Rugby league 'Immortal' Graeme Langlands charged with historical sex crimes

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This was published 6 years ago

Rugby league 'Immortal' Graeme Langlands charged with historical sex crimes

By Patrick Begley
Updated

As an "Immortal", Graeme Langlands may have to live with a verdict forever.

The former St George fullback - one of only eight rugby league players to have attained the game's greatest title - stands accused of historical sexual abuse of a girl on the Gold Coast in the suburb of Molendinar.

Langlands was not present in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday to face the six charges of indecent dealing with a child under 16, related to one alleged event in 1982 between the March 25 and June 30.

"Mr Langlands suffers from advanced dementia and significant cognitive impairment linked to his former playing days," his family said in a statement, calling for privacy.

Rugby league Immortal Graeme Langlands has been charged with historical child sex offences.

Rugby league Immortal Graeme Langlands has been charged with historical child sex offences.Credit: Simon Alekna

"The charges will be defended."

The details surrounding them have not been released pending a possible application by the family to suppress them.

In his prime, Langlands had the best sidestep in the game. But his life after league was marked by an injury, estrangement from his son and a legal battle as he worked a series of jobs, including as a bar manager in the Philippines.

He would play 45 Tests for Australia, including 15 as captain, and more than 200 games for the Dragons between 1963 and 1976.

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Graeme Langlands scored 86 tries for St George and revelled in the Dragons' last four premierships in an 11-year streak from 1956 to 1966.

Graeme Langlands scored 86 tries for St George and revelled in the Dragons' last four premierships in an 11-year streak from 1956 to 1966.Credit: Fairfax Media

Nicknamed "Changa", a play on his last name, he scored 86 tries for his club and revelled in the last four premierships St George clinched in an 11-year streak.

But a botched painkilling injection before the disastrous 1975 grand final kept him from kicking properly. He became known for the distinctive white boots he wore in the Dragons' 38-0 drubbing to the Roosters and retired the next season.

Graeme Langlands represented Australia in 45 Tests.

Graeme Langlands represented Australia in 45 Tests.Credit: SMH

Langlands was a drinker. After his 1976 retirement he reportedly worked as manager of the Manning River Hotel in Taree, then in the bottle shop of a hotel on the Gold Coast.

"I've never had anything to do with him," said his son, Trent. "He's a virtual stranger to me."

Helen Elward, who wrote his 2001 career biography Larrikin and Saint, said she had never heard any rumours of sexual misconduct.

"I'm really shocked by the allegations," she said, describing him as "extraordinarily shy, a very humble person".

Some found him bitter and disappointed in later life.

In the 1990s he had run a bar in Manila and missed several league reunions. But in 1999, he and "The King" Wally Lewis became the fifth and six postwar players to be inducted as Immortals of the game.

Langlands was not happy about the inclusion of the eighth Immortal, arguing Andrew Johns' admitted ecstasy use should count him out.

Then in 2008, he fell off a truck carrying a group of players named the Team of the Century, injuring his shoulder.

Another misfortune came in 2013 when he was forced to sell his Alexandria home, following legal fights. At one point he had taken out a three-month $160,000 loan from a lender of last resort at an interest rate of 96 per cent, court records show.

Langlands moved to live with his daughter on the NSW southern highlands before shifting to a nursing home at Sutherland in Sydney's south.

An NRL spokesman declined to say what would happen to his Immortal status if the charges against him were proved.

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"There's a legal process that needs to be followed and we won't be commenting until that process has been completed," he said.

The case was set to return to court on Monday.

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