John Samuel Marshall

Jack Marshall was an exceptionally fast winger who attained national honours in the late 1940s.

Born and bred in Newcastle, Marshall first came to notice as a ‘brilliant young centre’ in 1944 when he played U18s for the Waratah club alongside fellow future Wallaby Cyril Burke. Two years later he made his grade debut; won selection for Newcastle against New England - where he ‘ran straight and handled well to score two tries’ before further honours were earned for Combined Northern and finally Country.

In 1947 Marshall continued to climb the representative ladder, played for New South Wales II against Victoria before his first match opposing an international side - for Combined Northern against the touring All Blacks. Marshall played outside centre that day and scored one of the home team’s two tries in the 14-43 loss. A year later he celebrated his debut for New South Wales in the second interstate clash against Queensland with another try however the hope of a Test cap remained elusive, a situation not helped by the fact that the Wallabies did not play a single Test that season.

In 1949 Marshall was a late inclusion for NSW against the visiting Maori after Manly’s Clarrie Davis withdrew due to a pulled thigh muscle. Surprisingly the Australian selectors still chose Davis for the 1st Test team despite his ongoing injury travails. When Davis collapsed during a fitness test two days before the match Marshall was called in for his international debut. Unfortunately, due to a deluge of rain, the Test was played in some of the worst conditions ever seen and unsurprisingly the Australian wingers never saw the ball in open play. Marshall did show courage in facing up to the Maori attacks however the selectors made three changes for the Brisbane Test, one of them being Marshall, and Queensland’s John Fogarty came into the team on the right wing. Marshall won a fourth grand final with Waratah in 1950 before he moved to Melbourne for business and retired from rugby.

Jack Marshall played one Test for Australia and will forever be Wallaby #363.

Highlights

1949
Marshall won his first Test cap on the right wing in combination with Charlie Eastes in the 1st Test, 3-12 loss to the Maori at the S.C.G.