// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's Noel Cavanagh? Noel body knows.

Noel Cavanagh

Personal information
Full name	Noel Martin Cavanagh
Born	(1942-03-29) 29 March 1942
Playing information
Position	Lock / Second-row
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1968–72 North Sydney 78 5 66 0 147 1969 Bradford Northern 8 2 0 0 6 Total 86 7 66 0 153 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1965 Queensland 3 0 2 0 4 1965 Australia
Source:

Noel Martin Cavanagh (29 March 1942 - 8 July 2026) was an Australian former rugby league player.

Biography

Cavanagh was a lock and second-rower, originally from Clifton. He had several seasons in Brisbane playing for Brothers, from where he gained selection on Australia's 1965 tour of New Zealand. In 1967, Cavanagh won a premiership with Brothers, kicking all of his team's points in a try-less 6–2 grand final win over Northern Suburbs.

From 1968 to 1972, Cavanagh played his rugby league for North Sydney. He had a difficult start, breaking a hand in his first pre-season, then getting suspended for a stiff-arm tackle on his first-grade debut, but became an important player. At the end of the 1969 season, Cavanagh had a stint in England with Bradford Northern, playing under Gus Risman. He captained North Sydney during the 1971 season.

Cavanagh was appointed captain-coach of Bundaberg in 1973. He continued to live in Bundaberg after retiring and it was on his recommendation that North Sydney recruited local product Les Kiss. In 2008, Cavanagh was named as a lock in the Bundaberg Rugby League Team of the Century. He lived in Bundaberg until his death in 2026.

External links

• Noel Cavanagh at Rugby League Project