Playing Career
Vital Statistics
- Born
- Sunday, 14th December, 1952
- Current Age
- 73 years and 105 days
Honours & Awards
Based only on data available in the RLP database. This information should be used as a guide only.
- The Ashes
- 1973/1974
- Test Series
- Australia vs New Zealand 1972, France vs Australia 1973/74
- Interstate Series
- 1971, 1972
- City vs Country Firsts
- 1972
Biography
When chosen to tour NZ in 1971, Balmain centre Geoff Starling became the youngest player to represent Australia (at 18 years 178 days). Starling played in two minor games on the tour before making his Test debut the following year against the Kiwis. In 1972 Starling went to France for the World Cup and was a 1973 Kangaroo tourist. The red-haired centre played in all five Tests on the tour and his fine career seemed set to continue until 1974 when he inexplicably lost weight and not surprisingly lost all form. He spent time in hospital in 1975 but after a short-lived comeback in 1976, he was forced to retire. It was not until much later that his illness was properly diagnosed. Starling was found to be suffering from Addison's disease - a failure of the adrenal gland to produce cortisone. After ten years, Starling won his private battle with the disease but not without immense personal and professional sacrifice.
- 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) | - | 11 | 5 | - | - | 15 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 72.73% | List | ||||
| The Ashes | 1 | 3 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.67% | List | ||||
| World Cup | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50.00% | List | ||||
| Tour Matches | Australia | - | 25 | 14 | - | - | 42 | 19 | 4 | 2 | 76.00% | List | |||
| Test Series | 3 | 7 | 5 | - | - | 15 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 85.71% | List | ||||
| Representative Career - Australia | Comp Wins | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| Interstate Series | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | ||||
| City vs Country Firsts | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | ||||
| Club Career - Australia | Comp Wins | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| NSWRFL Premiership (NRL) | - | 65 | 22 | 5 | - | 76 | 22 | 42 | 1 | 33.85% | List | ||||
| Preseason Cup | - | 13 | 4 | - | - | 12 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 30.77% | List | ||||
| Endeavour Cup | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | List | ||||
| Overall | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | |||||
| First Class | 107 | 41 | 5 | - | 133 | 65 | 59 | 5 | 60.75% | List | |||||
Test Matches - By Team | |||||||||||||||
| Team | Years | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| Australia | 1972-73 | 11 | 5 | - | - | 15 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 72.73% | List | ||||
World Cup Matches - By Team | |||||||||||||||
| Team | Years | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| Australia | 1972 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50.00% | List | ||||
Australia - By Team | |||||||||||||||
| Team | Years | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| NSW City Seconds | 1971, 1973 | 2 | - | 4 | - | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | ||||
| NSW Firsts | 1971-72 | 3 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | ||||
| NSW City Firsts | 1972 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | ||||
| Overall | 1971-1973 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | ||||
NSWRFL Premiership (NRL) - By Year | |||||||||||||||
| Team | Season | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| Balmain | NSWRFL 1971 | 19 | 9 | 5 | - | 37 | 9 | 10 | 0 | 47.37% | List | ||||
| Balmain | NSWRFL 1972 | 20 | 6 | - | - | 18 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 30.00% | List | ||||
| Balmain | NSWRFL 1973 | 22 | 7 | - | - | 21 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 31.82% | List | ||||
| Balmain | NSWRFL 1974 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0.00% | List | ||||
NSWRFL Premiership (NRL) - By Team | |||||||||||||||
| Team | Years | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| Balmain | 1971-74 | 65 | 22 | 5 | - | 76 | 22 | 42 | 1 | 33.85% | List | ||||
Contributions:
Shawn Dollin, Andrew Ferguson, Greg Fiveash, Max Turner, Rugby League Tables, Paul Carter, Tony McCarron, Alan Katzmann, Wests Archives, Bill Bates
Your Say
8 Jun 2011 12:20pm
there are not enough words to describe how good he was,champion player,champion human being!
8 Nov 2011 8:04pm
my absolute favorite league player of all time. Anyone know howto contact him? Anyone have any photos?
14 Feb 2012 12:33pm
I remember him as a great player, I have been informed that he still lives in the Balmain area.
4 Apr 2012 3:54am
what a player he would of been he score the most trys on tour to england its a shame he had those illness or we be looking at a legend
15 Jul 2012 7:04pm
i actually have a balmain jersey signed by geoff
21 Sep 2013 2:52am
I am a Saints fan of old, but I remember Geoff Starling very well. It is only my opinion, but he was destined to be one of the greats of the game. What a sad way to end his career.
19 Jan 2014 2:36pm
I remember him! He was an absolute world beater! So tragic for everyone that his career ended so abruptly. I am glad he was able to get on top of it eventually.
6 Apr 2014 7:16pm
Broke my heart in 1972 scoring a length of the field intercept try within the last 5 minutes against Wests at Lidcombe. A tall man with great pace -Like Mark Harris.
20 Sep 2014 10:41pm
I actually have his Balmain No,3 jersey. He worked with my father Ken Doyle and gave him the jersey.
21 Oct 2014 2:45pm
I used to see Geoff every year and mention to him that he was a great player. As usual he downplayed the fact that he represented Australia.
13 Apr 2016 10:10pm
I worked at an rsl club in the early 80,s which is not there any more and he would drop in for a beer sometimes --His dad also named Goeff Starling senior was there every day having a beer a very nice person . Young Geoff come in one day and I gave him a beer I knew who he was straight away and it was great to talk to him -when he went to play with Bob Fulton they were first choice centres on tour -- mick Cronin and Steve Rodgers were the back up centres - I remember him scoring a try on the old Leichhardt oval it was round with the white picket fences against st George dragons
1 Mar 2018 10:47am
I remember being on the hill at the SCG in April 1971 and although Balmain went down 38-13 to a rampaging St George that day I witnessed for the first time live Geoff "Sparrow" Starling. The try he scored that day was magical
14 Aug 2020 10:52am
I marked Geoff in a Jersey Flegg match against Balmain in 1971. He was a big fast unit then, but I never imagined he would be on the Kangaroo tour to NZ a year later. I ran into Geoff at a club presentation in around 1973 and had the opportunity yo have a few beers with him. Lovely bloke who could have been anything if he had the opportunity.
7 Sep 2021 12:49pm
I first played against Geoff at school, he Rozelle, me Drummoyne.
Early 70’s I competed with Geoff in Balmain Athletic Club. So many Monday and Wednesday nights training at Leichhardt Oval, when it ran East-West.
In those days, Athletics was ‘amateur’ and so once he began ‘professional’ League in ‘71, Balmain AAC lost a great competitor and personality.
When selected for Australia as a Test Centre against NZ in ‘72, he was the then youngest to ever represent.
He went to France with the World Cup team that year and toured as a Kangaroo in ‘73, when he played in all Tests.
On his return to Australia, he became sick, lost weight, condition and couldn’t continue in League.
Many years later, his illness was finally diagnosed.
Memories of Good times????????????
25 Feb 2022 11:47am
First saw Geoff play against Queensland in the very early seventies(70s) i saw a champion in the making,a tall well balanced centre three quarter,a young man with an old head on his shoulder.it was so sad to learn of his debilitating disease. A future immortal .
25 Mar 2024 4:07pm
Geoff was a great footballer, knowledgeable. I played my first and only 1st grade game with him at 5/8. He advised me to watch for Lionel Williamson coming thru, off the wing, back of the scrum - great call!
Lionel would still remember that tackle.
2 Aug 2024 6:14pm
I’ve always been a Balmain supporter, as a thirteen year old kid when we were playing muck around footy I always pretended to be Starling and my mate would be Billy Smith. I thought he was the greatest and he was:
Want to have your say? Add a comment.