Career

Following his schooling at Sydney Boys High School in the 1920s, Thicknesse was a half-back with Sydney"s Eastern Suburbs Rugby Union Club. He switched to the professional code in 1931 and joining Eastern Suburbs" rugby league side. He captained the 1937 side.

He represented for New South Wales on eleven occasions between 1933 and 1936 and made his international debut for Australia on the 1933-1934 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain where he appeared in two Tests and in sixteen minor matches.

He played in further Test series against New Zealand in 1935 and against Great Britain in 1936 for a total of seven career Test appearances. He is listed on the Australian Players Register as Kangaroo Number.

181. He formed a formidable representative halves pairing with Wests great Vic Hey and with his Easts clubmate Ernie Norman.

Achievements

• A halfback, Thicknesse was renowned for his passing game and was selected in Eastern Suburbs "Team Of The Century". Dally Messenger once said of Viv Thicknesse that "he rated him the equal of any half he had seen play the game". In February 2008, Thicknesse was named in the list of Australia"s 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) which was commissioned by the NRL and Association of Research Libraries to celebrate the code"s centenary year in Australia.