the wrong decision for Manly".Theroar.com.au.Retrieved17 November2021.
- ^"Luke Keary wins Clive Churchill Medal after Roosters beat Melbourne Storm".Sporting News.30 September 2018.
- ^"What happened to the 17 champion players".Theherald.com.au.2 September 2017.
- ^"Manly Sea Eagles and North Sydney Bears must merge into a 'behemoth' club, says Brad Fittler".Sporting News.3 September 2018.
- ^"Security chief to tackle Toovey for NRMA post".Manly Daily.16 September 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 24 April 2012.Retrieved27 September2011.
- ^Manly coach Geoff Toovey blasts refereeing after loss to South Sydney RabbitohsABC News17 August 2013
- ^"Geoff Toovey: Australian named coach of new Bradford Bulls".BBC Sport.20 January 2017.Retrieved20 February2017.
- ^McCullough, Ian (21 January 2017)."Manly Sea Eagles great Geoff Toovey named Bradford Bulls coach".Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved17 November2021.
- ^David Craven (16 November 2022)."EXCLUSIVE: Australia legend Geoff Toovey doesn't care about bringing down Kangaroos with Samoa".Daily Mirror.Retrieved18 November2022.
- ^Andrew Webster (21 October 2022)."How politics and stubbornness are holding back international rugby league".Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved18 November2022.
Sources
edit- Whiticker, Alan (2004)Captaining the Kangaroos,New Holland, Sydney
