THREE players who turned out for now defunct Taree rugby league clubs will be inducted into the Group Three Hall of Fame on Friday November 29 in a function of the Wingham Services Club.
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They are Brian Eakin (Taree United) along with the Taree Old Bar pair of Phil Amidy and John 'Tucker' Adamson. Ken 'Snow' Clarke, a point scoring machine who played with Smithtown when the club was part of the Group Three competition in the 1950s and 60s, will be the fourth inductee. He is also the second from the Macleay area, following Lloyd Hudson.
The hall of fame was inaugurated in 2013 to honour footballers who played the majority of their career in Group Three or who had a profound influence on the competition.
A front rower, Eakin joined Taree United in 1970 after transferring here in the police force. He played a major role in United's maiden first grade premiership win in 1971 under captain-coach Ron Boden.
Earlier that year he toured Queensland with a NSW Country team. He was selected to play for Country Firsts in the then traditional clash against City at the SCG, however, a shoulder injury sustained while on tour ruled him out of the match.
Eakin retired after United's grand final victory against Taree Old Bar in 1973.
Adamson was a classy centre with the Old Bar Lifesavers and a regular in Group Three representative teams. He represented Country Seconds against City in 1973 and was a member of the Old Bar side that won the North Coast Championship in 1969, when Bob Wallace was the captain-coach.
Adamson's playing days were cut short when he badly injured his knee playing in a game in 1973.
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Amidy was a blockbusting five-eighth who burst onto the Group Three scene in 1972 when he signed with Taree Old Bar. He stayed with the Lifesavers until 1975 when he moved to Wauchope and he played a leading role in the club's premiership success. Amidy then played in the Newcastle competition with Central Charlestown and represented NSW Country.
He returned to Wauchope in 1979, captaining Group Three to a win in the North Coast championship and also representing North Coast. Amidy was a member of the North Coast side that played the touring English team.
Clarke played first grade with Smithtown for 17 years after debuting in 1951 when he was just 15, In all he played 270 games for the club and he was captain-coach of premiership winning teams from 1965-67. He set a Group Three point scoring record of 256 for a season in 1965 while he was recognised with a commendation from Kempsey Shire Council in 1967 for his services to the game.
