Kurri Bulldogs mourn the loss of legend, Viv Madge

Madge started his career in 1941 and went straight into first grade at 18. He went onto play 153 games in first grade – a number would have been many more except for the number he missed due to his representative commitments.

He captain-coached the Bulldogs for five seasons and was coach for one, holding the record for the longest-serving first grade coach.

During those years the side made two grand finals and the semi-finals in each year except 1959. In addition to his first grade coaching career, Madge coached reserve grade to the minor and major titles in 1947 – the first reserve grade side to achieve that honour.

He was leading point scorer for five seasons, scoring 72 tries and 187 goals. He knocked back several opportunities to play in Sydney, preferring to stay in Kurri.

Madge represented Newcastle, Country and New South Wales, and knocked back the opportunity to tour with the Kangaroos due to the length of the tour and upcoming birth of one his children.

He received the rare honour of captaining Kurri, Coalfields, Newcastle and Country in the one year.

In 1947 he was captain of the Newcastle side that contained three Australian captains – Clive Churchill, Ron Bailey and Colin Maxwell.

Madge continued to be involved in the Kurri club and attended many games as the years went on, and even in the last couple of years when he attended, he could still pick up on the finer points of the games and discuss with the younger players.

In 2010 he was named at centre in the Bulldogs’ Team of the Century, but was equally at home from lock to fullback.

His attributes included a dazzling step and swerve, rugged defence and astute football brain.

When being interviewed for the Team of the Century, Madge commented that he could step off both feet, as he trained by running around his house in both directions, making him fine tune his stepping on each corner of the house.

He was a member of the 1945 premiership-winning side – arguably the Bulldogs’ best ever side.

That side was the first to be honoured in 2012, when the Kurri Old Boys started a new tradition of honouring past grand final sides with the first grade  playing in jumpers with the side’s name on them (which Madge is pictured in above).

Madge, Bob Laverick and Noel White – all in their nineties and members of that side – attended that first game of the new tradition.

He also contributed greatly to the community, being heavily involved in the operation of the Kurri Workers Club also as an active worker involved with Kurri Hospital.

He will be sadly missed by the Kurri Rugby League community.

Viv Madge is survived by his wife of almost 72 years, June Mary and sons Neville, Ron and Bill and their families. His funeral will be held at St Paul’s Anglican Church Kurri on Thursday at 11.30am.