Personal honours
75 caps for the Kiwis (1961-1970)
Kiwi captain (1967)
Hyland Memorial Cup as Coach of the Year (1973)
New Zealand Rugby League Legend of League inductee (1995)
New Zealand Rugby League Team of the Century Member (2007)
New Zealand Maori representative
Roger Bailey
Through the 60’s and early 70’s Roger Bailey was the undisputed star of the Auckland league scene. A player with spark and x-factor in spades, Bailey was the sole reason many flocked to Carlaw Park in his playing days, while local children of the time would spend hours in the backyard practicing the ‘Roger Bailey long flick pass’.
Speed and support play were the other mainstays of Bailey’s game in the early days, where he combined wonderfully with fellow Hall of Fame inductee Ron Ackland for Auckland and New Zealand.
As he matured he developed the gift of making those around him much better, and for a number of years players lining up outside Bailey had a mortgage on the top try scoring gong in Auckland, such was his playmaking ability.
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Although most noted for his exploits in the Ponsonby Ponies jersey, Bailey played for four different clubs, appearing in five Fox Memorial finals.
He won three of them with Ponsonby in 1967, 1972 and 1973.
In ’72 Bailey led the central Aucklanders to the club treble of Fox Memorial, Roope Rooster and Stormont Shield glory in three epic clashes against Ellerslie.
His two-try performance against Cronulla at Carlaw Park in 1973, in front of a heaving crowd, will never be forgotten either.
A stoic captain of the Ponies’ side for many years, Bailey was also a regular captain of Auckland.
Victory over the touring Poms in 1962 was a feature of his 13 seasons in the mighty blue.
From time-to-time he was noted for clashing with officials, which cost him a number of appearances for the Kiwis in particular. Most noticeably this included missing out on the World Cup teams in 1970 and 1972.
Had it not been for this Bailey could well have been the first New Zealand player to play 100 games for his country. As it was he played 75 games for his country and is a member of the NZRL Team of the Century.
Part of a family which is renowned on the Auckland league scene, Bailey’s brothers Gary, Bob, Dave and Kevin all played, while Bob served as a successful coach of the region’s representative side.
Son David played for the Warriors, while nephews Gavin and Wayne are long-serving members of the Glenora club.
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