The Courier-Mail announced former international back, Jack Reardon would join their staff as a rugby league writer.
Reardon announced his retirement from football at a function at Brothers Rugby League Club, where he had played the closing years of his career.
Originally from Lismore in northern New South Wales, Reardon said his time at Brothers was the happiest period of his playing career.
He moved to Brisbane in 1935 after having represented NSW against Queensland, and was signed by Norths.
Reardon toured Britain and France with the 1937-38 Kangaroos, playing all three Tests against Britain and one of the two Tests against France. He played 21 games for Queensland between 1936 and 1942.
He fittingly crowned a great career by leading Brisbane to success in the 1946 Bulimba Cup inter-city series.
Noted league writer, Claude Corbett had this to say about Reardon after his performance for Australia against Britain at Huddersfield in the Third Test in 1937.
“No-one ever played so brilliantly. He was the perfect team man at stand-off, and was as modest after Australia’s 13-3 triumph as he was magnificent in the game.”
In one of his first columns for The Courier, Reardon advocated fast, open football, and was critical of Queensland coaches for concentrating too much on forward play.
“The popularity of rugby league lies mainly in the long, sweeping run of a line of men with the ball flicking from man to man,” he wrote. “The more there are of those movements, the more popular the game becomes.”
Jack Reardon
Steve Ricketts 