Vic Armbruster
Second Row
Player Bio
- Inducted:
- 2008
- Date of Birth:
- 12 July 1902
- Birthplace:
- Meerschaum Vale, NSW
- Nickname:
- -
- Debut Team:
- New South Wales
- Date:
- 23 September 1922
- Opposition:
- Queensland
- Venue:
- Sydney Sports Ground, NSW
- Representative:
- New South Wales, Queensland, Australia
- Clubs:
- Mullumbimby, Valleys Toowoomba, Grammars Brisbane, Valleys Brisbane, Bundaberg, Rochdale Hornets
Career
Milestones
- Premierships: 1927
- Kangaroo Tour: 1929-30
- Rated No. 85 in Rugby League Week’s Top 100 players: 1992
Playing
- First Class Games
- 238
- Points
- 217
- Tries
- 63
Biography
Vic Armbruster was one of the best of the many NSW players to head to Queensland in the 1920s. Born in the small farming community of Meerschaum Vale, near Lismore, Armbruster was only 20 when he won selection for NSW in the only interstate clash of 1922.
A tall second-rower, Armbruster settled in Toowoomba in 1924, and made an immediate impact on his new club Valleys, where he teamed with future Test stars Herb Steinohrt and Dan Dempsey.
The trio became automatic selections for Toowoomba and eventually Queensland. Armbruster, Steinohrt and Dempsey all played in the famous match between Toowoomba and England in 1924, when the local team won 23–20.
It was after this match that the mayor of Toowoomba, Doug Annand tagged the team the ''Galloping Clydesdales''.
A noted ball handler with the ability to slip a pass when surrounded by defenders and a player renowned for ''dropping back to take the high punts'', Armbruster's international career began in the second Ashes Test of 1924.
He played all three Tests against England in 1928 and was one of the first forwards chosen for the 1929–30 Kangaroo tour. His partnership with George Treweek in the Australian second row for three of the four Tests was hailed as one of the finest combinations ever to wear the green and gold.
Armbruster returned to England in 1931, playing with fellow Australians Cec Aynsley and Bill Spencer at the Rochdale Hornets club, his career winding down in 1935.
“Vic Armbruster’s play left an impression that he is the greatest forward since Frank Burge.”
Mick Fihelly, 1935 Journalist
22. Vic Armbruster - Hall of Fame
Career Stats
Club Career
| Team Name | Competition | Year Start | Year End | Played | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grammars Brisbane | Brisbane Club Competition |
1926
1930 |
1928
1930 |
27 | 5 | 3 | - | 21 |
| Valleys Brisbane | QRL Club Competition | 1929 | 1930 | 9 | 3 | 5 | - | 19 |
| Rochdale Hornets | England First Class Games | 1931 | 1935 | 106 | 15 | - | - | 45 |
Representative Career
Intercity
| Team Name | Competition | Opponent | Year Start | Year End | Played | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toowoomba | Bulimba Cup | 1925 | 1925 | 4 | 3 | - | - | 9 | |
| Toowoomba | Touring Sides | 1924 | 1925 | 2 | - | - | - | - | |
| Brisbane |
1926
1930 |
1930
1930 |
18 | 4 | 1 | - | 14 |
State
| Team Name | Competition | Opponent | Year Start | Year End | Played | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | Interstate Series | Queensland | 1922 | 1922 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Queensland | Interstate Series | New South Wales | 1924 | 1931 | 26 | 9 | 3 | - | 33 |
| Queensland | Victoria | 1924 | 1924 | - | 1 | 1 | - | 5 | |
| Queensland | Touring Sides |
1924
1928
1930 |
1925
1928
1930 |
6 | 3 | 1 | - | 11 | |
| Queensland | Tour Matches | 1925 | 1925 | 8 | 6 | - | - | 18 |
International
| Team Name | Competition | Year Start | Year End | Played | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Tests |
1924
1928 |
1924
1930 |
8 | 2 | - | - | 6 |
| Australia | Tour Matches | 1929 | 1930 | 16 | 6 | - | - | 18 |
Other Representative
| Team Name | Opponent | Year Start | Year End | Played | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combined Country-Newcastle | Metropolis | 1923 | 1923 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| South Queensland | North Queensland | 1927 | 1927 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 3 |
| Queensland | The Rest | 1927 | 1928 | 2 | 3 | - | - | 9 |
| Other Nationalities | 1933 | 1933 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 3 |
Hall of Fame Members
National Rugby League respects and honours the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands we meet, gather and play on.
