Nick Yakich facts for kids
Personal information
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Full name | Nick Yakich | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Innisfail, Queensland, Australia |
18 January 1940||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 28 May 2019 Warriewood, New South Wales, Australia |
(aged 79)||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information
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Position | Wing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nick Yakich (born 18 January 1940 – died 28 May 2019) was a talented Australian rugby league player. He played as a winger for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in the top Australian competition. A winger is a player known for their speed and ability to score tries on the edges of the field.
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Early Life and School
Nick Yakich was born in Innisfail, Queensland. His father was an immigrant from Croatia. In the late 1940s, Nick moved to Mossman, Queensland. Later, he moved to Sydney, where he went to Marist Brothers North Shore school.
At school, he was classmates with Ken Irvine, who would also become a famous rugby league winger. Nick then studied at Newcastle Teachers College with his brother, Fred, who also played for the Sea Eagles. After becoming a teacher, Nick worked at Harbord Primary School. This school was in the heart of the Manly Sea Eagles area. A cricket teammate, Frank Stanton, encouraged him to try out for the Manly team. Nick later taught Physical Education at Pittwater High School.
Playing Career Highlights
Nick Yakich joined the Manly Sea Eagles as a winger in the 1960 season. He quickly showed off his amazing speed and skill at scoring tries. He played 74 games for the club between 1960 and 1966. During this time, he scored an impressive 52 tries.
His best season was in 1994, when he scored 16 tries. This was only two tries fewer than the top try-scorer that year, Reg Gasnier from St. George.
Fastest Players
During his career, Nick Yakich was known as one of the fastest players in rugby league. Only a few players were faster than him. These included Ken Irvine from North Sydney and Michael Cleary from South Sydney. Michael Cleary even won a bronze medal in the 100-yard sprint at the 1962 Commonwealth Games.
Nick was very unlucky not to play more games for New South Wales (NSW). He was always competing for a spot with other great wingers like Irvine, Cleary, Johnny King, and Eddie Lumsden. These players were all stars from the record-breaking St. George Dragons team of the 1960s.
State and International Games
Nick played all three of his games for NSW in 1965. He scored a try in each of these games. After the interstate series, he was chosen to join the Australian squad for a tour of New Zealand. However, he couldn't get a spot in the main test team because Irvine and Cleary were already there. Even so, he was the top try-scorer for the squad on that tour, scoring 6 tries in the minor games.
Career Ending Injuries
Sadly, Nick Yakich's rugby league career ended early in 1966. He suffered a serious knee injury while playing against Souths, which needed surgery. He officially retired in 1967 after getting a shoulder injury. This happened while he was playing as a captain-coach for a team in Werris Creek in northern New South Wales.
Beach Sprinting Success
Before his rugby league career, Nick Yakich was also a talented sprinter. He was coached by Johnny Bliss, a former Manly, NSW, and Australian winger. Johnny Bliss had won a record 12 Australian Beach Sprint championships.
Nick followed in his coach's footsteps, winning 5 Australian championships himself. He competed for the North Narrabeen Surf Club. His success in beach sprinting ended when his knee injury from rugby league forced him to retire from all sports in 1966.
Career Statistics
Nick Yakich played 74 games for the Manly Sea Eagles between 1960 and 1966. He scored 52 tries, which gave him 156 points. He also played 3 games for New South Wales in 1965, scoring 4 tries for 12 points.