Who is Owen McCarthy, Kevin McCarthy’s father?
Eugene Sylvester ‘Owen’ McCarthy was a professional rugby league footballer from Australia who played in the 1910s. In the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL), Owen represented South Sydney and Balmain. In the mid-1920s, Owen became the club’s coach.
McCarthy was born in Eden, New South Wales, and grew up playing rugby union for Surry Hills and South Sydney. McCarthy also represented Alexandria in the South Sydney District Rugby League.
South Sydney advanced to the grand final against Balmain in 1916. The final had to be played because both clubs finished on equal points. Balmain led 5-0 at the half. Souths scored in the second half to make the score 5-3.
Despite repeated attacks on the Balmain line, Souths were unable to score another try and were defeated in the grand final, which was played in front of a small crowd of 7,000 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. McCarthy left the game at the end of the 1917 season. McCarthy went his entire first grade career without scoring a try. McCarthy appeared in 82 games for Souths across all grades.
