Coaching Career
Vital Statistics
- Full Name
- Thomas Bishop
- Born
- Tuesday, 15th October, 1940
- Current Age
- 83 years and 341 days
- Place Of Birth
- St Helens, Merseyside, England
Honours & Awards
Based only on data available in the RLP database. This information should be used as a guide only.
- Test Series
- New Zealand vs Great Britain 1966
Biography
Terrier-sized St Helens and Great Britain halfback transformed the fledgling Cronulla club into a premiership force in the early 1970s. Bishop had toured Australia with the Lions in 1966 and again in the 1968 World Cup before being signed by the Sharks in 1969. After captaining Great Britain against France in 1969-70, he took on the captain-coach role with the Sharks for the 1970 season. Under his leadership, Cronulla produced an open style of attacking football and when countryman Cliff Watson joined him in 1971, the club enjoyed its best season on record. Bishop snapped his Achilles tendon in 1972 and returned home to England to recover and missed the entire season. The following year proved to be a watershed in the club's history; Cronulla finished second to Manly in the minor premiership and qualified for its first grand final appearance. Many were critical of Bishop's tactics in the match, with the Sharks' uncharacteristic strong-arm tactics failing to unsettle the more-experienced Sea Eagles. Bishop's efforts never wavered though, setting up a try for Rick Bourke to keep his young team in the match until the final whistle. At the conclusion of the season, Bishop and Watson failed to come to terms with the financially rattled club and Bishop went to captain-coach Northern Suburbs in the Brisbane competition. However his short-lived time as coach of Norths in 1979 was a disaster, as was his return to Cronulla in 1980. Bishop briefly returned to England after this career setback and coached Workington in 1982-83.
- ALAN WHITICKER
Coaching Career Statistics
All statistics shown in this section are based only on data available in the RLP database, and are not necessarily a complete and/or 100% accurate representation of a player's career. This information should be used as a guide only. If you see a question mark (?), it denotes that the figure is not available.
To view a list of corresponding matches, click on the List button.
Competitions | ||||||||||||||
Competition | Games | W | L | D | Win % | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tour Matches | Illawarra Firsts | - | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | ||||||
NSWRFL Premiership (NRL) | - | 133 | 55 | 76 | 2 | 41.35% | List | |||||||
NSWRFL Finals | - | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 50.00% | List | |||||||
Challenge Cup | - | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 40.00% | List | |||||||
English Championship | - | 62 | 26 | 34 | 2 | 41.94% | List | |||||||
Regal Trophy | - | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 57.14% | List | |||||||
Lancashire Cup | - | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.67% | List | |||||||
Preseason Cup | - | 21 | 8 | 11 | 2 | 38.10% | List | |||||||
Midweek Cup | - | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 50.00% | List | |||||||
Endeavour Cup | - | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 80.00% | List | |||||||
UK Second Division | - | 32 | 24 | 8 | 0 | 75.00% | List | |||||||
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Australia - By Team | ||||||||||||||
Team | Years | Games | W | L | D | Win % | ||||||||
Illawarra Firsts | 1978 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 83.33% | List | |||||||
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NSWRFL Premiership (NRL) - By Year | ||||||||||||||
Team | Season | Games | W | L | D | Win % | ||||||||
Cronulla | NSWRFL 1970 | 22 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 40.91% | List | |||||||
Cronulla | NSWRFL 1971 | 19 | 8 | 11 | 0 | 42.11% | List | |||||||
Cronulla | NSWRFL 1972 | 22 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 36.36% | List | |||||||
Cronulla | NSWRFL 1973 | 26 | 19 | 7 | 0 | 73.08% | List | |||||||
North Sydney | NSWRFL 1979 | 22 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 9.09% | List | |||||||
Cronulla | NSWRFL 1980 | 22 | 9 | 11 | 2 | 40.91% | List | |||||||
NSWRFL Premiership (NRL) - By Team | ||||||||||||||
Team | Years | Games | W | L | D | Win % | ||||||||
Cronulla | 1970-73, 1980 | 111 | 53 | 56 | 2 | 47.75% | List | |||||||
North Sydney | 1979 | 22 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 9.09% | List | |||||||
Overall | 1970-1980 | 133 | 55 | 76 | 2 | 41.35% | List | |||||||
English Career - By Year | ||||||||||||||
Team | Season | Games | W | L | D | Win % | ||||||||
Workington | 1980/81 | 24 | 10 | 13 | 1 | 41.67% | List | |||||||
Workington | 1981/82 | 37 | 27 | 10 | 0 | 72.97% | List | |||||||
Leigh | 1983/84 | 37 | 18 | 19 | 0 | 48.65% | List | |||||||
Barrow | 1984/85 | 11 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 27.27% | List | |||||||
English Career - By Team | ||||||||||||||
Team | Years | Games | W | L | D | Win % | ||||||||
Workington | 1980-81 | 61 | 37 | 23 | 1 | 60.66% | List | |||||||
Leigh | 1983 | 37 | 18 | 19 | 0 | 48.65% | List | |||||||
Barrow | 1984 | 11 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 27.27% | List | |||||||
Overall | 1980-1984 | 109 | 58 | 49 | 2 | 53.21% | List |
Contributions:
Andrew Ferguson, Max Turner, Shawn Dollin, Greg Fiveash, Rugby League Tables, Paul Carter, Alan Katzmann, Tony McCarron, Stephen Bell, AJ Lucantonio
Your Say
09/08/2012
In 1970.Bishop was the inaurgaural winner.Of the Rugby League Week player of the year.
30/09/2016
The best 10-pound Pom to ever come to Australia. The "white rabbit" was a sheer joy to watch.
08/03/2019
best halfback I ever saw.amazing weaving fast player.great captain amazing ball skills
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