Playing Career
Vital Statistics
- Full Name
- Brian Patrick Carlson
- Born
- Sunday, 12th February, 1933
- Died
- Tuesday, 14th April, 1987 (Aged 54 years and 61 days)
- Place Of Birth
- Wyoming, New South Wales, Australia
Honours & Awards
Based only on data available in the RLP database. This information should be used as a guide only.
- World Cup
- 1957
- The Ashes
- 1954
- Test Series
- Australia vs New Zealand 1959, 1959/60 France vs. Australia
- Interstate Series
- 1952, 1954, 1958
Biography
Brian Carlson rates as one of the most talented and inventive backline players to represent Australia. A product of the Norths Newcastle club, he was graded in 1951 (playing against France) before representing Country, NSW and the Kangaroos the following year. The 19-year-old winger played in four Tests against Great Britain and France on tour and topped the try-scoring list with 29 tries. Carlson was a natural athlete with a fine step and swerve and a great kicking game. In 1954, he moved to Wollongong Souths but a ruptured kidney injury almost ended his life. The much-travelled international recovered however, and linked with Newcastle Souths two years later. In a great comeback, he forced his way back into the Australian Test team in 1957. Carlson had signed with Blackall (Queensland) that year but a contractual dispute actually saw him stranded without a club. This did not stop the national selectors from choosing him for the World Cup competition, with the fullback finishing as top-scorer (28pts - 2t, 11g) as well as being named ‘Player of the Series’ after Australia's historic victory. After the completion of World Cup commitments, Carlson signed with Norths and later formed an uncanny understanding with champion winger Ken Irvine. In the First Test against NZ in 1959, which Australia won 9-8, Carlson was chosen as fullback and was also named Test captain. He appeared in Tests against Great Britain (1958 and 1959-60) and France (1959-60 Kangaroo tour) and it was his goal that hit the posts in the Second Test loss that denied Australia the Ashes. After playing in the 1960 World Cup, he achieved the honour of captain-coaching Australia on the NZ Tour of 1961. At the end of the 1962 season Carlson quit North Sydney to captain-coach Souths Newcastle. The League world was saddened by his death in 1987, aged 54 - the year before the Newcastle Club re-entered the NSWRL.
- ALAN WHITICKER
Playing 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 | Comp Wins | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Ashes | 1 | 10 | 8 | 2 | - | 56 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 30.00% | List | ||||
World Cup | 1 | 6 | 6 | 16 | - | 50 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 83.33% | List | ||||
Tour Matches | Newcastle Firsts (AU) | - | 5 | 2 | 7 | - | 20 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 60.00% | List | |||
Tour Matches | New South Wales Firsts | - | 6 | 5 | - | - | 15 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 66.67% | List | |||
Tour Matches | Australia | - | 43 | 58 | 20 | - | 214 | 31 | 12 | 0 | 72.09% | List | |||
Tour Matches | New South Wales Country Firsts | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | |||
Tour Matches | Southern Division | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00% | List | |||
Tour Matches | Sydney Firsts | - | 2 | 2 | - | - | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.00% | List | |||
Test Series | 3 | 17 | 10 | 5 | - | 12 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 35.29% | List | ||||
Interstate Series | 3 | 14 | 10 | 13 | - | 56 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 57.14% | List | ||||
City vs Country Firsts | - | 9 | 12 | 19 | - | 74 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 44.44% | List | ||||
Country Carnival | - | 6 | 5 | 11 | - | 37 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 16.67% | List | ||||
NSWRFL Premiership (NRL) | - | 72 | 31 | 211 | - | 515 | 34 | 36 | 2 | 47.22% | List | ||||
City Cup | - | 3 | 1 | 3 | - | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | ||||
Preseason Cup | - | 3 | 1 | 6 | - | 15 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.00% | List | ||||
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Test Matches - By Team | |||||||||||||||
Team | Years | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
Australia | 1952-54, 1957-61 | 23 | 16 | 21 | - | 90 | 11 | 12 | 0 | 47.83% | List | ||||
International Matches - By Team | |||||||||||||||
Team | Years | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
Australia | 1952-1961 | 3 | - | 9 | 1 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | ||||
World Cup Matches - By Team | |||||||||||||||
Team | Years | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
Australia | 1952-1960 | 6 | 6 | 16 | - | 50 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 83.33% | List | ||||
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Australia - By Team | |||||||||||||||
Team | Years | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
Newcastle (AU) | 1951-53, 1956, 1963-64 | 8 | 4 | 7 | - | 26 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 50.00% | List | ||||
Possibles (AU) | 1952, 1954 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50.00% | List | ||||
NSW Firsts | 1952-54, 1958-59 | 16 | 13 | 12 | - | 63 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 75.00% | List | ||||
NSW Country Firsts | 1952-54, 1956, 1963 | 7 | 6 | 4 | - | 26 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 28.57% | List | ||||
Southern Division | 1954 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.00% | List | ||||
Coalfields | 1956 | 1 | - | 5 | - | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | List | ||||
Probables (AU) | 1956 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | List | ||||
QLD Firsts | 1957 | 4 | 2 | 1 | - | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0.00% | List | ||||
Sydney Firsts | 1958, 1960 | 2 | 2 | - | - | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.00% | List | ||||
NSW City Firsts | 1958-62 | 5 | 6 | 19 | - | 56 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 60.00% | List | ||||
Metropolis | 1960 | 1 | 1 | 6 | - | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | ||||
Overall | 1951-1964 | 49 | 36 | 54 | 0 | 216 | 24 | 23 | 2 | 48.98% | List | ||||
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NSWRFL Premiership (NRL) - By Year | |||||||||||||||
Team | Season | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
North Sydney | NSWRFL 1957 | 3 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.67% | List | ||||
North Sydney | NSWRFL 1958 | 15 | 10 | 58 | - | 146 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 46.67% | List | ||||
North Sydney | NSWRFL 1959 | 13 | 9 | 18 | - | 63 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 69.23% | List | ||||
North Sydney | NSWRFL 1960 | 14 | 6 | 45 | - | 108 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 35.71% | List | ||||
North Sydney | NSWRFL 1961 | 12 | 3 | 48 | - | 105 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 58.33% | List | ||||
North Sydney | NSWRFL 1962 | 15 | 2 | 42 | - | 90 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 26.67% | List | ||||
NSWRFL Premiership (NRL) - By Team | |||||||||||||||
Team | Years | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
North Sydney | 1957-62 | 72 | 31 | 211 | - | 515 | 34 | 36 | 2 | 47.22% | List |
Contributions:
Shawn Dollin, Andrew Ferguson, Paul Carter, Greg Fiveash, Rugby League Tables, Max Turner, Alan Katzmann, Tony McCarron, Bill Bates
Your Say
05/02/2011
Brian Carlson is a member of the North Sydney Team of the Century (fullback).
15/10/2021
As a young boy in 1957 I first watched Brian Carlson play for the Bears. I saw him many times over the following few seasons. He was the most wonderful attacking Rugby League fullback I have ever seen in my lifetime. Just recently I saw a video of Australia playing the Rest of the World in the 1957 World Cup. He made 5 try saving tackles in that game - he was a great defender also!
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