GROUP Three Rugby League's most exclusive club - the hall of fame, has six new members.
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This follows the induction held at the Wingham Services Club.
The six are Hector Bolt (Forster-Tuncurry), John Fisher (Port Macquarie), Greg Hill (Forster-Tuncurry), John McKeough (Taree United), Tim Welsh (Wingham) and Brian Wilson (Wingham).
Bolt, a fullback and McKeough, a lock/second row, made their first grade debuts in the 1960s while still eligible for under 18s - Bolt was just 15. Fisher, a fullback, moved to Port Macquarie from Newcastle in 1976 after previously playing with Western Suburbs in Sydney and Lithgow. Front rower Welsh was a Wingham junior who played at Camden Haven and Parramatta before returning to the Tigers in 1984 while halfback Wilson made his debut as a 17-year-old in 1980 with the Tigers.
Hilll, a lock, came into first grade in 1990 and retired a decade later.
Bolt travelled from Lismore for the function. He was a member of Forster-Tuncurry's premiership winning sides of 1968 and 1970, rated as two of the best postwar teams to play in Group Three. He represented North Coast when the division extended from Gloucester to the Queensland border before moving to Lakes United in Newcastle and then to Lismore, where he finished his playing days. He played all his football in first grade.
Fisher moved to Port for business reasons in 1976 and captain-coached the Sharks to the club's first Group Three premiership that year. He represented Group Three and also coached representative teams.
Hill won a premiership with Forster under 18s in 1989 and came into first grade the following season. He captained the Hawks to successive premierships in 1994/95 under coach Dennis Tutty. The Hawks were unbeaten both years and were awarded the Clayton's Cup as the most successful team in country football. Hill represented North Coast and was the Group Three player of the year in 2001.
McKeough played with Taree United, Taree Old Bar, Wingham and Forster-Tuncurry in Group Three and was Wingham's captain-coach in 1978. He was named player of the match in the 1977 grand final when United beat Forster-Tuncurry. He also played extensively in New Guinea and was a North Coast representative.
Welsh played first grade with Camden Haven before spending a season with Parramatta after being lured to the Eels by the great coach, Jack Gibson. He moved home to Wingham in 1984 and captain-coached the Tigers from 1985-88, steering the side to the 1986 grand final after Wingham finished last in 1985. He was a member of the premiership winning 1989 side under captain-coach Kim Patrick.
Wilson was just 17 when he made his first grade debut under captain-coach Daryl Palmer in 1980. He played out his career with the Tigers apart from one season when he captain-coached Wingham Hotel in the Group Three Saturday League. He represented North Coast in 1983 when the division made the final of the Country Championship for the first time and was a member of Wingham's premier side of 1989. He retired after captain-coaching Wingham to the grand final in 1992.
The hall of fame was introduced in 2013 and now has a membership of 31. Potential inductees can be nominated by clubs or the general public.
