Good morning
Let’s start with some sad news out of Australia overnight.
Australian rugby league great Norm Provan has died aged 89.
The second-row forward from New South Wales’ Riverina region debuted for the St George Dragons in first grade in 1951 and played a part in 10 of the club’s 11 successive grand final victories from 1956 to 1965, including the latter five as captain-coach.
He entered both the Australian Rugby League (ARL) and International Rugby League Hall of Fame in 2004, was named in the ARL Team of the Century in 2008 and given Immortal status in 2018.
His club, now known as St George Illawarra Dragons, said in a statement he had died on Wednesday after a long battle with illness, with board member Craig Young calling him an “iconic and crucial part of St George’s rich history”.
“Legend, icon, Immortal” the NRL posted on Twitter, alongside an image showing the grand final trophy which bears a likeness of a muddied Provan embracing Western Suburbs captain Arthur Summons, a scene based on a photograph of the pair following the 1963 grand final. Summons died in May 2020.