Frank Hyde

The doyen of rugby league broadcasters was discovered playing cricket in Moore Park in the mid-1930s by two team-mates, Newtown legends Frank Gilmore and Tom Ellis, who talked the athletic teenager into trialling with the club. Graded with the Blue Bags, Hyde scored three tries in the final of the 1937 City Cup but was then ruled by the Residential Status Committee that he would have to play for Balmain. (At the time, players had to affiliate with a club according to where they lived). The talented centre made his debut for NSW in 1938 and captained his State the following year. Hyde’s attacking prowess was a major factor in the Tigers' 1939 grand final win over Souths but WWII put an end to any chance for Australian selection for both Hyde and a host of great players. In 1940 he captain-coached Waratah Mayfield in Newcastle but when he returned to Balmain, in 1941, the Norths club protested to the NSWRL (Hyde was living at Lane Cove). Forced to play with Norths, he captain-coached the club to their only grand final appearance but despite starting favourites, the club was soundly beaten by Newtown in the 1943 decider. After his retirement in 1945, Frank gained his referee's ticket, coached Norths again (1950) but most importantly took up calling League matches with 2SM in 1953. Listening to Frank Hyde became a way of life for thousands of League fans and in a long career he was never beaten in the ratings. Awarded the MBE in 1974, this one-time Governor of The Rocks was awarded the ‘Dally M’ Life Achievement Award in 1982. He retired in 1986 after calling 33 consecutive grand finals matches. In 1995, Hyde published his long-awaited autobiography, Straight Between the Posts