Leo Nosworthy


Leo Nosworthy, born 1927, is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and 1950s and in 1969 became the premiership winning coach of the Balmain rugby league team.

Playing career

Nosworthy was a winger who played for Balmain for four seasons between 1948–1950 and 1952.

Coaching career

Although his Sydney career was brief, Nosworthy was a very successful captain-coach in rural New South Wales at Dubbo and Narromine.
As a player, he represented Western Division against touring French teams in 1951 and 1955. He returned to Balmain to coach third grade in 1963, and by 1967 Nosworthy had coached the Tiger's reserve grade team to the premiership.
In 1969, Nosworthy was appointed first grade coach of Balmain, replacing the recently retired Tigers legend Keith Barnes. Through Nosworthy's guidance and genius, he took Balmain to the finals, and in what many judges considered a huge upset, he coached them to victory in the 1969 Grand Final. He remained as first grade coach until 1973 before retiring from the position.