History of Dally Messenger & Clive Churchill
THE MASTER & THE LITTLE MASTER
Legends of the Game
Dally Messenger
Known as the “Father of Rugby League,” Herbert Henry “Dally” Messenger was a trailblazer whose influence forever shaped the sport. In the early 1900s, Messenger made the historic switch from Rugby Union to Rugby League, bringing unparalleled skill and charisma to the game.
His decision not only legitimized Rugby League as a professional sport but also captivated fans with his brilliant ball-handling and kicking abilities.
Messenger’s name became synonymous with excellence, and his contributions are celebrated as the cornerstone of Rugby League in Australia.
Clive Churchill
Often referred to as the "Little Master," Clive Churchill was one of Rugby League’s greatest players and most inspirational leaders.
Representing Australia and captaining the national team, Churchill’s skill, vision, and tenacity made him a hero of the game during the mid-20th century.
A dominant fullback with unmatched versatility, Churchill’s legacy lives on in the annals of Rugby League history, serving as an enduring inspiration to players and fans alike.
AS WRITTEN BY DALLY MESSENGER III
The DallyM Story
Herbert Henry “Dally” Messenger was born in Balmain, Sydney, in 1883. He became one of Australia's leading all-round sportsmen. After a stunning beginning in Eastern Suburbs second grade in 1905, his astonishing performances swelled Rugby Union match attendances to unprecedented levels. In first grade in 1906 and 1907 his fame as a player was paramount.
To support payments to injured players, at the completion of the Rugby Union season of 1907, he made the switch to the fledgling Rugby League. Such payments were not permitted in Rugby Union because it would result in the loss of the then revered “amateur status”.
The first three games of Rugby League took place in August 1907 against the “professional” New Zealander All Blacks (later called the All Golds).
Dally so impressed the All Blacks that they invited him to join them in the tour of Great Britain as an “honorary “ New Zealander. In England and Wales his performances were so
exciting, that he began to be described as the greatest rugby league footballer of the age. It was the english crowds who first began to describe him as “The Master”. He returned to Australia in 1908 to play in the first season of Rugby League as captain of Eastern Suburbs.
His decision to switch from Rugby Union to Rugby League ensured the success of the new code. No other footballer has ever matched his unique abilities, and were it not for the thousands of witnesses to them, at matches played between 1907 and 1913, they would be hard to believe.
He was brilliant individualist, but first and foremost a team man. His influence on any match in which he played was consistently decisive.
He died at Gunnedah, new South Wales, in 1959, aged 76. His memory lives on and, in the year 2025, Dally Messenger still remains “The Master” of Rugby League.
