Pat Devery

Pat Devery

Personal information
Full name	Patrick Charles Devery
Born	9 August 1922 Tweed Heads, New South Wales
Playing information
Position	Five-eighth
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
19??	Fortitude Valley
1944–47	Balmain	38	25	59	0	193
1947–54	Huddersfield	223	98	401	0	1096
	Total	261	123	460	0	1289
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1946–47	City NSW	6	4	3	0	18
1946–47	New South Wales	2	4	1	0	14
1946	Australia	3	0	0	0	0
1949	British Empire	1	0	2	0	4
1949–53	Other Nationalities	11	5	16	0	47
Coaching information
Club
Years	Team	Gms	W	D	L	W%
1955–56	Manly-Warringah	38	18	4	16	47
Representative
Years	Team	Gms	W	D	L	W%
1956	Country NSW	1	0	0	1	0

Pat Devery (born 9 August 1922) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1940s and 1950s, and coach of the 1950s. An Australian international representative half, he played in Australia for the Balmain club, winning the 1944, '46 and '47 grand finals with them. He was also the 1947 season's top point-scorer. Devery then had a successful career playing in England for the Huddersfield club before returning to Sydney where he coached the Manly-Warringah club.

Playing career

Devery was discovered by Latchem Robinson while playing football in The Domain, Sydney as a sailor in the Royal Australian Navy during the war. He represented City Firsts on 6 occasions, New South Wales on 2 occasions between 1946–1947 and the Australian rugby league team in 1946 in three tests against Great Britain. He is listed on the Australian Players Register as Kangaroo No.222.^[1]

At the end of the 1947 season a large number of Australians signed with English clubs, headed by Devery who signed with Huddersfield for a fee of £1,350^[2] (based on increases in average earnings, this would be approximately £120,000 in 2013).^[3] He went on to break the club's record for most points in a season with 332, achieved during the 1952–53 season. He also made 11-appearances for the Other Nationalities, and one appearance for the British Empire.

Devery played Centre, i.e. number 4, in Huddersfield's 4-11 defeat by Bradford Northern in the 1949 Yorkshire Cup final during the 1949–50 season at Headingley Stadium, Leeds on Saturday 29 October 1949, and played Centre, i.e. number 4, and scored 3-conversions in the 18-8 victory over Batley in the 1952 Yorkshire Cup final during the 1952–53 season at Headingley Stadium, Leeds on Saturday 15 November 1952.

Devery played Centre, i.e. number 4, in Huddersfield's 2-20 defeat by Wigan in the Championship final during the 1949–50 season at Maine Road, Manchester on Saturday 13 May 1950.^[4]

Pat Devery played Centre, i.e. number 4 (Following a leg injury to Pat Devery, Pat Devery moved to Left-Wing, i.e. number 5, and Lionel Cooper moved to Centre, i.e. number 4; Lionel Cooper also took over the kicking duties from Pat Devery.^[5]) and scored a conversion in Huddersfield's 15-10 victory over St. Helens in the 1953 Challenge Cup final during the 1952–53 season at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 25 April 1953.^[6]

He scored over 1000 points during his English career between 1948–1954. ^[7]

He was a teacher at Oakes Elementary school in Huddersfield in the late 1940s and early 1950s at the same time as Bon Spence the former Huddersfield Town Full back.

Post-playing

On his return to Australia, he coached Manly-Warringah club in 1955 and 1956. He finished his coaching career at Lithgow in 1957.

In 2005 Devery was named as one of the inaugural inductees into the Balmain Tigers Hall of Fame.

He currently lives in Portland, Oregon.^[8]

Devery seated 3rd from left in the Tigers 1947 premiership side

Sources

1. ARL Annual Report 2005, page 53
2. The Australian Encyclopaedia. Michigan State University Press. 1965. p. 148.
3. "Measuring Worth – Relative Value of UK Pounds". Measuring Worth. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
4. "1949–1950 Championship Final". wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
5. Goodman, Tom (27 April 1953). "St. Helen's hooted in R.L. Cup final". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
6. McCorquodale, London S.E (25 April 1953). The Rugby League Challenge Cup Competition – Final Tie – Huddersfield v St. Helens – Match Programme. Wembley Stadium Ltd. ISBN n/a
7. Davy, Ken (2 March 2013). "Fartown legend Pat Devery flies in from America to visit Huddersfield". the Huddersfield Daily Examiner. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
8. "Pat Devery – Fartown Legend". giantssupporters.co.uk. Retrieved 21 August 2013.

• Pat Devery at nrlstats.com
• Pat Devery at yesterdayshero.com.au
• Player statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org
• Coach statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org
• France defeated in ‘Battle of the Boulevard’