Re: Gert Coetzer : Tue Nov 13, 2018 5:47 pm  

Was born half a dozen years too late to appreciate the early 60s great team and success, had to settle for Toppo and crew and my personal favourite Lampowski, I have seen the 60s cup wins courtesy of Trin Tv and have to admire the skill on display, especially the pace of Skene, so RIP Gert thanks for the memories.

Re: Gert Coetzer : Tue Nov 13, 2018 6:53 pm  

Sad,sad day! A Wakefield Trinity GREAT!! RIP Gert.


Probably not as high profile during that era as Brookey, Foxy etc, but Tony Thomas is still knocking about and looking well.

Re: Gert Coetzer : Tue Nov 13, 2018 7:23 pm  

Gert Coetzer in my all time top 3 wingers to play for Wakey.1968 sums him up Neil Fox out of cup semi final injured v Huddersfield Gert moved to number 4 got man of match also think is son had been taken poorly that night but played . RIP Gert and thanks for so many great memories

Re: Gert Coetzer : Tue Nov 13, 2018 9:03 pm  

vastman wrote:

How many are left now?

Fox and Brook? Any more? Even the boy Topliss who wasn’t really part of that era has gone.

Lesson to the current squad SUCCESS is now long overdue, please start the season with that in mind

Bob Haigh?

Before my time by some distance but have had the pleasure of watching him play like BLM via Trinity TV along with all the other greats.

RIP Gert.

Re: Gert Coetzer : Wed Nov 14, 2018 5:49 pm  

remember reading green,un (Yorkshire evening paper)of his signing,great elusive player,R.I.P.gert oupa coetzer,i remember tony Thomas another good threequarter,i think he went to cas,also I remember ken battye,another good versatile player,think he went to down under,dont know whether he is still with us.

Re: Gert Coetzer : Wed Nov 14, 2018 7:34 pm  

Our South African recruits Prinsloo,Skene,Coetzer and Greenwood were some of the best players to ever wear a Trinity shirt.I wonder why clubs no longer recruit players from this country.Is it because of visa problems ? There must be some young talented backs or half backs playing RU who would be up for the chance to play in the superior code and they would probably be a lot cheaper than the Australian option !
RU forwards are an altogether different option.

Re: Gert Coetzer : Wed Nov 14, 2018 7:51 pm  

Seen pics on facebook, it was his funeral today.

Re: Gert Coetzer : Wed Nov 14, 2018 8:41 pm  

Who remembers Ivor Dorrington who, if I'm not mistaken, was the first of the influx of South Africans to Wakefield Trinity, in 1958? I can picture him now.

Re: Gert Coetzer : Wed Nov 14, 2018 8:52 pm  

MC_Wildcat wrote:

Our South African recruits Prinsloo,Skene,Coetzer and Greenwood were some of the best players to ever wear a Trinity shirt.I wonder why clubs no longer recruit players from this country.Is it because of visa problems ? There must be some young talented backs or half backs playing RU who would be up for the chance to play in the superior code and they would probably be a lot cheaper than the Australian option !
RU forwards are an altogether different option.

Its because RU is pro now as opposed to shamatuer as it was then. Now there is loads more money in SA RU than there is in RL and loads more international opportunities.

It’s hard to imagine any half decent SA RU player heading north these days. Sad but true.

Re: Gert Coetzer : Thu Nov 15, 2018 5:59 am  

MC_Wildcat wrote:

Our South African recruits Prinsloo,Skene,Coetzer and Greenwood were some of the best players to ever wear a Trinity shirt.I wonder why clubs no longer recruit players from this country.Is it because of visa problems ? There must be some young talented backs or half backs playing RU who would be up for the chance to play in the superior code and they would probably be a lot cheaper than the Australian option !
RU forwards are an altogether different option.

As well as your SA recruits in the 50's/60's there were others who graced the English game back then. Van Vollenhoven and Len Killeen were the wingers at St Helens with another Wilf Rosenburg at Leeds. Fred Griffith was a fullback at Wigan.

Rugby League in SA crashed and burned in the early sixties and when I was there from 1966-1968 there were no games played in the areas I lived at any level. When I moved to Aus in 1968 a winger banging goals over for Balmain Tigers was Len Killeen and he was in the side that won the Grand Final a year later.