It is symbolic that Gordon Willoughby is known as
"Kandos", or the less salubrious
"Cement Head", for he has been part of the
foundations of the Manly-Warringah club for a
lifetime. Willoughby, parochial in his love of all
things Manly, was among the trailblazers who came
from parent district club North Sydney to play in
Manly's inaugural 1947 season.
"Kandos" had a long playing career. He
began at Norths in 1941, spent three years in the
Army and resumed playing in 1946. He did not play
first grade at Norths, but in 134 games for his
beloved Sea Eagles played out over eight seasons to
1954, he scored 61 tries. An intense man,
Willoughby's bull-at-a-gate playing style didn't
leave much room for error, and he was criticised
throughout his playing career for less than secure
handling.
But such was his drive and passion for the game,
particularly under the skilful coaching of Wally
O'Connell that he deserved his two green and gold
jumpers against the mighty Frenchmen in 1951 and in
the following season against New Zealand.
Willoughby worked devilishly hard to gain success
on the football field and was renowned as one of the
game's most committed trainers. "Ray Stehr once
told me he used to find out how much training his
opponents or teammates were doing and if they trained
two nights a week he would train four, and I adopted
that philosophy," said Willoughby.
"I used to train my guts out and in the
off-season I was always in a gym three days a week
and I used to run right up until the season started
and then I would train four days a week
independently. "I would have only missed about
nine matches through injuries in all the years I
played."
The Willoughby trademark was his flourishing
swan-dive for the try-line — it was a legacy of
his days in the Army. For three years he was a member
of the NSW diving troupe that performed clown-diving
routines before the public — he can recall
somersaulting demonstrations off the Manly pier. His
dives required great skill to avoid injurious
landings.
He was the forerunner of players' active
involvement in the club's football committee. He
became a players'representative in 1949. He went on
to become a club vice president in 1956, a delegate
to the NSWRL in 1960, a club life member in 1964,
deputy chairman in 1970 and chairman of the club's
board of directors in 1988. He was also a foundation
director of the Manly-Warringah Leagues Club.
