John Cleary (rugby)

John Cleary (born 12 October 1938) is an Australian former rugby footballer.^[1]

John Cleary

Personal information
Born	(1938-10-12) 12 October 1938 (age 86)
Playing information
Position	Prop
Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1963 Queensland 3 0 0 0 0 1963–64 Australia

Raised on the Darling Downs, Cleary attended Nudgee College as a boarder and pursued rugby union as his preferred sport while undertaking further studies at teacher's college in Toowoomba. He competed for the city's Harlequins club and also had a stint in Brisbane with Brothers. A breakaway, Cleary was a Queensland representative player and his appearances included a match against the 1959 British Lions.^[2]

Cleary switched to rugby league after getting a teaching position in Harrisville and competed for nearby Ipswich in the Bulimba Cup competition. He had his best season in 1963 when he broke into the Queensland side and won a place as a prop on the national squad for their 1963–64 tour of Europe.^[3] In 1964, Cleary relocated to Townsville for work and coached in the local competition.^[4]