Greg Dowling

Greg Dowling (born 15 January 1959) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative prop forward, he played his club football mostly in Brisbane with a spell playing for English club, Wigan.

Greg Dowling was born in Cairns, Queensland on 15 January 1959.

Playing career

A prop from Ingham, Queensland, Dowling started his career with the Wynnum-Manly Seagulls. He scored a freakish try during the 1984 State of Origin series. In Game 2, played on a wet and muddy Sydney Cricket Ground, Maroons captain Wally Lewis put up a chip-kick only metres out from the try line. The ball hit the crossbar on the full and bounced back down. Somehow Dowling managed to catch the slippery ball on the full only centimetres from the ground to score under the posts, helping the Maroons to a series winning 14-2 win. His club, Wynnum-Manly won the Brisbane Rugby League premiership final that year. He also played for the Brisbane Rugby League team that defeated the Eastern Suburbs Roosters in the final of the 1984 National Panasonic Cup.

Dowling played at prop forward for Queensland in all three games of the 1985 State of Origin series. Dowling also played in both test matches of the 1985 Kangaroo Tour of New Zealand. He is also remembered for his sideline fight with New Zealand prop Kevin Tamati during the first test of the Trans-Tasman Test series at Lang Park after both players had been sent to the sin-bin by French referee Julien Rascagneres. Both players received an 8-day suspension as a result of the fight.

During the 1985–86 Rugby Football League season Greg Dowling played Left-Prop, i.e. number 8, in Wigan's 34-8 victory over Warrington in the 1985 Lancashire Cup at Knowsley Road, St. Helens, on Sunday 13 October 1985. He also played prop forward in Wigan's 18-4 victory over Hull Kingston Rovers in the 1985–86 John Player Special Trophy's final at Elland Road, Leeds on Saturday 11 January 1986.

Dowling played for Queensland in Game I of the 1986 State of Origin series, scoring a try. At the end of the 1986 season, he was selected to go on the 1986 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France and played at prop forward in every single test match of the tour. Dowling was selected to play for Queensland in all three games of the 1987 State of Origin series, scoring tries in the 1st and second games. He also played in the 4th exhibition match in the United States.

Dowling was contracted to be a member of the foundation team for the Brisbane Broncos in 1988. He was named the 1989 Brisbane Broncos season's player of the year. Injury forced him into retirement in 1991.

After retirement

After playing he became a commentator for the ABC and a columnist for the Cairns Post.

In 2000 Dowling was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his contribution to Australia's international standing in rugby league.

Greg Dowling currently resides in Townsville with two children called Lauren and Lachlan and his wife Rhonda.

After moving on from his McDonalds franchise on the tablelands in 2008, he began his retirement. Soon realizing this was not for him he started new project which started at the end of 2009, an Oporto franchise in the Willows Shopping Centre Townsville. G