Former Queensland forward and Wests Panthers Premiership winning coach, Ron Raper, has died in Brisbane aged 80 after a long battle with ill health.
Raper forged a reputation as Queensland's version of Jack Gibson when he steered Wests to back-to-back Brisbane premierships in 1975-76 after the Panthers had last tasted grand final glory in 1954.
Ron, who played in the 1967 Sydney grand final for Canterbury-Bankstown, moved to Brisbane in 1973 and represented his adopted state against New South Wales that same year, from the Redcliffe club.
In the Queensland side Ron was coached by former Test five-eighth Wally O'Connell and captained by another New South Welshman, John Sattler, in the pre-Origin days.
That Maroons' outfit included future Australian Rugby League Commission Chairman, John Grant; future Australian skipper Greg Veivers and two men destined for premiership glory as coaches – Wayne Bennett and John Lang.
But Raper was the first to get a title as a coach after seven seasons with Canterbury and two with Redcliffe as a player, including a grand final appearance with the Dolphins in 1973. Valleys won that match 13-7 and Raper finished with a broken arm.
Redcliffe missed the finals in 1974 and despite having a year left on his contract Raper stunned Dolphins' fans and coach Barry Muir by taking up an offer to coach Wests, who had finished last that season.
Wests finished minor premiers in 1975 and faced third-placed Redcliffe in the grand final in front of a crowd of 41,000 with the coaching rivalry between Raper and Muir dominating headlines all week (Muir had captained Wests in in the 1960s).
Wests led 19-4 at half-time, but Redcliffe scored 20 points to seven after the break to almost snatch victory. The final score was Wests 26 Redcliffe 24.
Wests won again in 1976, cementing their reputation as the crowd pleaser of a booming Brisbane competition.
Wests made history by appointing Raper to a fulltime role in 1977 and Wests reached the finals again only to be eliminated by Easts in the preliminary final.
In that season, Raper gave a first grade debut to a youngster from Padua College, Paul Vautin.
Raper had a year off in 1978 before returning to Redcliffe as coach in 1979, the year the club moved from the showgrounds to Dolphin Oval.
In the 1980s he coached Wests again and later became president, leagues club manager and groundsman at Purtell Park, Bardon, working tirelessly to keep the Panthers as a force in senior football.
'The Hill' at Purtell Park is named after Ron and another club stalwart, Erica Quinn.
Ron is one of nine brothers with twins Gerard and Peter flying up for his 80th at Purtell Park in November last year. The Raper clan includes Rugby League Immortal Johnny Raper, who played against his little brother a number of times in the Sydney competition.
Another brother, Maurie, who died on February 20 this year aged 81, was a foundation player with Penrith in 1967 and also represented Central Queensland against Great Britain in 1966 during a stint in Rockhampton.
Ron played 128 first grade first grade premiership games with Canterbury and captained the club 27 times.
He was Canterbury's player of the year in 1967. Ron was lock in the Canterbury side which ended St George's 11-year reign in the 1967 preliminary final.
Canterbury captain-coach, Queenslander Kevin Ryan, said his side would not have won but for a magnificent try-saving tackle by Ron on St George Test centre, the great Reg Gasnier.
Ron's son Steve is part of the 2026 Queensland State of Origin staff.
