Playing Career
Vital Statistics
- Nickname(s)
- Solid
- Born
- Wednesday, 25th October, 1944
- Current Age
- 81 years and 155 days
- Place Of Birth
- Kingsford, New South Wales, Australia
Honours & Awards
Based only on data available in the RLP database. This information should be used as a guide only.
- The Ashes
- 1967/1968, 1974
- World Cup
- 1968, 1970, 1975
- Interstate Series
- 1965, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1975
- City vs Country Firsts
- 1969, 1970, 1974
- NSWRFL Premiership (NRL)
- 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1975
- Preseason Cup
- 1966, 1969, 1974, 1977
- Midweek Cup
- 1975, 1978
- Harry Sunderland Medal
- 1970, 1974
- Clive Churchill Medal
- 1971
- International Hall Of Fame
- 2005
- National Rugby League Hall Of Fame
- 2005
- NSWRL Hall Of Fame
- 2017
- Immortal
- 2024
Known Family Links
- Nephew
- Daniel Coote
- Father
- Jack Coote
Biography
It was ironic that the career of the code's finest lock, Johnny Raper, would be immediately succeeded by another that would threaten his crown as ‘Prince of Locks’ – Souths’ legend Ron Coote. A Kensington junior, Coote’s tall, long-legged frame showcased his great running style complemented by devastating cover defense. Although Coote's early rep career was restricted because of Raper he did make his NSW debut in 1965, the year Souths made the grand final. Coote was a key member of the champion Souths teams that won grand finals in 1967-68 & 1970-71 – a run punctuated by the shock loss to Balmain in 1969 - and his stature as a Test star grew during this period. He toured with the 1967-68 Kangaroos, playing in two Tests against Great Britain (the first as lock and then as a second rower) and all three Tests against France. After playing in the 1968 World Cup and touring NZ, Coote’s career highlight came after the three-Test series against Great Britain in 1970. Injuries to Graeme Langlands and John Sattler saw Coote named captain of Australia’s World Cup team that ultimately won a brutal final against Great Britain at Leeds. Coote sat out the early part of the 1971 season because of a contractual dispute and it was no surprise to see him move to Easts, where his father Jack had played in the 1930s, the following year. Returning from a broken arm injury, he captained the Roosters in the 1972 grand final loss to Manly. Coote chose to stand down from rep football for three seasons (1971-73) but premiership success in 1974-75 revived his desire to play for Australia. After three Test appearances against Great Britain in 1974, he played in the 1975 World Series competition. Another broken arm injury in 1976, and a subsequent staph infection, led to his eventual retirement two years later but his place as one of the most distinctively players in the modern game - and the attacking partnership he formed with Bob McCarthy at Souths - will long be remembered. Coote later served as a member of the NSWRL Judiciary for much of the 1990s.
- 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.
| Representative Career - International | Comp Wins | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests (Senior International Matches) | - | 24 | 13 | - | - | 39 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 62.50% | List | ||||
| The Ashes | 2 | 8 | 4 | - | - | 12 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 62.50% | List | ||||
| World Cup | 3 | 10 | 6 | - | - | 18 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 80.00% | List | ||||
| Tour Matches | NSW Colts | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | |||
| Tour Matches | Australia | - | 41 | 18 | - | - | 54 | 26 | 12 | 3 | 63.41% | List | |||
| Tour Matches | New South Wales Firsts | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50.00% | List | |||
| Test Series | 2 | 13 | 7 | - | - | 21 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 46.15% | List | ||||
| Representative Career - Australia | Comp Wins | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| Interstate Series | 6 | 13 | 6 | - | - | 18 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 76.92% | List | ||||
| City vs Country Firsts | 3 | 4 | 3 | - | - | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 75.00% | List | ||||
| Club Career - Australia | Comp Wins | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| NSWRFL Premiership (NRL) | 6 | 257 | 88 | - | - | 264 | 183 | 73 | 1 | 71.21% | List | ||||
| NSWRFL Finals | - | 24 | 2 | - | - | 6 | 16 | 8 | 0 | 66.67% | List | ||||
| Preseason Cup | 4 | 48 | 11 | - | - | 33 | 34 | 13 | 1 | 70.83% | List | ||||
| Midweek Cup | 2 | 9 | 3 | - | - | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 66.67% | List | ||||
| Overall | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | |||||
| First Class | 376 | 131 | - | - | 393 | 309 | 126 | 11 | 82.18% | List | |||||
Test Matches - By Team | |||||||||||||||
| Team | Years | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| Australia | 1967-70, 1974-75 | 24 | 13 | - | - | 39 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 62.50% | List | ||||
World Cup Matches - By Team | |||||||||||||||
| Team | Years | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| Australia | 1967-1975 | 10 | 6 | - | - | 18 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 80.00% | List | ||||
Australia - By Team | |||||||||||||||
| Team | Years | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| Sydney Colts | 1964 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | ||||
| NSW Colts | 1964 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | ||||
| NSW City Seconds | 1965, 1967-68 | 3 | 3 | - | - | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.67% | List | ||||
| NSW Firsts | 1965, 1967, 1969-70, 1974-75 | 15 | 6 | - | - | 18 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 73.33% | List | ||||
| NSW City Firsts | 1969-70, 1974-75 | 4 | 3 | - | - | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 75.00% | List | ||||
| Overall | 1964-1975 | 24 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 75.00% | List | ||||
NSWRFL Premiership (NRL) - By Year | |||||||||||||||
| Team | Season | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| South Sydney | NSWRFL 1964 | 17 | 7 | - | - | 21 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 58.82% | List | ||||
| South Sydney | NSWRFL 1965 | 17 | 5 | - | - | 15 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 58.82% | List | ||||
| South Sydney | NSWRFL 1966 | 13 | 3 | - | - | 9 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 46.15% | List | ||||
| South Sydney | NSWRFL 1967 | 21 | 8 | - | - | 24 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 80.95% | List | ||||
| South Sydney | NSWRFL 1968 | 21 | 9 | - | - | 27 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 76.19% | List | ||||
| South Sydney | NSWRFL 1969 | 18 | 4 | - | - | 12 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 83.33% | List | ||||
| South Sydney | NSWRFL 1970 | 22 | 7 | - | - | 21 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 86.36% | List | ||||
| South Sydney | NSWRFL 1971 | 19 | 6 | - | - | 18 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 73.68% | List | ||||
| Eastern Suburbs | NSWRFL 1972 | 16 | 5 | - | - | 15 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 68.75% | List | ||||
| Eastern Suburbs | NSWRFL 1973 | 20 | 4 | - | - | 12 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 55.00% | List | ||||
| Eastern Suburbs | NSWRFL 1974 | 21 | 12 | - | - | 36 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 85.71% | List | ||||
| Eastern Suburbs | NSWRFL 1975 | 22 | 11 | - | - | 33 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 86.36% | List | ||||
| Eastern Suburbs | NSWRFL 1976 | 12 | 3 | - | - | 9 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 50.00% | List | ||||
| Eastern Suburbs | NSWRFL 1977 | 9 | 3 | - | - | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 55.56% | List | ||||
| Eastern Suburbs | NSWRFL 1978 | 9 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 66.67% | List | ||||
NSWRFL Premiership (NRL) - By Team | |||||||||||||||
| Team | Years | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| South Sydney | 1964-71 | 148 | 49 | - | - | 147 | 107 | 41 | 0 | 72.30% | List | ||||
| Eastern Suburbs | 1972-78 | 109 | 39 | - | - | 117 | 76 | 32 | 1 | 69.72% | List | ||||
| Overall | 1964-1978 | 257 | 88 | 0 | 0 | 264 | 183 | 73 | 1 | 71.21% | List | ||||
Contributions:
Greg Fiveash, Paul Carter, Andrew Ferguson, Shawn Dollin, Max Turner, Rugby League Tables, Tony McCarron, Alan Katzmann, Michael Borg, Wests Archives, Tim Costello, Bill Bates, AJ Lucantonio
Your Say
12 Aug 2013 3:52pm
Raper was a good No.8 but in my opinion Ron Coote was great. HIs blinding speed, toughness and cover defence hasnt been matched in the past 40 years.
22 Mar 2017 8:07am
The Coote famiily were always a credit to Australia.
Ron from an early age never stopped improving himself on and off the field. A true legend to be admired. A great role model for children of humble beginnings.
18 Sep 2017 9:37am
One of the games greatest ever should have been made an immortal a long time ago and that is a comment from a queenslander
11 May 2019 7:47am
yes ron was a great player i’ll never forget his cover defence how if someone broke the line ron would mow them down real quick he has been a great ambassador for rugby league over the years good on u ron
4 Jan 2020 1:04pm
Never saw Coote play. My old man reckoned Coote was the best player he had seen Interesting that the Roosters lose Coote in 76 ‘with a broken arm which he never really recovers from . The Roosters despite an array of stars in there side didn’t seem to be as a good a side without a fit and firing Coote lack of premiership success beyond 75’ seem to back that up , although there maybe other factors at play .
30 Aug 2020 6:26pm
simply the best utility forward to play the game...blinding speed, fearless tackling and intelligent positioning.
2 Jul 2021 6:04pm
The best lock forward i have seen i watched Raper play he was great but for mine Coote had one thing Raper didnt have speed you cant coach that.
24 Mar 2023 6:28am
I thought Ron Coote was a great lock but Raper was the ultimate. I saw them both live in the 60’s and they had some great battles but Raper was getting towards the end in the late 60’s when Coote was hitting his peak. Both excelled for Australia.
6 May 2024 8:08pm
Saw Coote all through 74,75.If anyone better in his position they were well hidden ! A covering tackle to save a try at Redfern Oval in 74 stays in my memory as one of the greatest ever !
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