Billy Rayner

Billy Rayner (22 May 1935 – 18 July 2006) was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s.

Billy Rayner

Personal information
Full name	William Frederick Rayner
Born	(1935-05-22)22 May 1935 Yass, New South Wales, Australia
Died	18 July 2006(2006-07-18) (aged 71)
Playing information
Position	Hooker
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1956–67 Parramatta 195 7 0 0 21 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1957–64 NSW City Firsts 3 0 0 0 0 1960 New South Wales 2 0 0 0 0 1960 Australia 2 0 0 0 0
Source: [1]

Career

Originally from Yass, New South Wales, Billy Rayner went on to play 195 games for Parramatta during a long 11-year career between 1956 and 1966. Rayner's playing career with Parramatta was during a very difficult period in the club's history where they struggled on the field for many years due to having limited resources and a weak playing roster. Rayner collected 6 wooden spoons in his career at Parramatta.^[2] He went through a period of 161 successive first grade games without scoring a try, an Australian rugby league record.^[3]

He also represented both New South Wales and Australia on two occasions each in 1960. He is listed on the Australian Players Register as Kangaroo No. 360.^[4] His usual position was as at hooker.^[5] He later went on to be a director of the Parramatta Eels's club.^[6] In 1967, Rayner was made a life member of the Parramatta club.^[7]

In 1995 Rayner was awarded life membership of the New South Wales Rugby League. In 2004, Rayner was inducted into the Parramatta clubs Hall of Fame.^[8] He died after a short illness in July 2006, aged 71.^[9]

References

1. Rugby League Project
2. Seven clubs in mix for NRL wooden spoon and the most unwanted tag in rugby league
3. "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
4. ARL Annual Report 2005
5. Whiticker, Alan; Hudson, Glen (2007). The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players (5th ed.). Sydney, Australia: Gary Allen. pp. 454–5. ISBN 978-1-877082-93-1.
6. "Home". Rugby League Project.
7. "Parramatta National Rugby League Life Members". Parramatta Eels.
8. "Parramatta National Rugby League Hall of Fame". Parramatta Eels.
9. Sydney Morning Herald- Death Notice 21 July 2006