Adam SutcliffeThe Axe!
February 6th 2007 12:41
A-Z of Australian Rugby League Greats of the past 25 years
Each week, we will profile an Australian rugby league greats of the past 25 years. The players profiled aren’t necessarily all representative players, but individuals that have provided their fans with the commitment, dedication and sacrifice for the greater good of their club.
Gillmeister, Trevor
Date of Birth - 13/03/1964
Position – Second Row
Nickname – The Axe, Rubble
Clubs –
Eastern Suburbs - 1986-1990, 98 games for 9 tries and 36 points
Penrith Panthers - 1994, 22 games, 1 try for 4 points
South QLD Crushers - 1995-1996, 41 games for 1 try and 4 points
State of Origin – Queensland, 1987-1996, 22 games, 0 points
International Career – Australia, 1995, 3 Tests, 0 points
A born and bred Queenslander, Gillmeister played for Brisbane Norths in the Queensland Rugby League competition until the age of 22, when he signed onto play for the Eastern Suburbs Roosters (now Sydney Roosters). Gillmeister played four seasons with the Roosters, and it his here that he forged the reputation of being one of the games toughest tacklers. In just his second year of first grade football, 'Barney' (so called for his likeness to the Flinstones character Barney Rubble) was selected to represent the Queensland Maroons during their successful Origin series wins from 1987 through to 1990, becoming one of the first forwards picked in their star studded team of that era.
'The Axe's' stay at Penrith was only short lived however, competing in only 22 games for the mountain men, before being released from his second year of his contract, to take up a position with the new ARL franchise, the South Queensland Crushers.
Gillmeister spent two years at the Crushers before retiring at the end of the 1996 season, but 'Barney' did manage to create history in his short stint their. He had the honour of scoring the Crushers first ever try in the ARL, whilst also being the first Australian Test representative for the Crushers.
Today, Gillmeister is still heavily involved in rugby league, working as Assistant Coach to John Cartwright at the NRL's newest franchise, the Gold Coast Titans. With a name like 'The Axe', it comes as no surprise that the NRL's new boys employed Gillmeister as both the forwards and defensive Coach. A testament to his fitness, Gillmeister can still be found running around down at Titans training, competing with the younger guys at the ripe old age of 43.
| 60 |
| Vote |
Subscribe to this blog
Comment by Jeannine Baird
Clean Green Neen
To save the real ggoa, join the campaign at
cleangreenneen