Australian rugby league great Langlands dies

SYDNEY: Australian rugby league great Graeme Langlands, regarded as one of the game´s best fullbacks, has died aged 76 after a long battle with illness.

Langlands played 45 games for the Kangaroos including 15 as captain, and was a key part of the St George Illawarra Dragons team of the 1960s. He passed away at a Sydney nursing home late Saturday, the National Rugby League (NRL) and the Dragons said.

“He was such a dominant player in his era ... so many fans would remember growing up watching Changa at his best,” the NRL´s chief executive Todd Greenberg said. “It is a sad loss for the rugby league community and especially for those closest to him.” Langlands´ family told Fairfax Media he was “in very poor health and suffering from a number of chronic diseases”. “His family are relieved by the nurse´s advice that his passing was peaceful and painless.”

Nicknamed “Changa”, Langlands went on to be the Dragons´ most prolific point scorer in the club´s history with 1,554 points. He was chosen as one of league´s eight “immortals” in 1999 alongside fellow Dragons Johnny Raper and Reg Gasnier. In 2008 when the game celebrated its centenary, he was selected on the bench in Australian Rugby League´s Team of the Century. Langlands was awarded an MBE for his contribution to the game following his retirement in 1976, and inducted into Australia Hall of Fame 1986.