Eddie Burns

For other people with the same name, see Edward Burns (disambiguation).

Eddie Burns (16 January 1916 – 30 June 2004) was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach of the mid 20th century. A New South Wales representative prop-forward, he played for the Canterbury-Bankstown club of the NSWRFL Premiership, later becoming their coach.

Eddie Burns

Personal information
Full name	Ernest Edward Burns
Born	16 January 1916 Petersham, New South Wales, Australia
Died	30 June 2004(2004-06-30) (aged 88)
Playing information
Position	Prop
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1935–40 Canterbury-Bankstown 147 13 0 0 39 1940 Waratah Mayfield 1941–50 Canterbury-Bankstown 65 47 8 0 157 Total 212 60 8 0 196 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1948 New South Wales 2 0 0 0 0
Coaching information
Club Years Team Gms W D L W% 1960–62 Canterbury-Bankstown 54 24 3 27 44 1965 Canterbury-Bankstown 18 5 0 13 28 Total 72 29 3 40 40 Representative Years Team Gms W D L W% 1964 New South Wales 2 2 0 0 100 1963 NSW City 1 1 0 0 100
Source: [1] As of 21 January 2020

Playing career

While still a teenager, Burns played in the Canterbury-Bankstown club's first ever season in 1935 and was sent off in his first match. He played for 16 seasons in First Grade from 1935 to 1950. Eddie Burns played 212 first grade games and scored 196 career points in his long career.

He won two premierships with Canterbury-Bankstown in 1938 and 1942.

In 1948, Burns was selected to represent New South Wales playing 2 games.

He retired in 1950 as the Canterbury club's top ever try-scorer, with 60, a record not bettered until Chris Anderson in 1978.

Burns is the 16th player to represent Canterbury-Bankstown.

Coaching career

Burns's career as coach of Canterbury-Bankstown was subject to a two-year interruption when Clive Churchill was selected as the club's coach. He coached the club between 1960 and 1962 and again in 1965.

He coached New South Wales City Firsts in 1963 and the New South Wales rugby league team in 1964.

Burns co-managed the 1969 Australian touring team to New Zealand, along with Jack Lynch of Ipswich, Queensland.

Accolades

In 1985, Burns was selected in Canterbury's 'Greatest Team Ever'. In 2004 he was selected in the 70 Year Canterbury-Bankstown team of champions. In 2015, he was the first player to be inducted into the Canterbury-Bankstown hall of fame.

External links

• "Burns declares his Fitness for League Grand Final" The Sydney Morning Herald, Friday, 19 September 1947 (p. 12)