VALE JOHN MULLARKEY

John Mullarkey represented Great Britain Rugby League at under-19 level in 1968, and seemed destined for a long career in the big time. But it’s fair to say his love of a good time, got in the way of his love for the 13-man game, even though he still achieved a lot.

Mullarkey’s home town was Widnes on the banks of the Mersey River in what is officially Cheshire, even though the locals don’t believe that to be true. The long term residents are proud to be part of Lancashire, despite the rewriting of the boundaries by bureaucrats, and the arrival in recent times of an overflow of residents from Liverpool. Everton Soccer club’s reserve grade side has even played home games in Widnes.

But Widnes will always be a proud rugby league town, with the professional club – now called the Vikings, but still the Chemics to many – celebrating their 150^th anniversary in 2025.

John was a product of St Mary’s Primary School, which won the prestigious Walker Cup inter-schools competition. He then attended Fisher More Secondary School, and represented Widnes Town Schools team. He went on to captain Ditton Youth Club under-17s and under-19s, and it was from Ditton he represented Lancashire and then Great Britain. He was deemed to have so much promise he was one of 40 rugby league players from across the North of England to attend an elite training camp at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre, Marlow in Berkshire. Two of the graduates – Phil Lowe and Dennis O’Neill – went on to represent Great Britain at senior level. Both men were part of Britain’s World Cup winning squad in France in 1972, while Lowe carved out a long Test career and won a Sydney premiership with Manly-Warringah in 1976.

Seemingly unwanted by Widnes, John signed with Oldham, along with former St Mary’s classmate, Paddy Hart. Hart was keen to escape the cold of England’s north and headed to South Africa, representing Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) in rugby union and playing first grade club rugby in Capetown.

Mullarkey stayed a bit longer and played 22 First Grade games for Oldham, earning heritage number 704. He even got to play a game against Widnes, in the centres, with his home town winning 7-5.

Mullarkey also had itchy feet and moved to Australia in the early 1970s and was signed as captain-coach of Wingham Tigers in the Group 3 competition in country New South Wales. He had a deep affection for the Manning District and went on to captain-coach Taree United.

In 1979, John and mate, Bob Taylor signed with Wynnum-Manly in the Brisbane competition, and played several Third Grade games. That was about Bob’s level – and that’s a pretty good level, I might add – but Mullarkey was a first grader, whose time had passed.

Paddy Hart recalls going to a Wynnum game at Lang Park in ’79 with his mate from Huddersfield, former Linwood (New Zealand) hooker, Ray Knight.

“Ray and I had just left the bar, and John was walking back to the dressing rooms, after being sent off.”

Later on Mullarkey, Hart and Knight played in a touch football side called the Pomeroos, wearing a t-shirt which was half the Great Britain jersey and half the Kangaroos.

“We didn’t win many games, but won the fights,” Hart recalls. “I used to call him ‘honest John’ because he used to say to me ‘trust me Paddy, it’s honest John here.”

John was an electrical engineer, who had had a host of jobs in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia. He spent his later years at Hervey Bay in Queensland, where he did not enjoy the best of health and was lovingly cared for by his third wife, Brenda,

I loved John’s company and have always regarded him as a mate. I met his parents and his second wife, Verna (he was married three times). Verna was a passionate rugby league supporter, and was known to give referees a piece of her mind.

I met John through Brian Atherton, my captain-coach at Brothers Murwillumbah in 1973, a former Widnes’ first grader, who attended that Bisham Abbey camp with John. Brian and his wife, Carole moved to Taree from Murwillumbah in 1974, and Brian played with Wingham and Taree United. It was Brian who got me to have a season with Wingham in 1975. I had called into the town on the way back from the Melbourne Cup in 1974, and that’s when I met Mullarkey at the town’s bottom hotel, which is no more because of a fire.

The last time I saw John was 2006 at Suncorp Stadium during a Great Britain – Australia Test.

John Mullarkey died at Hervey Bay in January, 2024, aged 76. He was cremated in a private service. Family members and friends toasted his full life in a get-together at Hogan’s Wellington Point Hotel in Redlands Shire, a venue John was known to patronise.

Footnote: I was a member of that Pomeroos’side, and what great times we had, playing at places diverse as Goodna, Sunnybank, Mt Gravatt and Holland Park. Our playing kit was designed and made by the daughter of noted Courier-Mail league writer, Lawrie Kavanagh, who lived at Wavell Heights in those days.

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