Full Name: William Askew Cann
Nickname:
Date & Place of Birth: 11/19/1882 at Sydney, NSW
Date & Place of Death: 7/6/1958 at Harbord (Sydney), NSW [aged 75]
Junior Clubs: Cleveland RU, Chelsea RU
PLAYING CAREER WITH THE RABBITOHS
Rabbitohs Player No: 14
First Grade premiership 1908-16 (72 games, 32 tries, 4 goals, 104 points). 12 games as captain.
First Grade City Cup 1914, 1916 (3 games, 1 try, 3 points). Runners-up in 1916.
FIRST GRADE DEBUT
Round 2 v Wests at the Agricultural Ground, April 25, 1908 – Age: 25 years and 197 days.
REPRESENTATIVE HONOURS
Kangaroos Player No: 21
NSW Blues Player No: ?
Australia 1908-09, 1911-12, 1914 (8 Tests, 1 try, 1 goal, 5 points/33 other games, 12 tries, 5 goals, 46 points).
NSW 1907-13 (6 games v Queensland, 8 tries, 9 goals, 42 points/33 other games, 16 tries, 4 goals, 56 points).
City 1910 (1 game, 2 tries), Kangaroos 1909-10, 1912 and 1917 (7 games, 6 tries), Combined Team XIII 1912 (1 game, 0 pts).
COACHING CAREER
Country 1932 (2 games), Country Firsts 1932 (1 game), Country Seconds 1932 (1 game).
Souths’ Presidents Cup Junior Reps 1927-29 (Runners-up in 1929).
PLAYER AWARDS
1908 NSWRL Life Membership.
2008 NRL Hall of Fame (Inductee No. 1).
MILESTONES
- Kangaroo Tours: 1908-09, 1911-12
- Premierships: 1908-09, 1914
ADMINISTRATIVE CAREER
Rabbitohs Delegate to the League 1908, 1909-20
Rabbitohs Club Vice-President 1921-26
Australian Kangaroos Tour Co-Manager 1921-22
NSWRL Vice-President 1920-55
Australian Team Selector
BIOGRAPHY
Co-Founder of the Rabbitohs and Pioneer of the 1907 games against Baskerville’s New Zealand team, Cann was originally a centre and winger with his junior sides Cleveland and Chelsea and his early Souths rugby union career, but switched to the forwards without losing any of his pace.
He made three trips to Great Britain, two as a lock forward with the 1908-09 and 1911-12 Kangaroos, and the third as co-manager in 1921-22.
His move to the forwards revolutionised play and his speed, handling and co-operation with halfback Chris McKivat on the successful 1911-12 tour staggered Great Britain. In fact after that tour the British said they would not bring a side to Australia until they had mastered the Australian type of fast forward play at which Cann excelled.
Kangaroos Tour Manager, Johnny Quinlan“W.A. Cann is in my opinion one of the greatest all-round forwards to play Rugby. In fact I feel quite safe in saying that Billy Cann was the father of the modern type of forward play”.
Billy was one of four children born to Samuel Thomas Cann (1854-1896) and Winifred Mary Clune (1852-1932). His older brother Sydney Frederick Cann (1880-1941) played lower grades for the club in 1909.
After spending a couple of seasons in the Reserves at Souths rugby union side he was promoted to the top grade in 1905 and in three seasons he managed to play in 20 games, scoring 5 tries, 15 points. He was a member of Souths’ 1905 squad which won their only premiership. Sadly, the club folded at the end of 1914 and never returned after the Great War.
He was one of the first to sign with the new football code in 1907, even though he was promised a trip to Great Britain with the Wallabies. Cann played in all three games for New South Wales against the New Zealand All Golds, which were played under rugby union rules because the rugby league rule book didn’t arrive by boat until early February 1908. Players were given an incentive in the first game by a whisky firm who offered prizes of three guineas for the first back and forward to score tries. Cann was the first forward and ‘Dally’ Messenger was the first back to score. From the prize money he bought a gold chain which dangled from his waistcoat until the day he died.
Cann was present at Arthur Hennessy’s house which led to the formation of the South Sydney Rugby League Club and was named the Club’s delegate to the League in 1908. He took a break from the role in 1909 and then continued on from 1910-20. He was also the Club Treasurer in 1918-19, and served the code well with a wonderful record of being a member of the League committee for nearly 50 years. He was also Vice-President of the NSWRL, an Australian selector, a member of various other sub-committees and a great advocate for the country footballer.
He also wrote for The Sydney Morning Herald. In 1931 he appeared on radio station 2UW calling the top rugby league match in Sydney each Saturday afternoon. Cann sold pianos for AWA Radio and Rugby League News had regular ads with him selling pianos.
Cann died in 1958 at the age of 75, and it was his wish that his funeral was not advertised, but word got around and many of his former teammates came to pay their respects to a great man. Bill Buckley, Clarrie Fahy, Bill Davoren and Harold Matthews represented the League and George Ball was there to represent the Rabbitohs. His old tour mates, Howard Hallett, Dan Frawley, ‘Dally’ Messenger, William ‘Webby’ Neill, Tom Berecry were all there, while Mr. Barney Manson represented the English League Council and ‘Scotty’ Macrae the Queensland Rugby League.
