The Best We've Ever Seen: Ron Coote
One of the most admired players to have ever laced a boot, Ron Coote's arrival to the Club coincided with Premiership success in the 1970s with his rock-solid presence both with and without the ball.
| Name: | Ronald Joseph Coote |
| Nickname: | Solid |
| DOB: | 25/10/1944 |
| Club Debut: | Round 1, 1972 vs Newtown |
| Roosters Player No. | 625 |
| First-Grade Games for Club: | 109 |
| First-Grade Points for Club: | 117 from 39 tries |
| Premierships: | 2 (1974, 1975) |
| Representative Career: | 4 games for NSW City Firsts (1969-70, 1974-75) 14 Interstate Matches for NSW (1965, 1967, 1969-70, 1974-75) 24 Test Matches for Australia (1967-1970, 1974-1975) |
| Individual Accolades: | Harry Sunderland Medal (1970, 1974) Clive Churchill Medal (1971) New South Wales Captain (1975) Australian Kangaroos Captain (1970) Sydney Roosters Captain (1972-1973) NRL Team of the 1970s (2003) Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame (2005) International Rugby League Hall of Fame (2005) Australian Rugby League's 100 Greatest Players (2007) Sydney Roosters Centurions (2007) New South Wales Team of the Century (2008) Australian Rugby League Team of the Century (2008) Sydney Roosters Hall of Fame (2012) Sydney Football Stadium Ring of Champions (2022) |
An Eastern Suburbs local and the son of Premiership-winner Jack Coote - who was a member of the famous sides of the mid-1930s - Ron Coote won four Premierships and captained Australia to a World Cup victory at South Sydney before making his debut for the Tricolours in 1972.
Such was his reputation, coach Don Furner immediately appointed him as captain of the side, and despite a broken arm interrupting his season, Coote's influence propelled the Roosters to the Grand Final.
He was an absolute champion. And run! He was just one of those freakish runners who would be onto through passes and into the gaps. On his best days he just blitzed them.
Don Furner Former Roosters Coach
Coote opted to stand down from rep football for three seasons from 1971 to 1973 citing family and club commitments, and despite Arthur Beetson taking over the reins as skipper in 1974 following the reappointment of Jack Gibson, Coote continued to thrive in the Red, White and Blue.
The damaging lock forward not only revived his Test career with three appearances for Australia - and a second Harry Sunderland Medal to boot - but also played a major role with twelve tries and 21 appearances for the year, culminating in a Grand Final victory, joining his father as a Premiership-winner at the Club.
Coote played 22 matches the following season, this time showing his versatility as he seamlessly and selflessly moved between lock and second row, adding a further eleven tries to his name as the Roosters went back-to-back.
Featuring in the 1975 World Series competition with Australia, he faced a battle with injury in 1976, with a successive break in his arm preventing him from playing the Roosters' inaugural World Club Challenge victory.
Hall Of Fame | Ron Coote
Subsequently, the fiercely competitive forward fought through a golden staph infection until his fifteenth and final season in the top grade in 1978, where he made history by becoming the first player to reach a century of games for two different clubs.
Coote's contribution to the game continued in retirement, serving as a member of the NSWRL's Judiciary through the 1990s before establishing the Men of League Foundation in 2002, which has since supported former players, officials and referees who have fallen on hard times.
In 2003, Coote's legacy grew further as he was named in the NRL's Team of the 1970s, before being named in the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame and the International Rugby League Hall of Fame in 2005.
He featured prominently in the code's centenary celebrations between 2007 and 2008, named in the Australian Rugby League's 100 Best Players and in the Sydney Roosters' Centurions, as well as in the New South Wales and Australian Teams of the Century.
In his time I can’t think of any forward a coach or player would rather be out there with.
Jack Gibson Former Roosters Coach
His contribution to the Sydney Roosters and South Sydney Rabbitohs has since been honoured with the introduction of the Ron Coote Cup, which has been contested between both clubs in regular-season matches since 2007.
The Club has since inducted Coote as a member of the Sydney Roosters Hall of Fame, appropriately joining Premiership-winning teammate Arthur Beetson and coach Jack Gibson as the eighth member of the prestigious group.
In 2022, Coote was honoured by the Sydney Football Stadium as one of the five inaugural members in the venue's 'Ring of Champions' alongside fellow Premiership-winning teammate and Roosters Hall of Famer, Arthur Beetson.
One of the greatest cover tacklers and finest players to pull on a jersey in the Red, White and Blue, there's no doubting Ron Coote's rock-solid contribution to the Club.
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