Harry Bath - Club Career

Club Career

Bath, to be known late in his career as 'the Old Fox', was graded as a sixteen year old to play for the Brisbane club Southern Suburbs in 1940. After six years with the club, including selection to represent Queensland, he moved to Sydney to play for the Balmain club in New South Wales Rugby Football League season 1946. In his first season for Balmain, Bath helped his side reach the Grand Final in which they defeated St. George 13–12. He was also selected to play for Australia against a touring England side that year but injured his leg in a club match and was prevented from playing in any of the three tests. A year later he again helped Balmain reach their second Grand Final appearance and a 13–9 victory over the Canterbury-Bankstown club.

Harry Bath then accepted an offer to play in England for Barrow. The forward only stayed at Barrow for six months before being signed by Warrington. He spent a total of nine seasons with Warrington, playing 346 games for the club. In the legendary 1953–54 Challenge Cup final replay he captained Warrington to victory in front of a record crowd of over 102,569 people. Bath's reputation as a skillful ball-player and a great goal-kicker grew while playing in England. He scored over 700 goals in his career, including 173 goals in 1952–53 when he was the season's leading goal kicker.

Harry Bath played Left-Second-row, i.e. number 11 in Warrington's 5-28 defeat to Wigan in the 1949–50 Lancashire Cup final at Station Road, Swinton on Saturday 4 November 1950.

Bath returned to Australia in 1957 and joined St. George after his former club Balmain decided against a signing due to his age of 33. In the 1957 NSWRFL season St. George were premiers, winning the Grand Final against Manly-Warringah 31–9.

He was the leading point scorer in the competition in 1958 scoring a season club record of 225 points (3 tries, 108 goals). His 16 point tally in the Grand Final has never been equalled. In 1958 St. George again made it to the Grand Final this time defeating Western Suburbs 20–9. Bath again topped the season's point scoring table, totalling 211 points. The following season St. George again won the premiership with a 20–0 Grand Final defeat of Manly. Bath was sent off in the Grand Final for fighting with Manly's Rex Mossop. He retired at the end of 1959 at the age of 35.

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