Matt Burke (rugby, born 1964)

{{Short description|Australia international rugby union & league footballer}}

{{distinguish|text=Matt Burke (born 1973), also an Australian rugby union international}}

{{Infobox rugby league biography

|name = Matt Burke

|fullname = Matthew Peter Burke

|image =

|image_size =

|caption =

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1964|09|15}}

|birth_place = St Margaret's Hospital, New South Wales, Australia

|death_date =

|death_place =

|height =

|weight =

|retired = yes

|first = RU

|ru_position = Wing

|ru_club1 = Randwick

|ru_year1start =

|ru_year1end =

|ru_appearances1 =

|ru_tries1 =

|ru_goals1 =

|ru_fieldgoals1 =

|ru_points1 =

|ru_teamA = Australia

|ru_yearAstart = 1984

|ru_yearAend = 87

|ru_appearancesA = 23

|ru_triesA =

|ru_goalsA =

|ru_fieldgoalsA =

|ru_pointsA = 60

|position = {{Rlp|CE}}

|club1 = Manly Sea Eagles

|year1start = 1988

|year1end = 89

|appearances1 = 28

|tries1 = 7

|goals1 = 0

|fieldgoals1 = 0

|points1 = 28

|club2 = Eastern Suburbs

|year2start = 1990

|year2end = 91

|appearances2 = 22

|tries2 = 3

|goals2 = 0

|fieldgoals2 = 0

|points2 = 12

|club3 = Balmain Tigers

|year3start = 1992

|year3end =

|appearances3 = 2

|tries3 = 1

|goals3 = 0

|fieldgoals3 = 0

|points3 = 4

|updated =

|source ={{cite web|url=http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/matt-burke/summary.html|title=Matt Burke|work=rugbyleagueproject.org|access-date=6 December 2013}}

| module = {{infobox person

| embed = yes

| father = Peter Burke

| mother =

| spouse =

| education =

| alma_mater =

| relatives = Brad Burke (brother)

}}

Matthew Peter Burke (born 15 September 1964) is an Australian former rugby union and rugby league footballer. He later served as a Waverley Council lifeguard on Bondi Beach.

Early life

Born in St Margaret's Hospital in the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills.,{{cite web|url=http://www.espnscrum.com/australia/rugby/player/9812.html|title=Matthew Burke|work=espnscrum.com|access-date=9 March 2019}} Burke attended Waverley College in Sydney's eastern suburbs, graduating in 1981.{{cite web|url=https://waverley.nsw.edu.au/information/australian-schools-rugby-representatives/|title=Australian Schools Rugby Representatives|work=waverley.nsw.edu.au|access-date=9 March 2019}}

Rugby career

Burke made his debut for the Australian national rugby union team on 3 November 1984. He played 23 tests for the Wallabies on the wing and scored 15 tries, including five in the 1987 Rugby World Cup. Between 1988 and 1992, he played rugby league for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, Eastern Suburbs Roosters and Balmain Tigers in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership.{{cite web|url=http://www.yesterdayshero.com.au/PlayerProfile_Matt-Burke_1462.aspx|title=Matt Burke|work=yesterdayshero.com.au|publisher=SmartPack International|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211135018/http://www.yesterdayshero.com.au/PlayerProfile_Matt-Burke_1462.aspx|archivedate=11 December 2013}} After a promising start, Burke's professional career stalled and he was relegated to lower grade football with Easts and Balmain.

Post-rugby career

For some time after retirement, Burke ran the Mill Hill pub in Bondi Junction.{{cite web|last=Geddes|first=Jon|url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/grand-squad-leaves-golden-legacy/news-story/cd377b7281f0e499e8a6b15c7861629a|title=Grand squad leaves golden legacy|work=DailyTelegraph|date=6 November 2009|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20180423190244/https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/grand-squad-leaves-golden-legacy/news-story/cd377b7281f0e499e8a6b15c7861629a|archivedate=23 April 2018|quote=There was winger Matthew Burke, who played rugby league with Easts, Manly and Balmain and ran the Mill Hill pub in Bondi Junction.|access-date=9 March 2019}} He later spent two seasons as a Waverley Council lifeguard on Bondi Beach, appearing on the factual television programme Bondi Rescue.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrM5hD-ArZU |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/wrM5hD-ArZU |archive-date=2021-12-14 |url-status=live|title=How to Rescue a Seagull | Best of Bondi Rescue|via=YouTube|publisher=Bondi Rescue|date=16 June 2013|access-date=9 March 2019}}{{cbignore}} As of November 2009, he was a proprietor of the Primavera Espresso Bar in the Sydney CBD.

Personal life

Burke's father, Peter, was a rugby league international and played for Manly-Warringah.{{cite web|url=https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/peter-burke/summary.html|title=Peter Burke|work=rugbyleagueproject.org|access-date=9 March 2019}} Burke has three brothers, Brad, Daniel and Patrick.