(Photo: Bulldogs)
February 28, 2025
The rugby league world is mourning the death of former Australian, Queensland and NSW player Bob Hagan, 85, who died this week on the Sunshine Coast.
Bob was born in Warwick but spent many of his boyhood years in Kingaroy, where his father was assistant stationmaster.
Bob and his siblings attended Kingaroy State High School.
After leaving school, Bob joined the Queensland Police and served for a while in the Special Branch in Townsville.
He left the police when his international rugby league career began to take off, playing for Australia against the touring Great Britain Lions in 1962 and Kiwis in 1963.
Bob also played for Queensland in the early 1960s (years before State of Origin) before heading overseas to try his luck at Huddersfield in the UK.
Returning to Australia, he was snapped up by Canterbury-Bankstown and played for the Berries in the NSWRL competition, including in their narrow 12-10 loss to South Sydney in the 1967 Grand Final.
He played 45 first grade games for Canterbury, and then after a short stint in Toowoomba, returned to the club as head coach for 1971-72.
In 1988, Bob became the inaugural president of the Gold Coast-Tweed Giants when they were admitted into the NSWRL competition (the same year as the Brisbane Broncos).
The Giants are best remembered for defeating the Broncos 25-22 in their inaugural year.
Bob returned to Canterbury in 1996 – by this time the club had adopted the “Bulldogs” moniker – where he was appointed Chief Executive Officer.
He served in this role for seven years.
Bob’s wife Laurel died last year; he is survived by sons Damian and Justin.
His younger brother Michael, who also went to school in Kingaroy, played for Canterbury, the Newcastle Knights and the Maroons before starting a successful coaching career.
