John 'Cannon' Quayle

Underrated country forward, the son of an Anglican minister, cemented his place in Easts' forward pack after coming to the club from Manilla near Gunnedah. Quayle missed the 1969 season with glandular fever but grabbed a first grade place after Ron Coote broke his arm in 1972. Following Coote's return, Quayle played in the second row in Easts' grand final loss to Manly that year. Joining D’Amato in order to secure a regular first grade lock position, Quayle formed a great understanding with halfback John Kolc - the pair executing a blindside move from the scrumbase which resulted in many sensational tries. After representing NSW in 1973 Quayle’s efforts in Parramatta's courageous series of play-offs in 1975 led to his selection in the Australian World Series squad in England. A shoulder injury suffered during competition led to his eventual retirement the following year. In 1983, after spending seven years as assistant secretary-manager of the Easts Leagues Club, Quayle became the first General Manager of the NSWRL. He was at the forefront of changes that shaped the code during the next decade including taking over the appointment of referees, the citing of players, the promotion of new clubs into an expanded competition and the securing of Tina Turner to promote the code in 1989. Quayle also worked tirelessly behind the scenes to stem the damage caused by the breakaway Super League movement in 1995. However, following Super League’s commencement of its own competition in 1997, he realised that in representing the ARL ‘old guard’ he would have to fall on his own sword if the game was to ever reunite. He resigned his position as General Manager in December 1996 and later worked for SOCOG as an events manager during the 2000 Olympics.