Gary Belcher - 1980s

1980s

Belcher played for Souths Magpies in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership's 1982 grand final. He was part of the Souths team that won the 1985 Brisbane Rugby League premiership title. The following year he, along with Souths team-mate Mal Meninga, signed with the Canberra Raiders and this was also the year he was first called up to the Queensland State of Origin side. Belcher won the club's 1986 player of the year award as well as being selected for the 1986 Kangaroo tour. However, he was the understudy to Garry Jack and as a result he played no test matches on the tour, although he did however play in ten matches on the tour.

In 1987 Belcher again won the Raiders' player of the year award and played in the Grand Final against Manly, although Canberra were defeated 18-8. In 1988 he played in the Queensland side that demolished the New South Wales side by three games to nil. In the 1988 Winfield Cup he was the League's top point scorer and also broke the Raiders' club record for the most points, scoring 218 (this record stood for almost thirteen years before being broken by Clinton Schifcofske in 2001). Also in 1988, after impressing for his club as well as in Queensland's clean-sweep Origin series, Belcher was called up to the Australian squad again to play in the Centenary Test match against Great Britain. He also played 11 matched for English side Castleford in the 1988-89 season. Back in Australia, in NSWRL season 1989, Belcher was part of the 19-14 Grand Final victory over Balmain in which he helped in his side's fightback by scoring a try. 1989 was also the year that Belcher broke the record for the most tries in a season for a fullback, scoring 17 tries in total, topping the League's try-scorers list. In the post season he travelled with the Raiders to England for the 1989 World Club Challenge which was lost to Widnes.