UPDATE: Former St George Dragons great, and Australian rugby league “Immortal”, Graeme Langlands has been charged with six counts of indecent dealing with a girl under 16.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Langlands, 76, was charged earlier this month but was not present when his matter was mentioned in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday.
It is alleged the offences occurred on the Gold Coast in the early 1980s.
Langlands, who was born in Wollongong, lives in a nursing home in NSW and is suffering from severe dementia that prohibits him from travelling.
The court heard his solicitor would ask for the case to be referred to the Mental Health Court on the grounds Langlands is not fit to answer the charges.
The matter has been adjourned until Monday.
The former St George Dragons fullback and goal kicker, nicknamed “Changa”, represented Australia in 45 Tests.
A NSW and Australian captain, Langlands’ four premierships and record 1554 points with St George between 1963 and 1976 made him rugby league’s fifth “Immortal” in 1999.
A talented fullback, the 21-year-old Langlands added raw pace and zest to the Dragons’ backline in 1963 as he helped them to the last four of their record 11 straight premierships.
However, at age 76, his life’s reputation is on the line and there are serious questions over his standing in the game as he fights six counts of alleged indecent dealings with a girl under 16 years of age.
The Wollongong junior broke onto the scene with a prolific sidestep for NSW Country in 1962, and in just over a year he had made his NSW and Australian debuts in the centres.
He went on to play 45 matches for the Kangaroos, the fifth most of all time, while his 20 tries and 206 points in Tests have him ranked ninth and fourth respectively in Australian history.
Also a sharpshooter with the boot, Langlands’ all-round game helped him to 86 tries and 648 goals for the Dragons as he led the points-scoring tallies for the competition in 1971 and 1973.
He also played a major role in keeping the side in the finals for the majority of his career despite most of the Saints’ icons of the 1960s having retired.
He has been awarded a Member of the British Empire, is a Sports Australia Hall of Fame member and is part of the ARL Hall of Fame.
As a player, his lowest ebb came in the 1975 grand final in his infamous and then-unique white boots.
After pain-killing injections in his leg hit a nerve, Langlands was left numb but played out the game with limited movement in Eastern Suburbs’ 38-0 flogging of the Saints.
Until Thursday, those white boots were the only blemish on a glittering career.
11.25am: Australian rugby league “Immortal”, and former St George Dragons player, Graeme Langlands has been charged with six counts of indecent dealing with a girl under 16.
Langlands, 76, was charged earlier this month but was not present when his matter was mentioned in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday.
It is alleged the offences occurred on the Gold Coast in the early 1980s.
Langlands, who was born in Wollongong, lives in a nursing home in NSW and is suffering from dementia and other health problems.
The former St George Dragons fullback and goal kicker, nicknamed “Changa”, represented Australia in 45 Tests.
In 1999, Langlands was given the status of "Immortal", a title bestowed to only eight of rugby league's all-time greats.
AAP