Vale Noel Dolton

1937 – 2021

Wests Player number 633 (1967)

Newtown Player number 491 (1958)

Parramatta Player number 212 (1962)

Wakefeild Trinity Player number 701 (1964)

Photo taken at a Pratten Park Magpies Reunion

A talented forward Noel Dolton passed away on Sunday 5 December aged 84

A Newtown junior, he played first grade with Newtown, Parramatta and Wests, while he also had two seasons in England with Wakefield Trinity

He began with Newtown in 1958, beginning with the thirds and moving up to reserve grade in the last month or so

In 1959 he made his first grade debut and played 32 top grade games with the Bluebags in 1959 and 1960

Noel was an old school front rower and played with and against the best of that era

The next season, Noel was not on contract and wanted to leave the club but Newtown would not put him on transfer, as was allowed in those days

He joined Parramatta in 1962 and played 50 first grade games for the Eels over three seasons

Noel played a trial game for Wests and Newtown and the League were not happy

Noel finally made it to Parramatta

Noel also played against the touring South African team at Cumberland Oval on Monday July 29th 1963

Parramatta 39 beat South Africa 18

Semi Final clash against Wests

Noel has Denis Meaney in a headlock

Parra beat Balmain in the First Semi Final

At the end of the 1963 season Wests and Parramatta played in the Ampol Cup Final

Wests 17 beat Parramatta 11

When the 1964 Sydney season ended, Noel flew to England and joined the Wakefield Trinity club

He finished with 24 first team games with Trinity and on 18 August 1965, at Crystal Palace in London, Noel played with a Commonwealth team against New Zealand in the opening match of the Kiwi tour of England and France

Team-mates in the Commonwealth team included Bob Hagan, Merv Hicks, Trevor Lake and Charlie Renilson

New Zealand 15 beat the Commonwealth XIII 13

  Back in Australia, he joined Western Suburbs in 1967 and played two seasons with the Magpies

Noels 1st First grade appearance at Wests

Noel almost played for the new kids on the block Cronulla – Sutherland in 1967

Noels last game at Wests was in a Third Grade Semi Final against Souths

In the two seasons Noel was at Wests he played 15 First Grade games, 22 Reserve Grade games and 9 Third Grade games.

                    

Altogether Noel played 98 first grade games in Sydney football and scored eight tries

One of Noels tries

After leaving the Magpies, he finished his playing career with a couple of seasons with the now defunct Wollongong club in the Illawarra competition

  Noel worked as a health inspector at Parramatta, Wollongong and Moruya Councils and lived at Austinmer for the past several years

  He is the beloved husband of Maureen and dearly loved father and father-in-law of Dean and Vanessa and Tonya (dec), loving Pop of Mackenzie, Charlea and Ella and loved brother of Bob (dec), Janette, Roy and their families

Thanks to Barry Ross for the text of Noels Vale

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NOTE: I think I may of found Noels correct 1st First Grade game at Newtown and his Rugby League career

The surname in the program is spelt wrong and I believe that is why Noel was not credited with this as his 1st First Grade game