Micky Dore
Micky Dore was a foundation Australian rugby league player and a pioneer of the game in Queensland. Along with Dally Messenger, Denis Lutge, Doug McLean snr and Johnny Rosewell he was one of the inaugural five Australian dual code rugby internationals who having earlier represented at rugby union, debuted in international rugby league in Sydney on 9th May 1908 in the first ever Australian league Test against New Zealand.
Rugby union career
Dore played rugby union for the Wallabies against New Zealand in Dunedin in 1905. His elder brother Edmund had also represented Australia against the 1904 British Isles tourists.
Dore's decision to switch codes in 1907 influenced many other Queensland union players including his brother, to join the Rugby League ranks. He was a member of the inaugural committee of the Queensland Rugby Football Association and was a foundation Australian selector.
Representative career
He played three Tests for the Australian national team as Half-Back.
Along with two other of the five inaugural selectors (Arthur Hennessy & Lutge) Dore picked himself in 1908 for the first two rugby league internationals against New Zealand. He was unable to get leave of absence from his job to attend the 1908-09 Kangaroo tour of England and made his 3rd and final rugby league Test appearance against New Zealand in Sydney in 1909.
Sources
- Whiticker, Alan (2004) Captaining the Kangaroos, New Holland, Sydney
- Andrews, Malcolm (2006) The ABC of Rugby League, Austn Broadcasting Corpn, Sydney