The rugby league community is in mourning over the death of one of the greatest ever: the great St George legend Norm Provan.
Dragons legend Norm ‘Sticks’ Provan has passed away aged 88.
The Dragons and NRL have confirmed rugby league’s 12th Immortal and figurehead of St George’s unprecedented 11-year reign as NSW premiers between 1956 and 1966 died on Wednesday night.
The NRL and Dragons will release a statement on Thursday paying tribute to one of the greatest players in rugby league’s 113-year history.
Provan is already immortalised in bronze as part of NRL grand final trophy alongside Arthur Summons — with the historic picture dubbed “the gladiators”, from a photograph captured in the SCG mud after the 1963 grand final, that was originally the centrepiece of the Winfield Cup crown.
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But in many pundits’ eyes, he was the cornerstone of St George’s record breaking 11 straight premierships and should have had his immortality in a playing sense granted sooner having been overlooked for Immortal status since its inception in 1981.
He was finally added to the NRL’s Immortals in 2018.
Proven’s career will arguably never be matched. He played in 10 of St George’s premierships — four of them as captain/coach – in an Australian rugby league record.
“We’ve always looked up to dad. He’s always been immortal to us,” Provan’s daughter Sue McCloud said in accepting his Immortals induction in 2018.
“To have him receive this, especially now, means an awful lot to all of us – and to him.
“He hasn’t been very well so he hasn’t been able to come down today for this.”
Nicknamed ‘Sticks’, Provan was born in Urana before playing his junior rugby league in the Sutherland Shire area. After being rejected by Eastern Suburbs, Provan joined St George and made his top grade debut in 1952.
He cut an imposing figure standing at 193 centimetres and weighing 99 kilograms. The second-rower played 256 top grade games for the Dragons — a record which stood until 2012.
Arguably the game’s greatest coach Wayne Bennett — also an Immortal judge- said Provan’s achievements were without peer.
“I don’t know anybody in the game who did more than Norm Provan,” Bennett said earlier this year.
“He was part of 10 premierships … we all fight hard to win one and he won 10.
“Our NRL premiership (the Provan-Summons trophy) is named after him.
“He played for Australia and went on to coach and he is an outstanding man. He was a superstar of his era. He epitomises what the game is about.”
Provan played in grand finals from 1956-65 before retiring. He featured in 18 Tests for Australia and 20 games for NSW.
Provan was named in the second-row in the team of the century.
“If I drop dead tomorrow I will always be happy with the life rugby league has given me,” Provan said in 2013.
After retirement he coached St George for one season, before going on to coach Cronulla and Parramatta. He is a member of the NSW Rugby League, Australian Rugby League and Sport Australia hall of fames while there is the Provan-Summons medal named in his honour.
Originally published as NRL news: Rugby League Immortal Norm Provan dies, aged 88
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