THERE MAY not be a person alive that saw him play, but Bathurst's very own rugby league star Neville Smith has been honoured by his old club.
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St George Dragons announced its team of the century last month, with the former Charlestons footballer being named on the bench for the team.
Born in Orange, Smith would leave Bathurst in the 1930s to link up with Brisbane club Fortitude Valley, before linking with St George in 1939, where he spent five seasons.
Smith's niece Louise Wood, who still lives in Bathurst, said he would've played for Australia had it not been for the outbreak of the Second World War.
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"He and his wife couldn't have children so they treated us a bit like theirs. He was really family minded, even though they didn't have children," he said.
"They [Neville and wife Nancy] used to love coming up to Bathurst. They moved to the Blue Mountains during the war and helped run a guest house, then they moved back to Sydney.
"He would have played for Australia if it hadn't been for the war."
Another of Smith's nieces - Trish Hagney - remembers her uncle fondly.
"He was really nice, he used to come up and visit after he retired from all the football," she said.
"We knew he was a good footballer but we weren't really into football. He never really talked about it, didn't brag.
"They [Neville and Nancy] used to like coming to Bathurst and they'd stay at the hotel around the corner from Panthers so they could walk to Panthers. They knew people there."
In his debut season for St George, at the age of 23, Smith was appointed the youngest captain-coach in the club's history. In 1941, he led the club to its inaugural first grade premiership.
In scenes that wouldn't be allowed today, Smith was knocked unconscious in a heavy tackle during the grand final, before recovering to score 13 points (a try and five goals).
He also finished as the leading point scorer for the 1941 season.
Smith would ultimately take a year off rugby league in 1942, before returning to St George as captain-coach a year later.
All up he played 59 first grade games for St George, scoring a grand total of 281 points.
He would make another brief cameo in the Sydney premiership, playing a season with South Sydney in 1947.
Smith also played for both NSW and Queensland, in a time when players were selected based on where they played their club football.
Smith's inclusion into the St George team of the century comes alongside some of the greatest players to play the game, including players that featured in the Saints' incredible run of 11 consecutive premierships from 1956-1966.
The team was originally meant to be announced last year but it was ultimately delayed until this year due to COVID-19.
The St George team includes:
- FULLBACK: Graeme Langlands
- WINGERS: Johnny King, Eddie Lumsden
- CENTRES: Reg Gasnier, Mark Gasnier
- FIVE-EIGHT: Brian Clay
- HALFBACK: Billy Smith
- LOCK: Johnny Raper
- SECOND ROWERS: Norm Proven, Rod Reddy
- FRONT ROWERS: Billy Wilson, Craig Young
- HOOKER: Ken Kearney
- BENCH: Harry Bath, Doug McRitchie, Neville Smith, Ian Walsh
- COACH: Frank Burge
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