Johnny Raper, a Dragons great, rugby league immortal and former Sharks first grade coach, has passed away, aged 82, after a long battle with dementia.
Raper led St George to eight consecutive grand final victories from 1959 to 1966 and captained Australia eight times in 39 appearances for the Kangaroos. He was the Sharks First Grade head coach for the 1975 and 1976 seasons,
While forever a St George man, Raper resided in the Sutherland Shire, with his sons Stuart and Aaron representing the Sharks. Both would play first grade at Cronulla, Aaron earning State of Origin selection, while Stuart was the NRL head coach at the Sharks from 2004 to 2006.
Raper made his top-grade debut with Newtown in 1957, now the Sharks partner club in the NSWRL NSW Cup competition, playing 35 games with the Blue Bags before moving to St George in 1959. He would go on to play 215 first grade games, 180 for the Dragons, before retiring in 1969.
He was the last surviving member of St George’s four Immortals, which included Norm Provan, Reg Gasnier and Graeme Langlands, with Provan, also a former Sharks first grade coach, passing away last October, aged 89.
In a statement released by the NRL, ARLC commission Chairman Peter V’landys paid tribute to one of the greatest players in the game’s history.
“Today we have lost one of our all-time greats. An Immortal, a Kangaroos captain and an eight-time Premiership winning player. Johnny was the best of the best,’’ Mr V’landys said.
“Johnny was a football genius. He had a gut instinct for rugby league like few we have seen. He wasn’t the biggest player on the field, but he was the smartest. Johnny’s feats with the Dragons will remain part of rugby league legend forever.”
Sharks CEO Dino Mezzatesta also offered his sympathies to Raper’s family and to his many friends in rugby league.
“While we certainly concede Johnny was a Dragons man through and through, as a former head coach of our first-grade team, he will always have a place in the history of the Sharks,” Mezzatesta said. “He played his part during the formative years at our Club, and he left a legacy at Cronulla that continued with the involvement of Stuart and Aaron as players, then with Stuart following in his footsteps as our head coach.
“He will be sadly missed by his friends and family, and also by the rugby league community in general and on behalf of the Sharks we extend our deepest condolences to Johnny’s wife Carol, his sons Stuart, Kurt and Aaron, as well as to his extended family, his grandchildren and former teammates.”
The Sharks will communicate funeral details when they become available.
CLICK HERE to view an NRL.com produced video package of Raper's career.
