Career
He played in Sydney"s New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership as a winger for the Manly-Warringah and South Sydney clubs. A junior winger from Wauchope, Tom Mooney joined South Sydney in 1972. He played three seasons with the Rabbitohs before joining Manly-Warringah in 1975.
At the end of the 1976 NSWRFL season Mooney played in Manly"s Grand Final-winning side which defeated Parramatta 13-10.
He was also the 1976 season"s top try-scorer, equal with team mate and Manly"s captain Bob Fulton with both scoring 18 tries in the regular season, though Fulton would score another 3 tries in the finals series. Mooney scored a try in the 1978 NSWRFL season"s Grand Final against Cronulla-Sutherland, which was drawn 11-all and had to be re-played just three days later.
After playing in Manly"s premiership team, Mooney was considered unlucky not to gain a place on the 1978 Kangaroo Tour. Seven of his team mates did tour, as did Manly coach Frank Stanton who was the head coach of the Kangaroos.
Tom Mooney would also go on to be the 1979 NSWRFL season"s top try scorer.
In 1990 Mooney was named on the wing in a Manly team made up of the best players in the club"s history. He was one of the few exceptional players that failed to represent either his state or country. Before Manly"s Round 7 match against South Sydney at Manly"s home ground Brookvale Oval, a fired up Mooney all but ordered team mates to get him the ball during the game.
Ironically it would be another 10 games before he crossed for another try.
He scored a total of 9 tries for the season and retired from playing at the end of the year.
