Frank Farrell

Francis Michael "Bumper" Farrell (16 September 1917 – 23 April 1985) was an Australian premiership winning and international representative rugby league footballer. A prop forward, his long club career with the Newtown Bluebags was from 1938 to 1951 with four Test appearances for the Australian national side between 1946 and 1948.

Farrell also served as a policeman in the New South Wales force; where he earned a divisive reputation as a detective in the Vice Squad.

Early life Farrell was the great-grandson of Irish convict Patrick Farrell, who was transported to Sydney in 1837 for stealing a pig. His father, Sydney-born Reginald Francis Farrell (1889–1983), was a jeweller, while his mother, Scottish-born Margaret Theresa Wynne (1886–1977) was an ironing lady. His parents were married in 1913. Frank, their second child, was born at St. Margaret's Hospital in Surry Hills, an inner suburb of Sydney. He was brought up in Redfern, Tempe, Arncliffe and Marrickville. Frank was educated at Patrician Brothers' school, Redfern and Marist College Kogarah, He played his entire New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership career of over 250 games with the Newtown club. He made his state representative debut for New South Wales against Queensland in 1939 and went on to play thirteen career matches for his state. He became captain of the club in 1942, leading them to victory in the 1943 NSWRFL season Premiership Final against North Sydney. One of Farrell's closest and lifelong friends, Frank Hyde, was his opposing captain that day.

Farrell was captain in 1944 when Newtown finished the regular season on top of the table. Decimated by injuries and the active-duty call up of servicemen Len Smith and Herb Narvo who had starred for them all season the Bluebags were beaten by Balmain 16–19 in a Final. Newtown exercised their "right of challenge" as minor premiers and called for a Grand final in which Farrell led the side. Balmain again prevailed in a low scoring match when their representative centre Joe Jorgenson kicked two late penalty goals to give the Tigers a 12–8 win. In a famous incident during a game on 28 July 1945, he was accused of biting off a portion of St. George player Bill McRitchie's ear during a match at Henson Park. He formally denied the allegation at the time. It took seven months for the New South Wales Rugby League judiciary to finalise their inquiry and Farrell was found not guilty.

After the war, he made his international representative debut for Australia in the 1946 Test series against the Great Britain Lions, becoming Kangaroo No. 223. He played in all three matches of the series. It was a violent era and every team had three or four 'enforcers'. Greg Ellis, who was the Newtown ball boy in Bumper's day, said he only ever saw two blokes get the better of him. One was George Jardine, of St. George, and the other was the enormous British prop Frank Whitcombe. During the brutal exchanges in the first test Bumper was 'King Hit' by Whitcombe when the unfortunate St John's ambulanceman ran on to treat him, a still groggy Farrell lashed out at him mistaking him for Whitcombe.

Farrell made another Test appearance against New Zealand in 1948. Farrell was captain-coach of the Newtown club from 1946 to 1951 and in that six-year period the club made the finals on four occasions. He retired in 1951 and was at that time the first Sydney top-grade player with 250 grade games for his club. He remains today the only player to top 200 first-grade appearances for Newtown. He later served a long term as President of the Newtown Jets. Former Mayor of Newtown Joe Bugler described him as the "greatest man God ever put breath into".

Police Career While playing football, Farrell was employed in the New South Wales Police Force in a career that lasted from 1938 to 1976. in their song "Sober and Godless." In the song, from the album of the same name, the singer recounts how "I could dead-lift a barrel, / Flog the arse off 'Bumper' Farrell..."