Pat 'Nimmo' Walsh: Newcastle's Pioneer Kangaroo

Sean Fagan of RL1908.com

Newcastle's Pat 'Nimmo' Walsh

League lore told us that the shoulder injury suffered by Alec Burdon in 1907, triggered the uprising that led to the formation of rugby league in Australia.

However, as explained in The Rugby Rebellion (published in 2005), the event that had the greatest significance on League's beginnings was the treatment of Pat Walsh two seasons earlier.

Pat Walsh was born and bred in Newcastle, playing rugby union for the Norwood and Carlton clubs.

He spent most of his time as a "powerful scrummager" forward, though his talented ball skills saw him venture into five-eighth on the odd occasion. Walsh was tough and uncompromising, always playing fair. He was a particularly popular man amongst his peers.

By 1904 Walsh had become one of the most highly regarded footballers in the young nation. In that season he represented NSW and Australia (3 Tests) against the visiting British rugby union team.

Walsh also played for Northern Districts (Newcastle) against the tourists. It was following events in this match that Walsh and many other footballers felt they had been betrayed by the NSWRU.

The repercussions continued through the 1905 season, culminating in Walsh's shock exclusion from the Australian rugby union team that was to tour New Zealand.

The omission of Walsh had nothing to do with his on-field form, which had been highly praised throughout 1905. Despite a huge public outcry, and much discontent voiced by his NSW team mates, the Australian selectors refused to add Walsh to the tour party.

Utterly dismayed, Walsh left Australia - for South Africa! There he played in an Australian rules football competition amongst ex-pats and interested locals.

The following winter Walsh was in New Zealand, playing club rugby in Auckland.

Meanwhile his team mates and supporters, notably Alec Burdon and James J. Giltinan, felt that the poor treatment of Walsh (on the back of earlier instances of footballers suffering at the hands of the NSWRU), was enough to ignite the move to form a rival professional rugby league competition.

Well respected in New Zealand, Walsh began to rise up the representative ranks. In 1907 he was chosen in the Auckland representative side, and was shortly afterwards described favourably in the local papers: "Walsh stood out as being the best player in the senior grade competition".

By mid-1908 there were many newspaper columnists calling for his inclusion in the All Blacks team against the visiting Anglo-Welsh side.

His colleagues in Sydney though had not forgotten him, encouraging Walsh to return home to take up rugby league, and gain a place in the Kangaroos team for England.

He quickly returned to Australia, appearing for the Newcastle rugby league team and in a state match. Having proven his form, Walsh was duly included in the Kangaroos team.

In England, the match against Northern Union champions Hunslet would see the Kangaroos face the most fearsome forward pack in rugby league - known as the "Terrible Six". Walsh was selected and performed admirably as the Kangaroos produced a win 12-11. The Yorkshire Post wrote: "The Australians will assuredly gain no finer victory."

Walsh retained his place in the 'first' team for the remainder of the tour. He featured in all three Test matches against England and was understandably soon a target for the local clubs to gain his services. At the end of the tour Walsh signed with the Huddersfield club, staying for the next two and half seasons.

Walsh returned home to Newcastle in 1911, joining the Central club for the second season of the local competition.

Still held in high regard, Walsh played for Newcastle against the Sydney Metropolitan side and also the visiting New Zealanders.

He was then chosen as captain of the combined 'Newcastle & Maitland' team which toured Queensland in August 1911.

Referred to in the Brisbane press as the 'New South Wales' side, Walsh's team defeated the Queensland representative side in all three matches played.

"Nimmo" played alongside his brother James Walsh, who was impressing many keen judges with his fullback play. He scored a try from the fullback position (a rarity in those days) for Newcastle in matches against Glebe and Metropolitan, and outpointed opposing fullbacks Webby Neil (South Sydney) and Riki Papakura (NZ) in wins for the "Northern men".

One report stated: "He should be worth considering for a place in the Australian team." Jim Walsh was a journalist and moved to Sydney in 1912, where he played the first grade season for North Sydney.

Pat Walsh enlisted in the A.I.F. during World War One, serving with the 12th Light Horse in Egypt, Gallipoli and Palestine. He was 'mentioned in despatches' by General Allenby. While on war duty he contracted a paralysis to his legs and "Nimmo" spent the rest of his life on crutches.

Sadly, his brother Jim fell victim to the influenza epidemic that struck the nation in 1918. In just two years, the 'Spanish flu' killed 12,000 Australians. Over half the casualties were in Sydney, particularly amongst young men residing in working class suburbs. It ultimately took the lives of 30 million people worldwide.

The Walsh family tell that Pat's nickname "Nimmo" came from his early school days: "Pat had been known as 'Nimmo' since he was a schoolboy.

Apparently on his first day of school a group of older boys were talking about the owner of a shop in Cooks Hill (Newcastle). Young Pat piped up 'Mr Nimmo', which was the name of the owner, and from then on he was known as 'Nimmo' Walsh."

Pat Walsh passed away in the winter of 1953 and is buried in Sandgate Cemetery.

Like many non-Sydney footballers, Walsh's playing career and contribution to the formative years of rugby league had largely been forgotten.

Thanks to the Walsh family for providing additional biographical information and photographs.

Primary reference: Sean Fagan, The Rugby Rebellion