Thirty-three former NSW representatives and NSW Waratahs players were formally presented with their Caps in Sydney on Thursday.
The presentation was at the NSW Rugby Union headquarters at Daceyville before a gathering of rugby luminaries and current NSW Waratahs players and coaches.
The Caps were awarded in person and posthumously to diverse generations. From the men they were awarded to Trevor Allan OAM (#782) who at 19 debuted for NSW and the Wallabies in 1946 in their first post-War tour of New Zealand to play the All Blacks and was represented by his grandson Glenn; to current NSW Waratahs Head of Performance Tom Carter (#1494) and NSW Waratahs Assistant Coaches Dan Palmer (#1555) and Lachlan McCaffrey (#1571). While from the women, Caps were presented to Sue Cater, nee Hamilton (#46), and Michelle Scott (#54).
Recognition of the alumni of NSW players is part of the NSW Rugby Union’s 150 Year celebrations. Thursday’s presentation of Caps for those who played for the NSW and/or the NSW Waratahs between 1946 and 2010 was held after the current NSW Waratahs had finished their morning training at Daceyville in preparation for the 2025 Super Rugby Pacifica competition under new Head Coach Dan McKellar.
Cater and Hamilton were the first former NSW Waratahs to receive Caps. They were presented by Kerry Chikarovski, Chair of the NSW Women’s Rugby Union.
Chikarovski lauded Cater and Hamilton, who both earned their Caps in 1995, for the indelible imprint they have left on women’s rugby in NSW. “We've still got a long way to go, but we wouldn't be where we are now without the emphasis of women like you,” Chikarovski said, smiling and looking to Cater and Hamilton.
“I'm certainly grateful for what you have done for our game, and hope in the next five or six years you’ll be able to say, ‘Great … We were part of that where [rugby] is now. To me, women’s rugby is the fastest growing part of our game. So, thank you.’” Fittingly, current NSW Waratahs players David Porecki, Lalakai Foketi and Hugh Sinclair took time out between their training sessions at Daceyville to present Carter, Palmer and McCaffrey with their Caps, as well as the other male recipients.
Carter debuted for NSW on the NSW Waratahs tour of Argentina in 2004.
“It is an incredibly proud day for me. You reflect on the first time you play for the ‘Tahs,’ and the magnitude of it doesn't dawn upon you until you leave,” Carter said.
“My brother [Ed] played here, and I spent close to a third of my life doing so. The NSW Waratahs Cap represents your football career and all the sacrifices and hard work, your family, and friends you formed and bonded with. It is special.”
Asked to recall his first game for the NSW Waratahs, against Salta in Argentina, Carter said: “I was picked from second grade [Sydney University] after we had lost the Grand Final. Ewen McKenzie [then the NSW Waratahs Head Coach] rang me on the Monday morning and said, ‘Get down to training quickly to pass a medical and get on a plane to tour Argentina.’ To be twenty-one and playing for the NSW Waratahs was something that I had dreamt of my whole life. It was incredible.”
Carter is excited about the prospects of the NSW Waratahs who he is working with today, especially for the players among them who will debut for NSW this year.
His advice to those players who do earn their first Cap is: “Enjoy and savour every moment. These are the best days of your life. As hard as you think training is, realise the importance and magnitude of being able to play football for your State.
“The players represent something greater than themselves. They should embrace the moment, but when they take the jersey off in a locker room after a game, they should hope that they are leaving it in a better place than when they put it on.”
Men: John Scutt (#725)
Trevor Allan (#782)
Graham Galloway (#899
Michael (Mick) Young (#1066)
John Francis (#1072)
Mick Stynes (#1076)
Rod Batterham (#1079)
Russ Tulloch (#1093)
Tony (Anthony) Miller (#1132)
Chris Hickman (#1135)
John Blondin (#1154)
Ken Wright (#1156)
Andrew Stewart (#1167)
Sean Mooney (#1178)
Dennis Turnbull (#1190)
Jim Feggans (#1191)
Peter Medway (#1200)
Warwick Watkins (#1202)
Lance Walker (#1217)
Tony McGeoch (#1236)
Dave Purll (#1250)
Michael (Mike) Hayes (#1294)
Matt Foldi (#1318)
Christian Warner (#1385)
Cameron Blades (#1383)
Jason Jones-Hughes (#1387)
Simon Kasprowicz (#1448)
Tom Carter (#1494)
Dan Palmer (#1555)
Locky McCaffrey (#1577)
Women:
Sue Cater (nee Hamilton, #46)
Michelle Scott (#54)
